GAME NIGHT NOTES 5/30/08

Cincinnati Cyclones (14-4-1) at Las Vegas Wranglers (13-4-1)
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. With a 4-2 win last night in Game Three, the Cyclones took a 2-1 series lead. Las Vegas had 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 seven of its last ten. Cincinnati enters having taken eight of its last 10 games. Las Vegas is 6-2 at home in the playoffs. The Wranglers had a six-game winning streak at the Orleans Arena halted by Cincinnati. The Cyclones are 7-2 on the road in the playoffs. The Cyclones are 10-1-0 when scoring first in the playoffs, while Las Vegas is 8-3-0 when getting on the scoreboard first. Las Vegas is 3-20 on the power play in the finals against Cincinnati. The Cyclones are 4-15 against Las Vegas in the first three games of the series.

Last Time Out
LAS VEGAS, NV -- The Las Vegas Wranglers were defeated by the Cincinnati Cyclones 4-2 in Game Three of the Kelly Cup Finals on Thursday night in front of 6,713 fans at the Orleans Arena. Cyclones winger Olivier Latendresse capped a three-goal rally by scoring the game-winning goal with 1:08 left in the second period. With the victory, Cincinnati takes a 2-1 series lead in the best of seven series. Cyclones center David Desharnais led the charge with a goal and two assists in the two-goal victory. Cincinnati goalie Cedrick Desjardins picked up the win, stopping 26 of 28 Las Vegas shots. Las Vegas forwards Brandon Kaleniecki and Tyler Mosienko each scored in the loss. Goalie Kevin Lalande suffered the defeat, stopping 21 of 24 Cincinnati shots.

National Conference Champions
Right wing Adam Cracknell leads Las Vegas in playoff scoring with eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points in 18 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 17 playoff games. Center Tyler Mosienko is third on the team in scoring with 19 points, and he is second on the team with 52 shots on goal, 11 shots behind Cracknell’s 63.

Las Vegas goalie Kevin Lalande is 6-2-1 in his last nine games in net. Over that span, Lalande has a goals against average of 2.60 and a save percentage of .909. The rookie netminder leads all goalies in the playoffs with 12 wins and 1000 minutes played. He is second with 413 saves. So far in the playoffs, Lalande is 12-4-1 with 2.52 goals against average and a .909 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 28 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 forward Olivier Latendresse (19 points), Cincinnati native Jason Deitsch (18 points) and right wing Thomas Beauregard (16 points). 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 has two goals and three assists for five points.

Goalies Cedrick Desjardins (9-3, 2.03 GAA, .932) and Maxime Daigneault (5-2, 2.77 GAA, .910) split time between the pipes. Desjardins is 7-1-0 in his last eight starts with a 1.70 goals against average. He is 2-1-0 with a 1.68 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
Game 3: Cincinnati 4 at Las Vegas 2 (Cincinnati lead series 2-1)
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.