GAME NIGHT NOTES 5/29/0

Cincinnati Cyclones (13-4-1) at Las Vegas Wranglers (13-3-1)
Tonight the Wranglers and Cyclones continue a best-of-seven series as Las Vegas hosts the Kelly Cup Finals for the first time in club history. Las Vegas tied the series 1-1 with a 1-0 shutout in Game Two at Cincinnati on Sunday, after the Cyclones won Game One 4-2 on Saturday. Las Vegas swept Utah in the National Conference Finals, defeated Alaska in the second round (4-1) and edged Stockton in the first round (4-2) to advance to the Kelly Cup Finals. Cincinnati swept Johnstown in the opening round, crept by Reading in seven games in the second round and disposed of South Carolina in five games to claim the American Conference Championship.

Las Vegas enters the game having taken eight of its last ten. Cincinnati enters having taken seven of its last 10 games. Las Vegas is 6-1 at home in the playoffs. The Wranglers have six straight wins at the Orleans Arena dating back to Game 6 of the National Conference Semi-Finals against Stockton. Cincinnati is 6-2 on the road in the playoffs. The Cyclones are 10-1-0 when scoring first in the playoffs, while Las Vegas is 8-2-0 when getting on the scoreboard first. Las Vegas is 1-12 on the power play in the finals against Cincinnati. The Cyclones are 3-12 against Las Vegas in the first two games of the series.

Last Time Out
Cincinnati, OH –The Las Vegas Wranglers defeated the Cincinnati Cyclones 1-0 in Game Two of the Kelly Cup Finals on Sunday night in front of 6,897 fans at the U.S. Bank Arena. Las Vegas goalie Kevin Lalande made 27 saves for his second professional playoff shutout as the Wranglers tied the Kelly Cup Finals series 1-1. Center Adam Miller broke a scoreless tie that lasted 55:40, scoring his fourth goal of the playoffs with 4:20 remaining in the contest for the win.

National Conference Champions
Right wing Adam Cracknell leads Las Vegas in playoff scoring with eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points in 17 games played. His 21 points rank tied for second in the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Right wing Peter Ferraro is tied with Cracknell in scoring, with eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points in 16 playoff games. Center Tyler Mosienko is third on the team in scoring with 18 points, and he is second on the team with 50 shots on goal, nine shots behind Cracknell’s 59.

Las Vegas goalie Kevin Lalande is 7-1-1 in his last nine games in net. Over that span, Lalande has a goals against average of 2.38 and a save percentage of .913. The rookie netminder leads all goalies in the playoffs with 12 wins and 941 minutes played. He is second with 392 saves. So far in the playoffs, Lalande is 12-4-1 with 2.49 goals against average and a .910 save percentage.

Roster Report
Center Chris Ferraro remains on the 30-day injured reserve. Forward Ryan Donally and defenseman Sean Owens are out with injuries.

American Conference Champions
The Cyclones have been led all season by 5-foot-6-inch center David Desharnais, who was named ECHL Most Valuable Player and Rookie of the Year after leading the league with 106 points on 29 goals and an ECHL-best 77 assists in 68 games. Desharnais also set a league record with an assist in 20 straight games during the regular season. He also recorded a 27-game point streak during that time. Desharnais leads the ECHL with 25 playoff points.

Cincinnati defenseman Chad Starling was named second-team all-ECHL and the league's Plus Performer of the Year, compiling a league-leading plus-48 rating. The Cyclones are also led by center Olivier Latendresse (18 points), Cincinnati native Jason Deitsch (18 points) and right wing Thomas Beauregard (16 points). Beauregard led the American Conference and finished third overall with 272 shots on goal. He led Cincinnati with 31 goals and finished second in team scoring with 65 points in the regular season. Cyclones forward Jean-Michel Daoust has played In 73 regular season games over two seasons for Cincinnati. Over that span, Daoust has 59 goals and 54 assists for 113 points. The second-year Cyclone had three assists in Game One of the Finals.

Goalies Cedrick Desjardins (8-3, 2.03 GAA, .932) and Maxime Daigneault (5-2, 2.77 GAA, .910) split time between the pipes. Desjardins appears to be the number one goalie heading into the Finals, having played nine of the team’s last 10 games. Desjardins is 6-2-0 in his last eight starts with a 1.59 goals against average. He is 1-1-0 with a 1.50 goals against average against Las Vegas in the Kelly Cup Finals.

Cincinnati recorded the second-most wins (55-12-5) and points (115) in ECHL history on their way to the regular-season title (Brabham Cup). The Cyclones set league records with 17 straight victories and 14 in a row at home, where they were 29-4-3. The Cyclones finished first in overall scoring during the regular season and second in team defense in the regular season. Cincinnati Head Coach Chuck Weber was awarded the John Brophy Trophy (ECHL Coach of the Year).

Las Vegas Wranglers vs. Cincinnati Cyclones – Kelly Cup Finals (best of seven series):
Game 1: Las Vegas 2 at Cincinnati 4
Game 2: Las Vegas 1 at Cincinnati 0 (Series Tied 1-1)
Game 3: Cincinnati at Las Vegas – Thursday, May 29th at 7:05 PM at Orleans Arena
Game 4: Cincinnati at Las Vegas – Friday, May 30th at 7:05 PM at Orleans Arena
Game 5: Cincinnati at Las Vegas – Monday, June 2nd at 7:05 PM at Orleans Arena
Game 6: Las Vegas at Cincinnati - Thursday, June 5th at 4:30 PM (PDT) at U.S. Bank Arena - X
Game 7: Las Vegas at Cincinnati - Saturday, June 7th at 4:30 pm (PDT) – at U.S. Bank Arena – X
X = If Necessary

Tale of the Tape ...

GPG=Goals Per Game GA= Goals Against Per Game PP=Power Play PK=Penalty Kill PIM= Penalty Minutes Per Game

2008 Kelly Cup Playoff ticket packages are now available. Fans may purchase tickets on the Wranglers team website at www.lasvegaswranglers.com or the Orleans Arena website (www.orleansarena.com. Fans may also purchase tickets at any of the following locations in the valley: Galleria Mall, Orleans Casino showroom box office, Gold Coast Casino showroom box office and the Suncoast Casino showroom box office. Tickets may be ordered by phone at (702) 284-7777.

Fans interested in purchasing 2008-09 season ticket packages may contact the Wranglers front office at (702) 471-7825 (PUCK).

Call (702) 471-PUCK (7825) for more information or visit www.lasvegaswranglers.com.