Ian Cole scored a goal Monday and added three hits and three blocked shots in the Mammoth's 5-4 overtime loss to the Golden Knights in Game 4.
The veteran defenseman has two points through four games in the first-round series, along with nine hits, 10 blocked shots and four PIM. He continues to fill a third-pairing shutdown role on the Mammoth's blue line and can move up for more minutes if another blueliner goes down during a game.
That blend of limited ice time and emergency flexibility is what has kept Cole in the lineup. He has not been asked to carry the attack, but he has been steady enough to matter in a tight series that has already gone beyond regulation once.
The Mammoth now turn the page with Cole still in the same job: defend first, absorb pressure and be ready for a heavier workload if the situation changes. In a series this close, that kind of role can decide how long a team stays alive.