Monday, May 12 Las Vegas Wranglers® (5) vs Utah Grizzlies (2)
Tuesday, May 13 Las Vegas Wranglers® (4) vs Utah Grizzlies (3) in overtime

The David Brownell Team’s very own, Rob Mork, attended Game Two on Tuesday at the Orleans Arena and gives the following account: “What a ripping victory with Utah tying up the game with LESS THAN ONE SECOND remaining on the clock! The Las Vegas Wrangles scored the game winning goal 1 min 36 sec into Sudden Death. This was AA hockey suspense at it’s finest.”

The Las Vegas Wranglers® website gives an account of Monday’s game written by Josh Fisher

The Las Vegas Wranglers® defeated the Utah Grizzlies 5-2 in Game One of the National Conference Finals on Monday night in front of 4,299 fans at the Orleans Arena. Left wing Shawn Limpright scored a goal and added an assist as Las Vegas claimed a 1-0 series lead. Goalie Kevin Lalande turned aside 31 Utah shots for the playoff victory. Left wing Kelly Czuy dished out two assists in the team’s first game in ten days. Defenseman Jason Jozsa, forwards Tyler Mosienko, Adam Cracknell and Curtis Fraser also scored in the win.

Game Two was Tuesday, May 13 at 7:05 pm at the Orleans Arena. What a ripping victory with Utah tying up the game with LESS THAN ONE SECOND remaining on the clock! The Las Vegas Wrangles® scored the game winning goal 1 min 36 sec into Sudden Death.

The Las Vegas Sun offers a great angle by Ron Kantowski:

BEARDED LOOK CUTS NO ICE
In most cases, on these faces, it produces anything but the ‘meaner and tougher’ image that’s desired

During their five-year existence the Las Vegas Wranglers® have found themselves in any number of hairy predicaments.
But none so literal as the one right now.

For the first time, the Wranglers have made it to the third round of the ECHL Kelly Cup playoffs, which means the beards they began growing in homage to playoff hockey tradition when the postseason began three weeks ago have fully sprouted.

More or less.
It’s not a pretty sight.

Wherever you turn, be it on the blue line, at center ice or in the attacking zone, there is stubble. There are whiskers in the crease; unused cans of Edge in the slot. The team barber has been traded to the Florida Everblades for Don Rickles and a bag of hockey pucks.

Playoff beards began to take form — some more slowly than others — in the National Hockey League during the early 1980s. The New York Islanders supposedly are to blame — er, started the tradition. At first, it used to be just a few players. Now, even guys who play air hockey send their razors and Lectric Shave to the penalty box once the puck is dropped in the postseason.

Every member of the Wranglers has grown a beard. Or at least is trying. Even Billy Johnson, the club president, had one until a week ago. He said it looked like “H-E Double Hockey Sticks,” so he shaved it off. The consensus among the players is that it was only a slight improvement.

Glen Gulutzan, the Wranglers’ coach and general manager, is the team’s only beardless wonder. During his playing days, that wasn’t the case. He said if his playoff beard were judged like plus-minus, his would have been a zero. Just good enough not to be considered bad and just bad enough not to be considered good.

Before Monday, it had been 16 days since Wranglers fans last saw the team. They must have been amazed Monday night when Gulutzan sent out a checking line made up of Grizzly Adams, Frank Serpico and Tom “Castaway” Hanks.

“It makes us look meaner and tougher and that’s what playoff hockey is all about,” Wranglers center Bruce Mulherin said. “The longer, the better.”
The wives and girlfriends might beg to differ.

Thanks goes out to all who contributed to to this look into hockey here in the Vegas valley.

Professional hockey is more than buying a ticket, grabbing a hot dog and a beer or soda and waiting for a fight to break out. If you do not know enough about hockey, but would like to know more, here is a great place to learn the basic rules and strategy of the game, Everything You Wanted to Know About Hockey. It is also a great place for those of you who already are fans and connoisseurs of the game to brush up on your knowledge just in time to cheer the home team through the playoffs.

The David Brownell Team is committed to illustrating the rich number of diverse activities and lifestyles that the Las Vegas valley is offering to families and individuals everyday.
Drop us a line requesting us to show you a lifestyle worth living, in Las Vegas.

Have fun out there,

David