Thunder contending with a tricky arena lease and other IHL t

Rob Nelson of ESPN Stats & Information revisits the worst bad beats from the weekends gambling action.?Closing lines are courtesy of Westgate Las Vegas SuperBook, and pick percentages are via Wunderdog Sports.SaturdayCentral Michigan Chippewas at Northern Illinois HuskiesClosing over/under:?61Its always a tough break for bettors on the under when a college football game goes to overtime, but it doesnt get much worse than when it takes three extra periods to finally go over.With the game tied at 21 late in the fourth quarter, the 58 percent of bettors on the under were hoping for a late score in regulation to end it.That opportunity came after Central Michigan drove deep into Northern Illinois territory. Chippewas kicker Brian Eavey had a 33-yard field goal in the final seconds to win it, but missed. After a Central Michigan interception in overtime, Eavey would get a chance to redeem himself. But once again, the Chippewas kicker missed, this time from 35 yards out.Heading to double-overtime, the score was tied at 21 and the under still appeared to be in good shape. But the teams traded touchdowns, and it was now 28-28 heading to triple-overtime. Central Michigans DAndre Dill blocked a field goal to set his team up for the win again, as those on the under were begging for a field goal and 31-28 final score. Unfortunately for those folks, Cooper Rush and Tyler Conklin hooked up for a 25-yard touchdown to win it 34-28, with the total going over by one point.Final score:?Central Michigan 34, Northern Illinois 28 in 3OT (Game goes over)Missouri Tigers at Florida GatorsClosing over/under:?52.5This turned out to be a similar ending to the previous weekends SEC East game between Georgia and South Carolina.Florida led 33-7 with less than two minutes left, as only a pair of late touchdowns could lose it for the 73 percent on the under -- the most popular under pick Saturday. Ish Witters 1-yard touchdown capped off a 99-yard drive for Missouri, as Florida then led 33-14 with 1:23 left. Down 19, Missouris onside kick attempt was picked up and returned for a touchdown by Floridas Antonio Callaway, pushing the total over.Final score:?Florida 40, Missouri 14 (Game goes over)Connecticut Huskies at South Florida BullsClosing line:?South Florida -20.5The 57 percent who took South Florida will have a tough time getting over all of the mistakes the Bulls made in the second half.South Florida led 14-3 at halftime, but started the third quarter with turnovers on each of its first two drives. Later in the quarter, Bulls running back Marlon Mack lost a fumble at the Connecticut 2-yard line. Despite all that, South Florida continued to move the ball with ease and took a 42-20 lead with 2:57 left, finally covering the 20.5-point spread. The Bulls just needed one stop, and they appeared to get it when Jalen Spencer picked off Bryant Shirreffs. But in what turned out to be the most costly mistake for South Florida, defensive pass interference was called, extending the Huskies drive. Five plays later, Shirreffs threw a touchdown to Alec Bloom on fourth down with 57 seconds on the clock, and Connecticut would lose by just 15.Final score:?South Florida 42, Connecticut 27 (Connecticut covers)SundayCleveland Browns at Tennessee TitansClosing line:?Titans -7.5The majority of the action was on the Titans, who were favored for the first time this season, to cover the 7.5-point spread against the winless Browns.Tennessee led from start to finish, and seemingly took control when Anthony Fasanos 15-yard touchdown catch from Marcus Mariota put the home favorites up 15 with 6:43 left. The Browns proceeded to go on a 13-play scoring drive that included two fourth-down conversions, cutting the Titans lead to 28-19.In an interesting decision, Hue Jackson went for two (to cut the deficit to seven), but failed. Those who bet the Titans rejoiced. But that happy feeling didnt last long, as Cleveland recovered its own onside kick, getting the ball back with 2:05 left. Nine plays later, Duke Johnson Jr. scored a 1-yard touchdown with 27 seconds left to cover the spread for the Browns. Tennessee dropped to 1-8 ATS in its past nine games as the favorite.Final score:?Titans 28, Browns 26 (Browns cover)Indianapolis Colts at Houston TexansClosing line:?Texans -3 Over/under: 48For most of the night, it appeared that the Colts (who closed as 3-point underdogs) and the under 48 would be the winning sides. Indianapolis led 23-9 with less than three minutes left in regulation, prompting many Texan fans to leave the game early.They ended up missing an improbable comeback by the home team.A Lamar Miller 10-yard touchdown reception and Nick Novak extra-point cut the Colts lead to 23-16 with 2:37 left. Houston forced a three-and-out and got the ball right back. Three plays later, Brock Osweiler connected with C.J. Fiedorowicz for a 26-yard touchdown -- and just like that, it was tied at 23. Someone would need to score again (unless it ended in a tie), so in matter of minutes, bettors on the under went from winners to losers.As for the rest of the game, the Colts failed to score on both the final possession in regulation and the first in overtime before Houston ended it. The Texans scored on their first overtime possession, as Novaks 33-yard field goal forced those on Indy +3 to settle for a push.Final score:?Texans 26, Colts 23 in OT (Game pushes and total goes over)Air Max 720 Edizione Limitata . Parker had 26 points and eight assists and San Antonio beat Toronto 112-99 Monday night. "We won that game because of Tony Parkers aggressiveness," Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. "His juice; his aggression all night long. Scarpe Paul George Italia . Schenn scored the game-winning goal and added two assists to lead the Philadelphia Flyers to a 4-1 win over the Calgary Flames at the Scotiabank Saddledome on Tuesday. http://www.airmaxshoponlineitalia.it/scontate-max-97-outlet.html .ca! Kerry, Two nights after the Scott-Eriksson incident in Buffalo, the Bruins returned home to play San Jose. In that game, Zdeno Chara put a check on Tommy Wingels that clearly targeted his head. Nike Vapormax Scontate . Fernandez, coached in Toronto by former two-time Olympic silver medallist Brian Orser, scored 267.11 points and is the first champion to successfully defend since Russias Evgeny Plushenko in 2005 and 2006. Air Max 97 False . Now, with Game 6 set for Fenway Park and an 8:07 p.m. ET first pitch, the Detroit Tigers face the unenviable task of having to beat the Boston Red Sox twice, on the road, to advance to the World Series.When the NHLs 31st franchise opens its inaugural season in 2017-18, bringing in a new era for hockey in Las Vegas, Bob Strumm will be there. And there wont be a greater authority in the building that night when it comes to Las Vegas hockey.As the general manager of the Las Vegas Thunder of the now-defunct International Hockey League, Strumm oversaw what was, until the NHLs expansion announcement on June 22, hockeys golden age in Sin City. For six seasons during the 1990s, the Thunder blended star power with distinctive Las Vegas flair. And as with the city itself, anything could -- and often did -- happen.We finished first in our first year in the IHL and the third year we finished first overall, said Strumm, who was the Columbus Blue Jackets director of pro scouting for 12 years. We didnt win a championship but we had some great teams and great players and great personalities.The team was the brainchild of the father-son duo of Hank and Ken Stickney, who made their bones owning several successful minor-league baseball teams. Selling Vegas to hockey players was easy, but building the franchise wasnt, especially considering Nevada had just a single ice sheet when the Stickneys were awarded their IHL franchise. Located at the Santa Fe Casino, that ice served as a practice facility, offering players free breakfast and quality slot machine time. After UNLVs Thomas and Mack Center was retrofitted to accommodate hockey, the Thunder were a Vegas favorite.They treated us like we were [players in the] NHL, said goaltender Clint Malarchuck, who played for the Thunder from 1993-1997. I was up on a billboard in lights at the Showboat Casino. On weekends wed get 10,000-12,000 fans.That fan turnout provided a great home-ice advantage. But there was also the added value of playing in a city with countless late-night distractions.As a local team, you hope the visiting team does go out and have some fun, said defenseman Kerry Toporowski, a fourth-round draft pick in 1991 of the San Jose Sharks who played for the Thunder for parts of the 1993-94 and 1994-95 seasons. I definitely remember guys saying, Hey, take it easy on me tonight. It was a rough one last night.A veteran of 338 NHL games, Malarchuk was among the Thunders first star players before assuming coaching and front-office roles with the franchise. But he wasnt the only name player drawn to Las Vegas. Several established NHLers joined the Thunder as full-time players, including Sergei Zholtok, Randy Burridge,?Pokey Reddick, Jim Kyte, Paul Dipietro and Greg Hawgood. The Thunder even had a Gretzky --?Brent Gretzky, Waynes younger brother who was a third-round pick of the Tampa Bay Lightning in 1992 and played a season for the Thunder.When NHL stars were embroiled in a bitter holdout, it didnt take long to convince them to join an independent pro team in Vegas. During their respective contract squabbles, for at least a few weeks, Alexei Yashin, Curtis Joseph,?Petr Nedved?and Pavol Demitra all brought star power to the team. Even trailblazing womens goaltender Manon Rheaume played two games for the Thunder.It seemed like there was always a big name, Malarchuk said. A lot of it was the way we were treated. Bob Strumm was the mastermind behind getting big names.Strumms shrewdest move might have been signing top prospects from Eastern Euurope.dddddddddddd Just a few years after the Berlin Wall fell, Strumm signed Czech star Radek Bonk. Despite being only 17 and unfamiliar with Western culture, Bonk became an instant star before being taken third overall by the Ottawa Senators in the 1994 NHL draft.Vegas is a good spot for scouts to come and watch games, Strumm said. And we had lots of scouts at the games. It certainly brought a lot of attention to our team. And the kid handled it terrifically. He played well.With Bonk setting the precedent, other prospects came to Las Vegas, including Ruslan Salei and Robert Dome, who were each drafted in the first round after developing with the Thunder.For all that star power, the real attraction might have been Vegas itself. When it came to marketing the team, there was no shortage of local color in the arena. We said yes a lot, unless it was illegal, Ken Stickney said. We pushed the edge on just about everything. The focus was just on having a good time. We wanted to win, we wanted to lead the league in scoring and we wanted to lead the league in penalty minutes every year.Accompanied by lasers, smoke and the sound of AC/DCs Thunderstruck, the Thunder entered the ice through a giant slot machine. A marching band often paraded across the ice during breaks in play and groups such as the Village People performed during intermission. A former semi-pro player who had adopted a new Vegas career as a celebrity impressionist occasionally sang the national anthem ... as Neil Diamond.When Malarchuk had his number retired, the team brought a horse onto the ice as a gift for the lifelong ranch hand.Naturally, the team partnered with several local businesses, including a couple of prominent gentlemens clubs, which often resulted in dancers from these establishments attending games. When the women were shown on the Thomas and Mack scoreboard, the capacity crowd would go wild. Except for the time when one dancers attempt to execute a sultry maneuver resulted in her throwing out her back and being taken out of the arena on a stretcher.Probably the only time I went down to ice level, other than to argue with the referees, was to watch the bikini contest, Strumm said. I cant say any more than that.With the Thunder contending with a tricky arena lease and other IHL teams joining the American Hockey League, the party ended in 1999. (The IHL folded two years later.) But not everyone left town.Malarchuk still lives in Northern Nevada while Reddick has spent years developing hockey around Las Vegas. Burridge and Strumm still live there and two former players, Rod Buskas and Jeff Sharples, got pilot licenses and gave tours of the neighboring Grand Canyon before becoming commercial airline pilots. Darcy Loewen and Ken Quinney work as firefighters in the area.There have been times weve ended up on the same calls. Its funny, Loewen said. You just kind of bump elbows and give each other a little wink, a little smirk and carry on about your business.Led by Strumm and some of his former players, there should be a healthy Thunder contingent in attendance when the NHL comes to Vegas in 2017. Theyll no doubt be thinking about how they were the citys original hockey stars. ' ' '