Colorado Continues Road Trip in Ottawa Sunday Afternoon

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NLL Colorado Mammoth

Colorado Continues Road Trip in Ottawa Sunday Afternoon

March 19, 2025 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Colorado Mammoth News Release


EDITOR'S NOTE: This week's initial preview will be a bit different than most, as the Ottawa Black Bears are scheduled to compete Friday night ahead of Sunday's clash with Colorado. Mammoth fans can check back for an updated game preview on Saturday morning and tune into the Black Bears' first matchup of the weekend on Friday, March 21 via ESPN+ and NLL+ livestreams!

Pairing together consecutive wins for just the second time all season and the first since way back in December, the Colorado Mammoth secured a clutch 10-8 win over the Philadelphia Wings as the team began its three-game road trip in the win column Saturday. Previously earning an 11-8 win over the Calgary Roughnecks on March 1, the team has two-straight wins to their record after enduring quite the roller coaster of an opening 12 contests.

It wasn't a pretty win, per se. Not that anybody expected it to be with the team forced to operate without the likes of Zed Williams, Eli McLaughlin and Connor Kelly for the first time this season. Williams has been out for a few games now, but his physicality will never stopped being missed. "Liger" McLaughlin is away from the team for the first time, as he continues to take the next steps in his professional firefighting career. But it was a bit more of a surprise when fans learned the American box standout in Kelly was moved to the Injured Reserve List.

Which only meant guys like Thomas Vela, Ben McDonald, Tyson Gibson and company would need to step up if the team wanted to begin its time away from the LOUD HOUSE with a big win. Exactly the case, as Vela managed a pair of goals upon his three points (2g, 1a), while McDonald secured three points (1g, 2a) of his own during his season debut. And for as impactful as Gibson's four points (0g, 4a) were in the showdown, it was Ryan Lee's team-pacing six points (4g, 2a) which served as the ultimate difference-maker.

And BOY OH BOY, it was great to see Ryan Lee take yet another step toward feeling and looking like his old self. And trust us - If you saw his late-game dunk, it's clear to see he's trending in the right direction with a mere five games separating Colorado from a potential return to the postseason. The dunk was spectacular in all of its glory, no doubt. But it was potentially his long-range "shot clock reset" attempt that may served as the grandest dagger, as that shot shouldn't have found its way in the net, but did so in deflating fashion. There were several waves of "Boos" being shed throughout the afternoon, but that may have been the loudest session of upset fans we can remember in a while.

Up to a squad-best 68 points (21g, 47a) on the year, Lee enters the weekend tied with Jonathan Donville for the 11th-most goals in the league as he continues to quarterback the team to success despite missing some of its key scorers. Just six points behind on the season, Will Malcom has been a menace just the same, tied with Connor Kelly for a team-leading 27 goals as he remains ever-shifty and successful. Most recently turning in four points (1g, 3a) during the win over Philadelphia, he's over the 60-point mark for the fourth-straight season.

However, we can't brag about the team's 8-5 record without bringing up "The Wall" Dillon Ward, who just stopped 33-of-41 while limiting the Wings to a mere eight conversions despite the odd matinee matchup. Leading the league's starting netminders in overall save percentage, having stopped 538 of 674 shots faced this season, he's sporting a cool .798 stop rate during yet another season where it seems like a privilege to have the veteran holding down the net. Ranking fourth overall in saves, while sitting No. 2 amongst goalies who have only completed 13 contests, he's up to a sincere 538 saves in 2025 as he continues to be the heart and soul of Colorado's defensive unit. Rocking a 10.48 goals-against average very much suggests he's been holding up his end of the deal this season - which ranks fourth outright and second among goalies to play 13 games. It's no coincidence, either, that the Mammoth have been victorious while Ward has held Colorado's past two opponents to an even eight goals.

With five games remaining throughout the dramatic March to May, Colorado's schedule includes another pair of away contests to close out the lengthy road trip before returning to Ball Arena April 5 for a showdown with the Buffalo Bandits. Playing a second-straight inside the LOUD HOUSE, during the team's home regular season finale, the Burgundy Boys will host the Saskatchewan Rush before closing out the campaign north of the border in Calgary.

Outside this weekend's matchup with Ottawa, Colorado's other remaining opponents are all currently etched into the league's postseason picture, with the Buffalo Bandits remaining atop the standings and the Rush sitting just behind them in the No. 2 spot. Knowing three of the team's final games are against Top 2-ranked squads suggests they'll have their work cut out for them. And travelling to visit the Roughnecks this late in a season is rarely a pleasant trip, thus explaining how important this weekend's game against the Black Bears really is.

Sitting at just 5-7 on the year, Ottawa hasn't exactly enjoyed much of a home field advantage during their first season outside of New York, as the Black Bears are a mere 2-5 inside Canadian Tire Centre, also home to the Ottawa Senators. Figuring things out as the franchise's inaugural season continues to unfold, they've been a bit hold and cold overall. Of the 12 games Ottawa has completed, the Black Bears have only managed to produce double-digit scoring figures in four contests, thus meeting said mark just one-third of the time - meaning they've struggled as a collective offense on a consistent basis. If we throw out an 18-goal effort against the falling Albany FireWolves, they've only been above the 12-goal mark one time, during a 14-10 victory over the Georgia Swarm. Hell, throw in the big win over Albany and they've only met the mark twice in 12 games, so something needs to change for Ottawa should they want to make the most of their time rostering forward Jeff Teat.

While the Black Bears would likely need to win five of their final six opportunities, Colorado could see themselves earn an unofficial, yet extremely likely, spot in the Top 8, as a win out east would serve as the team's ninth of the season. Nine or ten is typically the mark teams need to be shooting for, with teams able to secure 11-12 nearly guaranteed at this point to host some first-round action. Which is what Colorado wants - To invite another 10k+ back to the LOUD HOSUE during the final week of April. And, re: the team's remaining schedule, this rare 1 p.m. SUNDAY AFTERNOON faceoff suddenly takes center stage. Not just for Colorado, either - For each of the league's other contenders who are battling for one of the same four or eight spots.

Tie-breakers will quickly enter the equation, just the same, thus re-iterating how important games against the two teams currently sitting ahead of Colorado (Buffalo, Saskatchewan) and the tightly-contested pack of hopefuls just behind the Mammoth (including the Halifax Thunderbirds, Georgia Swarm, San Diego Seals, Rochester Knighthawks and Calgary Roughnecks). While there are a variety of details and deciders that will factor into weighing Colorado against any of the other contenders come postseason seeding, knowing the Mammoth already own head-to-head advantages against both the Thunderbirds and Knighthawks, plus an early 1-0 series lead over Calgary suggests they have a fair shot at finishing within the Top 4. Having split the two-game series with the Swarm means there could be some extracurriculars there, so Georgia is a team Mammoth fans should keep an eye on down the stretch.

The biggest outlier for this weekend's session of games? Both the Bandits and Black Bears will be participating in two games during the Week 17 slate, which means Colorado could be running into a rather wired or tired version of Ottawa when Sunday rolls around. Set to duke it out with the Halifax Thunderbirds Friday night, the Black Bears will hit the road for a quick road trip before rallying the troops for another showdown come Sunday afternoon. And while that contest won't directly correlate to any efforts Ottawa can muster up, they're technically playing a contender in the Thunderbirds, so Mammoth fans can tune into said matchup on March 21 via ESPN+ and NLL+ to decide if they want to root for or against Sunday's eventual opponents!

New Kids on the Block

Coming off an 18-8 loss to the Rochester Knighthawks, whom the Mammoth defeated 11-10 earlier this season, the Ottawa Black Bears are in a bit of a rut, currently bringing a three-game losing streak into their approaching showdown against the Halifax Thunderbirds. After beginning their season with a 2-1 record thanks to a pair of wins against an injured Toronto Rock squad, Ottawa has gone 3-6 since. Recently opting into a few trades, sending Larson Sundown and Ron John packing while acquiring some future daft capital, it appears the team may be settling for a favorable draft pick at this point of the season. But, knowing there are still several paths remaining to claim either the seven or eight seed, there's a good chance the Black Bears bring their best effort Sunday and throughout the duration of their campaign.

For as much start power as Jeff Teat brings with him wherever he goes, the talent has recorded just 66 points (28g, 38a) this time around as his offense, and team overall, has been hit or miss. While this is the franchise's first year in Ottawa, it's far from Teat's first time commanding the on-turf action, yet he's only tied for the 19th-most points this season. Of course, it helps a bit when you have some other quality options to operate the O-zone with. Something the team just hasn't quite assembled, or witnessed, so far. Connor Kearnan's 40 points (12g, 28a) represent the second-highest total on the squad, with Jacob Dunbar (38 points: 23g, 15a) the only other man on the roster with more than 40 points to his name. There's plenty of talent and potential littered throughout the team's personnel pool, just no true 1B threat's to Teat's 1A presence.

As far as goaltending goes, veteran Zach Higgins continues to hold down action between the pipes during another quality season. Again, when the two units in front of you aren't the most productive, it's going to be hard to shine amongst the league's brightest stars. Through 12 games, he's only ranked No. 7 in overall saves, with 476 to his credit. However, he remains ranked amongst league-leading talent when it comes to goals-against average (10.64, ranked No. 5 to Ward's fourth-place efforts thus far) and save percentage (.792, ranked No. 5 to Ward's league-leading rank). He's been considered one of the NLL's netminding talents for a few seasons now and remains a threat capable of stifling a banged-up Mammoth offense Sunday.

Mammoth After Hours

Back for some more Wednesday night fun, Mammoth After Hours (continuing to take place Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. MT on Altitude Sports social media channels), hosted by Mammoth Play-by-Play Caller Andy Lindahl and Color Analyst Jamie Shewchuk, returns this Wednesday as the boys continue to break down the playoff picture and chat all things March to May!

Get in the Game

Mammoth games can be viewed on Altitude TV and streamed live via ESPN+ and NLL+. Sunday's March 23 showdown against the Ottawa Black Bears can be viewed locally via Altitude TV and streamed live on ESPN+ and NLL+. Mammoth fans can keep an eye on the team's social media channels and coloradomammoth.com for the latest news, transactions and organizational updates throughout the 2024-25 NLL season.

Limited Tickets remain for Colorado's April 5 Rumble at the LOUD HOUSE showcase against the Buffalo Bandits, so be sure to lock yours in and get ready to TUSK UP!

Check out the Colorado Mammoth Statistics

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National Lacrosse League Stories from March 19, 2025


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