Colorado Hosts Oshawa FireWolves as Mammoth Look to Defend Three-Game Win Streak
NLL Colorado Mammoth

Colorado Hosts Oshawa FireWolves as Mammoth Look to Defend Three-Game Win Streak

Published on January 22, 2026 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Colorado Mammoth News Release


Six games into the National Lacrosse League's (NLL) 2025-26 campaign and drama lurks around every corner as teams around the professional box lacrosse sector remain gridlocked throughout the early-season standings. And while fans around North America have witnessed the No. 1-ranked (6-1) Saskatchewan Rush enjoy a fast start to the year, currently riding a five-game winning streak since dropping its first contest of the season, the Rush aren't exactly one of the biggest surprises out there right now, as the green and black contingent had plenty of success last season, highlighted by an NLL Finals appearance last spring.

The next highest-ranked team heading into Week 9? Your Colorado Mammoth, as the Burgundy boys are bringing a 4-2 record back home to Ball Arena after securing a pair of wins on the road, most recently defeating the Halifax Thunderbirds 11-6 inside Scotiabank Centre last weekend.

Seeing Mammoth goaltender Dillon Ward stand on his head once again in a defensive-minded exchange, the veteran stopped 50-of-56 shots against Friday night en route to guiding Colorado to a 3-1 record on the road this season. Ward and company have been on fire lately, effectively limiting four of the team's first six opponents to eight or fewer goals. Allowing just a combined 11 goals against during the organization's pair of games away from Ball Arena suggests the All-Pro talent is feeling himself - All while ensuring off nights for opposing offenses and transition threats alike. Only Randy Staats (1g, 4a) surpassed three points in the dominant win, as the defensive unit refused to back down, or give into the Thunderbirds' typically scrappy approach.

Coming alive with another hat trick performance amongst his game-high nine points (3g, 6a), Will Malcom demonstrated why he's been wearing the "A" since the team lost Ryan Lee to the Season-Ending Injured Reserve List - Because he's a beast, and has only come out of his shell even more since welcoming his shooting partner Jack Hannah to the fold, who contributed five points (2g, 3a) of his own in the win. But perhaps the biggest takeaway from Colorado's win over Halifax came in the form of Andrew Kew returning to the lineup. The lefty talent blended back into the pack seamlessly, posting a clutch five-point (3g, 2a) performance during his second outing rocking burgundy and black. Knowing he's posted 12 points (5g, 7a) in his two games played tells a tale that Mammoth fans will be interested in following throughout the remainder of his first season with Colorado since being acquired from the Georgia Swarm.

Add in some transition support from Tim Edwards and some secondary scoring from new faces in Dylan McIntosh (1g, 1a) and Braedon Saris (1g, 1a) and the win was pretty one-sided, all things considered. Sure, Will Malcom's natural hat trick came at the end of the game. But closing out wins in the NLL is no easy task, so it was good to see Wild Bill turn on the jets in insurance fashion.

And for as grand as the squad's last performance and successful two-game road trip are for this year's odds of sustained success, the organization has officially strung together its first three-game winning streak since March/April of 2023, the last time Colorado appeared in the NLL Finals, themselves.

Of course, there are no easy wins to be had in this league these days. But if there's a matchup Colorado should like its odds in, it could be against the No. 12-ranked (2-5) Oshawa FireWolves Saturday night as the Mammoth prepare to embrace a pair of home games at Ball Arena the next two weekends.

Wielding nearly opposite records, with the FireWolves bringing two wins into Week 9 and Colorado bringing just two losses into the near-mid-season slate, there's plenty of factors that should ebb and flow in Colorado's favor on the stat sheet. However, everybody knows business is settled out on the turf. And knowing how much offensive firepower the FireWolves' roster has, specifically some DU talent, anything is possible when the opening faceoff whistle blows.

At the same time, Colorado has historically struggled against lower-ranked opponents over the years, including a pair of unexpected losses against the (Albany) FireWolves and Ottawa Black Bears last season, which essentially got in the way of the team's late-season push for a playoff spot. Having missed the postseason for the past two seasons, Head Coach Pat Coyle and crew seemed to have turned the tide on that stretch, now ready to put on a show before a rowdy LOUD HOUSE crowd come Saturday night.

With the league featuring just four games this weekend, Colorado and Oshawa will join the Georgia Swarm and Toronto Rock in putting on a show Saturday night, officially set to close out the slate via a 7 p.m. MT faceoff at Ball Arena. The San Diego Seals, Philadelphia Wings, Vancouver Warriors and Ottawa Black Bears will get the action started on Friday night, with all eyes on the Burgundy Boys when the appropriate time comes.

Fans may be familiar with the FireWolves logo, mascot and colors - But this season marks the first campaign the organization is setting up shop just outside Toronto, as the FireWolves look to pull off what would be quite the upset Saturday night, which doubles as the first time Colorado faces Oshawa in NLL history. For what it's worth, given the FireWolves have retained a majority of talent from past seasons, Colorado is just 1-2 against the organization all-time, most recently splitting a pair of decisions last season during a home-and-home series.

Looking around the league, the only other team with four wins to their name so far are the (4-2) Rochester Knighthawks, whom the Mammoth defeated earlier this season. However, Rochester has been an offensive machine in each of its other contests, racking up 81 goals for in six contests compared to Colorado's 56 conversions. Yet, it's the Mammoth defense which has allowed just 51 goals against, whereas Rochester has surrendered 69 goals. Fans don't necessarily need to be shadowing the Knighthawks for the duration of the season, but it's some sort of benchmark to keep an eye on through Week 8 so far on both ends of the floor. At the same time, goals for and against don't mean too much in the grand scheme of things, as the basement-dwelling (1-5) Calgary Roughnecks have managed 64 goals for in six games, albeit have only won once.

A stat that's a bit stickier, and that applies to this weekend's opponent in Oshawa, revolves around the idea that the FireWolves are 0-3 on the road this year. Knowing Colorado has opted into the early shootaround once again this weekend means the Eastern Time Zone contingent won't be getting warmed up until around 12:15 p.m. EST, perhaps another obstacle to hurdle as they prepare for their one and only trip to the LOUD HOUSE this year.

The only thing that concerns Colorado at this point is taking care of its own business. Exactly what Will Malcom has done during his second season back with the Mammoth, as the talent leads the team with 35 points (16g, 19a) while remaining ranked amongst league-leaders in several categories. Tied with the Buffalo Bandits' Josh Byrne for the 11th-most points in the league overall, he's logged the sixth-most points amongst players to play in six games, compared to most of the leaders who have completed seven contests already:

Colorado Mammoth League Leaders

Goals: 15 - Will Malcom (T6th)

Points: 35 - Will Malcom (T11th)

Power-Play Goals: 5 - Will Malcom (T5th)

Shorthanded Goals: 2 - Will Malcom/Dylan McIntosh (T1st)

Loose Balls: 58 - Robert Hope (5th)

Blocked Shots: 14 - Robert Hope (1st)

Penalty Minutes: 18 - Warren Jeffrey (T4th)

Faceoff Wins: 75 - Matthew Paolatto (8th)

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

Saves: 242 - Dillon Ward (6th)

Save Percentage: .817 - Dillon Ward (2nd)

Goals-Against Average: 8.52 - Dillon Ward (2nd)

While it was great to see Leezer get off to a hot start, it's not as attractive seeing the veteran remain ranked No. 2 in scoring on the team despite playing in just four contests. Flipping the script in dramatic fashion, it's been quite the treat seeing Jack Hannah rack up 15 points (5g, 10a) throughout just three appearances as the team's current No. 3 scorer. And it's truly been amazing seeing how much space the DU product has opened up for teammates since being acquired by the Mammoth. He's been putting his finishing skills on display just the same, but he's been ever-important in earning quality looks for guys like Braedon Saris and company, as Hannah has drawn double teams and commands the eyes of all six opposing players anytime he has the ball. Hell, there's usually a few sets of specs on him even when he DOESN'T have the ball these days, so fans should know his impact goes much farther than what appears on the scoresheet each week. Andrew Kew (5g, 7a) coming back around is big for the Mammoth, as he joins Jalen Chaster (4g, 8a), Dylan McIntosh (7g, 4a) and Thomas Vela (3g, 7a) as Colorado's six players above the 10-point mark.

We've said it before and we'll say it again - Robert Hope remains an elite defenseman. But it's his role as a league-leading threat with 14 blocked shots that makes him such a prized back-ender in Dillon Ward's high-arc approach. He's reliable, he's scooping loose balls left and right and he's getting the ball into the hands of the youngsters during transition looks, an element the Mammoth were missing earlier this season. With a team-high 58 loose balls to his name, he knows his role and he knows his role well as the captain has made a huge impact once again in setting up Ward and teammates for success.

If Colorado has accomplished its scoring in group fashion so far, Oshawa has mostly relied on a trio of forwards to get the job done for them, with Alex Simmons (18g, 21a), Tye Kurtz (14g, 16a) and Ethan Walker (10g, 15a) setting the tone this season for the FireWolves. Up to 39 points through seven games, Simmons sits tied for the fifth-most points in the league and fourth-most goals to date as the do-it-all scorer continues to impress during his third professional campaign. Dyson Williams has amassed 18 points (7g, 11a) as the team's fourth threat, though remains very capable of exploding in any given game knowing the kid's talent and namesake. Taggert Clark's 13 points (5g, 8a) round out the team's five talents in double-digit scoring totals. And with the squad recently trading for forward Dawson Theede, whom Colorado just faced when he was with the Halifax Thunderbirds, Oshawa suddenly has another big-bodied, very-able scorer on the roster, as Theede has recorded 21 points (11g, 10a) in seven games.

The FireWolves have plenty of reliable defensemen set to give it a go Saturday, flanked by a slew of transition specialists who haven't been afraid to join the rush. But if Oshawa is to stay competitive in the approaching duel, it will be via the powers of netminder Doug Jamieson, who has put together a fine set of stats despite his team's 2-5 record. Bringing a healthy 9.49 goals-against average and .808 save percentage into Saturday's looming contest, the goaltending specialist has been the team's brightest star, regularly making stellar saves while staying the course as a dependable option. Knowing Colorado has averaged 9.33 goals per game so far mixed with the idea Oshawa has managed 8.71 conversions per contests suggests this one will come down to a battle between Ward and Jamieson - Surprise, Surprise!

Get in the Game

Mammoth games can be viewed on Altitude Sports and streamed live via ESPN+ and NLL+. Saturday's Jan. 24 showdown against the Oshawa FireWolves 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 for Colorado's Jan. 24 LOUD HOUSE showdown against the Oshawa FireWolves remain available, so be sure to lock in your spot and get ready to TUSK UP!

Check out the Colorado Mammoth Statistics

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National Lacrosse League Stories from January 22, 2026


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