Where else in the country can you go see a professional hockey game at Midnight? Las Vegas is home to some of the most unusual and fun events. One such event is the Las Vegas Wranglers’ Midnight Circus.
Twice a year the Las Vegas Wranglers host a midnight hockey game. The February 17th game was called the Midnight Circus. Now most hockey games in Las Vegas have some sort of theme that loosely plays into the night. One night may be a bobble-head night where the first 100 people or so get a free bobble-head. The Midnight Circus was different.
Stilt walkers, jugglers and even a snake lady greeted thousands of hockey fans at the doors. The concourse had a circus-type ambience that delighted the fans big and small. This was to be a special game with the Las Vegas Wranglers taking on the Idaho Steelheads.
It didn’t take long for the action to being. Shortly after the beginning of the first period, the first knuckle-duster delighted the fans. The fans screamed and hollered as the fight raged across the ice. Besides the fight, nothing else really happened in the first period. The score was tied 0 to 0 going into the second period.
Though instead of going straight into the second period, the Wranglers had a big surprise for their fans. Celine Dion’s violinist Jean Sebastian Carre accompanied Paul Shortino from Quiet Riot and Rough Cutt to the center of the ice. Joining Jean and Paul were two lovely ladies dressed in black tights and red corsets.
As Jean started to play his violin the crowd fell silent. Paul’s powerful voice took over as he sang the Nazareth song Love Hurts. The two ladies approached the silks that were hanging nearby. One of ladies climbed high into the air as Paul continued to sing. The aerialist flipped and spun around as Jean and Paul continued their song. As the song ended the crowd went wild.
Though what would be a Midnight Circus be without clowns? The moment Paul stepped off the ice the clown antics began. Two clowns ran out on to the ice slipping and sliding and entertaining the crowds.
The second period started off poorly for the Las Vegas Wranglers with Idaho scoring a point 41 seconds into the period. It didn’t get much better for the Wranglers as the Steelheads scored two more. The fighting didn’t seem to help, as the Steelheads scored two more points to end the second period 3 to 0.
The crowd fell silent as a black carpet was laid on the floor for the second part of the evening. A small black platform was placed on top of this carpet. A small-framed woman climbed on top of the platform and began to contort her body. Her feet at some point in the act finding a resting spot on her own shoulders, twisting and writhing the crowd looked on in sheer amazement.
The third period started and tensions were high. No more fights, the Wranglers rallied and the audience cheered them on. Within the first part of the third period the Wranglers were on fire, they managed to score two goals.
The anxiety was building as the crowd began to chant and yell and do everything they could to show support to the Wranglers. Shot after shot fell short of the goal. The Wranglers pulled a risky move and pulled their goalie from the net. The puck pummeled the area by the opponent’s goal.
The audience stopped everything (perhaps even breathing) as the puck was deflected from a shot on Idaho’s net and slid across the ice unassisted towards the unguarded Wranglers’ net. The crowd watched the scene unfold as if in slow motion. A lone Wrangler skated with all his might and prevented the puck from scoring a goal with only inches to spare. Looking like a scene from a movie the crowded erupted into a thunderous applause.
Though unlike the movies the Wranglers didn’t get their happy ending as the Idaho Steelheads won 3-2.
For more information on the Wranglers family fun events check out their website at:
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