GAME NIGHT NOTES 6/2/08

Game Five: Kelly Cup Finals (Series Tied 2-2)
Cincinnati Cyclones (14-5-1) at Las Vegas Wranglers (14-4-1) 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. This is the final home game of the 2007-08 season for Las Vegas. The Wranglers tied the series 2-2 with a 2-0 Game Four win on Friday night. The Cyclones took Games One and Three, while Las Vegas won Game Two. Neither team has lost back-to-back games during the playoffs. The winner of tonight’s game will have a chance to clinch the Kelly Cup in Game Six on Thursday in Cincinnati. 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 and Cincinnati enter the game having taken seven of their last ten. The Wranglers are 7-2 at home during the playoffs, while the Cyclones are 7-3 on the road in the playoffs. The Cyclones are 10-1-0 when scoring first in the playoffs, while Las Vegas is 9-3-0 when getting on the scoreboard first. Las Vegas is 3-25 on the power play in the finals against Cincinnati. The Cyclones are 4-21 against Las Vegas in the first four games of the series.

Last Time Out
LAS VEGAS, NV – The Las Vegas Wranglers® defeated the Cincinnati Cyclones 2-0 in Game Four of the Kelly Cup Finals on Friday night in front of a sellout crowd of 7,703 fans at the Orleans Arena. Las Vegas goalie Kevin Lalande made 27 saves for his third shutout of the playoffs and the win. With the victory, the Wranglers evened the best of seven series 2-2, forcing Game Six in Cincinnati. Wranglers’ forwards Aki Seitsonen and Kelly Czuy each scored in the win. Cyclones goalie Cedrick Desjardins made 33 saves in the loss. Center Chris Ferraro returned to the line up for the first time since March 1, 2008 at Victoria.

National Conference Champions
Right wing Adam Cracknell leads Las Vegas in playoff scoring with eight goals and 13 assists for 21 points in 19 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 18 playoff games. Center Tyler Mosienko is third on the team in scoring with 20 points. He is tied for second on the team with 54 shots on goal, 16 shots behind Cracknell’s 70.

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 2.39 and a save percentage of .913. The rookie netminder leads all goalies in the playoffs with 13 wins, 440 saves and 1060 minutes played. So far in the playoffs, Lalande is 13-4-1 with 2.38 goals against average and a .913 save percentage.

Roster Report
Defensemen Sean Owens and Jason Dest, along with forward Ryan Donally are all 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 in the Kelly Cup Finals.

Goalies Cedrick Desjardins (9-4, 2.03 GAA, .933) and Maxime Daigneault (5-2, 2.77 GAA, .910) split time between the pipes. Desjardins is 6-2-0 in his last eight starts with a 1.70 goals against average. He is 2-2-0 with a 1.77 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
Game 4: Cincinnati 0 at Las Vegas 2 (Series tied 2-2)
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
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.