Cincinnati Cyclones (by Rob Huelsman)
The Cyclones battled into the Finals thanks to the success of their special teams play. The specialty teams were instrumental in the win over South Carolina for the American Conference title. It was a good thing for the Cyclones to have success on the power play because after a season of leading the league on the man advantage, the magic disappeared during the Reading series. The addition of rookie speedster Ryan Russell and defenseman Jeremy Swanson, each of whom scored the goals in Game 5 to win the Stingrays series, seemed to provide the right combination of tweaks to get the team on track. In the end the penalty kill unit was outstanding against South Carolina, keeping the games within reach of the comeback kids. Stellar goaltending in combination with rediscovering their power play made the difference in winning the conference crown.

“These guys realize that even when we were down three (goals) like we were in Game 2 against South Carolina to only being down one (goal) like Game 5,” said Cincinnati Coach Chuck Weber. “The guys know we had a chance to win. Once we got the one we knew the second one would come, you can just feel that kind of energy on the bench. We kept pushing and pushing and eventually the other team will break.”

Offense - The Ryans, Russell and Maki, were instrumental in winning the series with goals in Games 4 and 5. Their additions solidified the belief that different players can and will provide the heroics to win games throughout the tournament. The core of the offense, David Desharnais, J.M. Daoust, Barrett Ehgoetz, Jason Deitsch and Thomas Beauregard, were solid but they do not have to carry the whole mailbag when it comes to scoring. This makes the team dangerous in the offensive zone as any one might score at any time. The ‘Clones continue to play with moxie even when down 3-0 as they were in Game 2 of the Conference Finals.

Defense - The blueliners contribution to the winning effort cannot be overlooked. Swanson, T.J. McElroy, Matt MacDonald, Bryan Schmidt, Sean Perkins and Chad Starling all played roles in the defeat of South Carolina in the last series. From blocking shots to delivering bone-crunching open-ice hits these guys did it all. Scoring a few goals along the way was icing on the cake.

Goaltending - Cedrick Desjardins will to win is un-measurable and he hates to lose. He will bounce back from a subpar performance with a vengeance. Desjardins’ performance in Game 5 against South Carolina was almost flawless. Max Daigneault filled in admirably when Desjardins had an off-night to secure the win in Game 2 against the Stingrays. Both members of the tandem made spectacular saves when called upon and those saves kept the Cyclones in the series.

Special Teams - As mentioned earlier the Cyclones have resurrected their league-leading power play. Olivier Latendresse scored two power play goals to start the comeback in Game 2 against the Stingrays. This unit can blow away an opponent or engineer a game-winning comeback. The penalty kill has been most instrumental in the last two series. The unit has been called upon in the toughest situations, five-on-threes, five minute major penalty time, whatever the situation they have been solid in the Cyclones end. As an example the unit killed 32 of 34 Stingrays power play opportunities.

“Our penalty kill has been fantastic throughout the playoffs,” said Weber. “Our power play has been up and down. It’s won us a few games and at the same time we’ve had some struggles along the way. Every round we tweak it a little bit, it’s going to have to be sharp against a very good Las Vegas team.”

Coaching--Weber and Dean Stork have done an outstanding job this season. When injuries or call-ups occurred these two pulled players in who could contribute to the winning effort without disrupting team chemistry. The level of sacrifice made by the Cyclones players this season in the face of adversity demonstrates their loyalty to these two men.

Intangibles - Team chemistry, home ice, and the ability to execute the coaches’ strategies have led to the Finals for this hard-working group. A different player seems to step up every game to help fulfill the dream of all hoisting the Kelly Cup this season.

“The guys have been really focused throughout the process. They haven’t gotten too high or too low from winning games in overtime to losing games in overtime,” said Weber. “Whether we swept the series, won in five or won in seven, the guys have been status quo all the way. They’ve shown enthusiasm the whole way so far, (but) they know we have to win four more hockey games."

Las Vegas Wranglers (by Shellie Lima)
The Las Vegas Wranglers have finally made it to the Kelly Cup Playoffs, after securing a win in the National Conference Finals. The Wranglers have played in the postseason four times since their inaugural season 2003-04, and up until now had never made it past the second round. There is only one team between them and the coveted Kelly Cup, the Cincinnati Cyclones.

Based on the Wranglers 2008 road to the Kelly Cup, they’ve got the confidence and skills necessary to compete successfully in this final showdown. Offensively, the Wranglers have a full range of forwards that have all contributed to their ultimate success during the post-season, not to mention throughout the regular season. Adam Cracknell leads the list, having scored at least one point in all but two of the postseason games, with a total of 21 points. Team Captain Peter Ferraro has brought tremendous leadership while earning 20 points, on the strength of seven goals, although five of those points came in a single game. Following close behind are key scoring teammates, Tyler Mosienko, Shawn Limpright, Kelly Czuy and Adam Miller. While their point values may not be as high as those listed above, Aki Seitsonen, Bruce Mulherin and Curtis Fraser have each earned their own place in the Kelly Cup playoffs by scoring at least one playoff game-winning goal each. Any combination of these players represents a powerhouse.

“Our transition game is going to have to be huge, said Cincinnati Coach Chuck Weber. “They’re (Las Vegas) a veteran team and have some NHL experience on their roster. We’re going to have to make sure we have a lot of energy and keep it simple.”

The Wranglers men on the blue line have been major contributors in their success to date as well. Defensemen Jason Jozsa, Jason Krischuk, Aaron Power, Mike Madill and Gerry Burke have been outstanding. Krischuk is the defensive plus/minus leader with 14, tied with center Adam Miller. Krischuk and Jozsa have an ability to place the puck for teammates to fire across the threshold for goals. Additionally the Wrangler defense has been able to virtually shut down the offense of the opposing team with their speed and agility, their powerful checks have ensured the opponent knows of their presence.

This team has a great cohesiveness and ability to read one-another. They are fast and work together well on the ice. The icing on the cake for the Las Vegas team has been the remarkable goaltending by Kevin Lalande. Lalande finished the regular season second in the ECHL with a .932 percent average, his postseason average is slightly less at .908 percent, but that is still an outstanding number. Lalande has made several remarkable saves during the post season and played key roles in getting this team to this point

The Wranglers have dominated their opponents throughout the playoffs. In the first round the Wranglers defeated the Stockton Thunder in six games, though not without some difficulty. In the second round against the Alaska Aces, the Wranglers took the series in five games from the team that defeated them in the same round in 2006, ultimately going on to win the Kelly Cup. Then in a sweep over the Utah Grizzlies the Wranglers won the National Conference Division in four games.

“They have Peter Ferraro,their Captain, with over one-hundred games of NHL experience, as well as some veteran guys from the Calgary Flames organization,” said Weber. “They can move the puck well…(have) high end skills along with good goaltending and D(efense) that can move the puck.”

Assuming the Wranglers continue as they have been playing, contributing as a total team, they will dominate the final series to win the Kelly Cup in five games. This team is poised and confident, and has the determination to take the trophy home to the City of Lights.