Casino Connection Nevada

Wranglers round up

by Dave Bontempo

The Wranglers have been a model ECHL franchise. They are its first team to notch three straight 100-point seasons, and they recently inked a three-year extension to stay at the Orleans Arena.

The Wranglers reached the Kelly Cup finals this year for the first time in team history. They made it through the early rounds of the playoffs with relative ease, sweeping rival Idaho and taking down Alaska in just five games.

But they ran into a juggernaut in the Cincinnati Cyclones. While the Wranglers snatched a game on the road in Cincinnati, they dropped two at home on their way to losing the series in six games.

Still there was excitement throughout Las Vegas, with more and more fans heading to the Orleans Arena as the team progressed through the playoffs.

While attendance was disturbingly low during the first and second round, by the time the Wranglers reached the finals, they were selling out the stadium. Each night attendance figures approached 7,700.

The defensive, hard-hitting philosophy of coach and general manager Glen Gulutzan reaped huge rewards.

The improved crowds figure to spill over into next season, with expectations sky high following the success of the past season.

The next season get underway at the Orleans arena in October.