Wranglers’ style suits opponent better

Their character has always been defined by stinginess, by creating scoring opportunities off sturdy defense, by killing a majority of penalties levied against them and often asking their goalie play beyond his natural skill.

The Wranglers grind.

Problem: They are playing for a championship against a team that has simply been better at that style over five games. There are no flukes with this one, no big secret why the Wranglers are one loss from watching another group brag about sizing rings and passing the Kelly Cup from one player to the next.

If championships are truly to be earned, Las Vegas today faces a challenge taller than the Carew Tower, which stands 574 feet in downtown Cincinnati and is a landmark to its past.

The city's present owns an ECHL team that beat the Wranglers 4-0 on Monday in Game 5 of the Kelly Cup Finals at the Orleans Arena and returns home leading the best-of-7 series 3-2.

Returns to a place where it is 29-4-3 this season for Game 6 and, if necessary, Game 7.

"We," said Wranglers coach Glen Gulutzan, "have to play for our lives."

It still might not be enough.

Major issue: The Wranglers execute their style about as well as you find in the ECHL, and yet Cincinnati this series has been more proficient at it. That's probably the most frustrating part for Las Vegas. While the Wranglers again hurt themselves Monday with ill-timed penalties and worrying more about action after the whistle than before it, sometimes it's more about what the other guys are doing well than you are poorly.

Consider: Much of the 6,957 in attendance began departing once the Cyclones went up 4-0 midway through the third period, but this was decided long before. Cincinnati is 11-1 in the playoffs when scoring first, and any deficit against the Cyclones that reaches two goals seems twice that.

You didn't watch and think it was as one-sided as the score, but that more than anything defines why the Cyclones are this close to closing things out, and why on a night the Wranglers outshot Cincinnati 27-23, you never really felt after the second period they had much of a chance.

"We played with desperation," Cyclones coach Chuck Weber said. "Now, we get a chance to go back to our home barn and close it out on Thursday. We knew this was do-or-die for them and had to make sure we exceeded their effort."

This obviously isn't how the Wranglers dreamed of things going once they split the series' first two games in Ohio. Still, for three nights this week, an average of 7,124 fans helped pack the Orleans Arena and prove that hockey excellence, no matter the level, will be rewarded with local patronage.

It might be the Wranglers have to reach this point and lose before they understand how to win the title, and it was obvious with 17 seconds remaining that a handful of their fans also don't know how to handle such a stage.

There are always a few idiots lurking, and they showed themselves by throwing beer bottles and soda and a ball onto the ice. It was probably some of the same bozos who scolded Cincinnati fans for a similar reaction following Game 2.

The local support was too impressive this week to be completely ruined by a few adults acting like children. However, it won't be known for months how many fringe fans the Wranglers drew during these playoffs will return next season.

"I'm going to assume a title would be worth one or two bricks in 5,000," Wranglers president Billy Johnson said last week prior to Game 3. "It may raise our awareness and set us up for next year, but to say how much of a spike in attendance it would mean ... I couldn't even venture a guess.

"I still think at this level we tend to be an activity. But as we witnessed (the first two games) in Cincinnati, they had an extra 5,000 people because of winning. I'm hoping we see that here this week."

They did. They came in droves, dressed in their jerseys and funny hats, hoping their team could prove the better of two.

That hasn't been the case through five games. If things are to change and the Wranglers playing for their lives Thursday is good enough to allow them a final chance at the cup Saturday, they'll need to prove one thing: That the style they play best doesn't again get them beat.

Ed Graney's column is published Sunday, Wednesday, Thursday and Saturday. He can be reached at 383-4618 or egraney@reviewjournal.com.