WEST VALLEY CITY — Thursday night at the E Center, the Utah Grizzlies missed the chance to wrap up their first-round series with Houston at home. At least, they think it was home. That was the 3500 South exit they took, wasn't it?
Four games into the series, home ice advantage hasn't turned out to be all it's supposed to be. Remember the old slogan teams were using a few years ago? Not in our house. As far as the Grizzlies go, the emphasis has changed. It's more like Not in our house?
Going into Thursday's game, the Grizzlies had something going. They held a 2-1 lead in the best-of-five series. They had momentum, having won the last two games, the first one at Houston, the second at the E Center.
But instead of sticking a fork in the Aeros, they dropped like a left wing with a glass jaw. Houston took a 1-0 lead in the first period, which would have held up all by itself. Just for good measure, the Aeros added an empty-net goal late in the final period.
Most glaringly, the Grizzlies got off just 24 shots on goal, compared to 43 by the Aeros.
"We looked really hesitant," said Grizzlies coach Don Hay.
They had two five-on-three opportunities and a few other power play chances, but nothing worked. Not only did they fail to make shots, they didn't even take many.
"We seemed to be thinking too much with the puck, not calm and at ease. We weren't reacting," said center Jim Montgomery.
They looked like wanderers in a strange land.
If the Grizzlies appeared out of sync for a team with a chance to win its first series at home in five years, there are a couple of good reasons. First, nobody was there to see the game. The attendance was announced at 2,587, nearly 8,000 below the E Center's capacity and about 3,600 below the Grizzlies' season average. The crowd wasn't large to begin with; then the Grizzlies gave them little to cheer about.
Also, there's the possibility that the Grizzlies are just as good on the road, anyway.
"We're not uncomfortable on the road," said Montgomery. "Now, the way it's been so far here, there are 1,500 people — and 1,500 is 1,500. We didn't even hear them."
That might be because no one came. Or it might be because there usually isn't much cheering when your team doesn't score.
Frankly, this is the first round of minor league hockey playoffs. Fans have been staying away in droves at both venues. The opening game in Houston drew only 2,416. Though nearly 5,000 came for the second contest, both games in Utah have had announced crowds of about 2,500. That doesn't generate enough noise to scare a rabbit. It isn't unusual to see fans putting off buying tickets until later playoff rounds.
It may just be that the Grizzlies will do better in Houston for Game 5, Saturday, than they did in Utah. It's not like they don't know how to win out-of-town games. In fact, they've grown rather fond of them.
Small wonder the Grizzlies didn't make full use of the home ice advantage in the playoffs. They're not used to being there. Though they finished 21-16-3 at home, they were nearly as good on the road, winning only two fewer games. In the process, they played a road schedule that would move Willie Nelson to tears — 17 straight away games, thanks to the Winter Olympics. In that stretch they went a commendable 9-6-2.
At a time when they had every right to fold, they actually thrived.
So it is, the Grizzlies are back where they built a lot of momentum this year — on the highway. Home ice advantage? Who said anything about an advantage?
"You say 'home ice advantage,' but in Houston there were 2,000 for the first game," said goalie Wade Flaherty. "Then you see 2,000 here. But it's not until we get through one or two rounds before you can start using it to your advantage."
Until then, the Grizzlies will just have to borrow someone else's.
E-MAIL: rock@desnews.com