Colorado Closes Back-To-Back at Home Saturday against Toronto Rock
NLL Colorado Mammoth

Colorado Closes Back-To-Back at Home Saturday against Toronto Rock

Published on February 14, 2026 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Colorado Mammoth News Release


Love is in the air Saturday as the Burgundy Boys return to Ball Arena Feb. 14 to complete its only back-to-back of the year less than 24 hours after securing a dramatic 13-12 victory over the Las Vegas Desert Dogs Friday night inside Lee's Family Forum. Advancing to 7-2 on the season, the Mammoth haven't been afraid to score late in comeback fashion over the years. However, goaltender Dillon Ward and company found themselves attempting a defensive lockdown during the final minutes of the league's Week 12 opener after establishing a four-goal advantage midway through the final 15.

Able to hold the Desert Dogs to one less goal in the 60-minute shootout, Colorado successfully advanced its win streak to tie a franchise-best record at six consecutive wins while improving to 4-1 away from the LOUD HOUSE this season.

And it was rather apparent once again that forward Andrew Kew is enjoying his new role with Colorado after posting four-plus goals for the third-straight contest. Pacing the team alongside Will Malcom (0g, 6a) with six points, Kew (5g, 1a) was a scoring machine, operating the right side of the floor in tactician fashion. Malcom may not have scored during Friday night's win over Las Vegas, but he looked damn impactful in the screen/seal game and his stick remained hot in the assist column despite missing Colorado's win against Buffalo due to injury. The pair of lefties didn't do all of the heavy lifting, however, as righties Jack Hannah (2g, 3a) and Dylan McIntosh (2g, 3a) each managed five points of their own, while Owen Rahn recorded another hat trick as an explosive attacking option. He's really liked the dunk and odd-angled goals lately and has been using them to pay his bills just the same.

Yet, it's the NLL Goaltender of the Year candidate in Dillon Ward who ultimately may have gifted Colorado its sixth-straight win. Stopping 43-of-55 on the night, Wardo played his role well in the back-and-forth contest, never losing confidence or his high-arc approach. Well, until the netminder found himself falling on shot attempt late in the game. The veteran knows how to protect his crease, and protect it will, which includes being wise when it comes to knowing his surroundings. Able to lay on the ball for a while until the referees paused played rather than rule a goal, Ward positioned the contest into a forced review. And following inconclusive evidence, the initial no-goal call was upheld, finalizing the 13-12 in Colorado's favor.

Should the Mammoth now be able to stay perfect on the weekend and it seven straight Saturday night against the (5-3) Toronto Rock, the celebrations will begin, as the team will have set a new franchise record. Tying the six-win mark for the first time since 2012 is noteworthy in itself. Knowing the team just tied its highest goals scored total for the first time since 2015 (20 goals during the squad's recent 20-9 win over the Buffalo Bandits) suggests the Burgundy Boys have something good going here.

While the Mammoth are flying home this morning, albeit just a short flight and single time zone hop from Pacific back to Mountain, the visiting Toronto Rock have been settled into the Mile High City for a night and will handle Saturday as if it's any other competition. Which it very much is for the red, white and blue squad who aren't preparing to complete a second professional showdown within the weekend. That said, the Rock have been one of the trendier teams over the last month or so thanks to a duo talented rookie forwards in CJ Kirst (19g, 16a: 35 points) and Owen Hiltz (16g, 14a: 30 points). The pair of Top 3 selections in the 2025 NLL Entry Draft have proven their ability to fit right in throughout the team's first eight games. And it appears the squad will go as the first-years go, with the Rock struggling a bit early in the season via a 1-2 start as the kids were figuring things out. Victorious in four of their last five outings, Toronto has managed some momentum and bring a two-game win streak to the LOUD HOUSE Saturday, most recently defeating the (2-8) Oshawa FireWolves last weekend, 12-10. It's never easy to make direct comparisons between teams and matchups, but the Mammoth just put up 15 goals on Oshawa a few weeks back, suggesting Colorado has enough fire power to make the team's tenth matchup of the season a competitive one.

For as effective as Kirst and Hiltz have been, it's the DU product in Mark Matthews who remains atop the Rock's scoring charts eight games in. Bringing 37 points (7g, 30a) into Saturday's showcase, the "Mailman" has been creating space and connecting with teammates more than filling nets so far this season, which makes sense given the forward is now both 36 and surrounded by shifty, youthful options. That said, he's historically enjoyed productive appearances playing against the Mammoth over the years, specifically during his time with the Saskatchewan Rush. Josh Dawick, son of Toronto Rock Owner and General Manager Jamie Dawick, remains another young and capable option up front for Toronto, who's managed 27 points (10g, 17a) thus far. Add in pair of veterans in Challen Rogers (12g, 16a) and Chris Boushy (14g, 10a) and it's clear to see why the Rock have a balanced scoring attack. Plenty of wisdom and experience mixed with a score of fresh blood have the Rock capable of running the score up, though the team has surpassed the 12-goal total just once. That said, not many teams have six different players at the 24-point mark at this point in the season yet. So, Mammoth fans can expect Toronto to share the workload once again when Saturday's game dawns.

Typically goaltender Nick Rose is the starting point on the Rock roster, but with one of the NLL's all-time talents on the Injured Reserve List ahead of Saturday, the Mammoth are expected to send some shots at backup netminder Troy Holowchuk, who's bringing a 10.26 goals-against average and .782 save percentage into Ball Arena. Sporting a 3-1 record since assuming his spot between the pipes, he's provided a solid presence in net for a Rock team who have proven they can win games without their defensive anchor. Acquired from the Buffalo Bandits earlier in the season once Rose went down to injury, Steve Orleman will serve as Toronto's backup netminder when Saturday's slate rolls around.

The Rock have one of the better defensive units across the league, all things considered. They're big, they're fast and they can fight, though Elijah Gash may have gotten the short end of the stick during his most recent tussle against Oshawa. Well-known talents like Brad Kri, Latrell Harris and company highlight the bunch, but most of these guys have legs and haven't been afraid to use them in accelerating transition looks. That said, they'll be tasked with limiting one of the league's most potent offenses to an off night. Knowing Colorado just put up 13 goals which included quite the defensive-minded final five or six minutes of play suggests the Mammoth will once again be up to the task come 7:30 p.m. MT.

Forward Will Malcom may have fallen down the league's scoring charts after missing Week 10's win over Buffalo. But the left-handed scorer is back up to a 13th-place tie across all NLL talents with a team-high 47 points (18g, 29a) with a great opportunity to add to said totals Saturday night. Adding his name to the Offensive Player of the Year race, Andrew Kew is up to 39 points (21g, 18a) as the team's No. 2 scorer despite playing in just five games. Kew has been ON FIRE lately and now sits tied with the Desert Dogs' Mitch Jones for the ninth-most goals in the league. He's stinging corners, he's been mobile and he's been an absolute gem since being acquired from the Georgia Swarm as one of the team's and league's most efficient options.

Colorado Mammoth League Leaders

Goals: 21 - Andrew Kew (T9th)

Points: 47 - Will Malcom (T13th)

Power-Play Goals: 5 - Will Malcom (T8th)

Shorthanded Goals: 2 - Will Malcom/Dylan McIntosh (T2nd)

Loose Balls: 76 - Robert Hope (6th)

Caused Turnovers: 11 - Owen Down (T13th)

Blocked Shots: 16 - Robert Hope (2nd)

Penalty Minutes: 22 - Warren Jeffrey (9th)

Faceoff Wins: 129 - Matthew Paolatto (5th)

Faceoff Win Percentage: 59 - Matthew Paolatto (6th)

Saves: 360 - Dillon Ward (4th)

Save Percentage: .822 - Dillon Ward (2nd)

Goals-Against Average: 9.18 - Dillon Ward (2nd)

Goaltender Wins: 7 - Dillon Ward (2nd)

Fresh off a 14-for-29 showing on the road against Las Vegas' Tyrel Hamer-Jackson, rookie faceoff specialist Matthew Paolatto is now 129-for-219 (59%) on the season as he remains ranked Top 6 in both faceoff wins and faceoff win rate. He also recorded eight loose balls Friday night in the win against the Desert Dogs, now trailing only Robert Hope in the team scoop count, 75 to 76. Both said talents enter Saturday's shootout ranked within the Top 10 of loose ball earners, while Hope's 16 blocked shots remain the second-most in the NLL.

Wardo gunna Wardo, and also remains locked into Top 2 rankings across the board when it comes to save percentage (.822), goals-against average (9.18) and goaltender wins (7) while sitting fourth overall in total saves. He'd be in the Top 3 of saves as well if he wasn't pulled during the team's big win over the Buffalo Bandits as the MVP-caliber talent continues to lead the Mammoth to victory. If Kew, Malcom and Hannah can bring a similar effort as they did Friday night, despite coming back to altitude and with little sleep, the Mammoth could very well be looking at a new franchise record should they take care of business against the Rock at the LOUD HOUSE Saturday night.

Get in the Game

Mammoth games can be viewed on Altitude Sports and streamed live via ESPN+ and NLL+. Saturday's Feb. 14 showdown against the Toronto Rock can be viewed locally on Altitude TV and streamed live on ESPN+ and NLL+.

Mammoth fans can keep an eye on coloradomammoth.com and Colorado Mammoth social media channels for the latest news, transactions and organizational updates throughout the 2025-26 NLL season.

Limited tickets remain for Saturday's Valentine's Day showdown against the Toronto Rock, so be sure to lock yours in and get ready to TUSK UP at the LOUD HOUSE!

Check out the Colorado Mammoth Statistics

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National Lacrosse League Stories from February 14, 2026


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