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NLL Georgia Swarm

Georgia Swarm Drop Final Game of 2019, 13-11

December 28, 2019 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Georgia Swarm News Release


Zed Williams of the Georgia Swarm (left) vs. the Colorado Mammoth
Zed Williams of the Georgia Swarm (left) vs. the Colorado Mammoth
(Georgia Swarm, Credit: Kyle Hess)

ATLANTA - The Georgia Swarm (2-1) ran out of gas in their final game of 2019, losing their last game of 2019 to the Colorado Mammoth (2-1) by a final score of 13-11 at Harrah's Cherokee Casino Field at Infinite Energy Arena.

"We made a few bad reads on letting guys get underneath on us, a couple of off-ball looks," Swarm head coach Ed Comeau said. "But I thought we had some really good shifts. We played really well at times. But there are a lot of good shooters in this league, and we talked about them. When you let one of their top guys go off for five goals, that is often the result you get."

It was an even affair in the beginning of the game as both teams played aggressive defense. Miles Thompson opened the game's scoring 23 seconds in, but the game became back-and-forth affair. The two teams went to their locker rooms at halftime tied 5-5.

The Swarm managed to separate themselves with a five-goal third quarter. Zed Williams netted his hat trick, with Miles, Bryan Cole, Shayne Jackson, and Lyle Thompson all contributing goals.

They went into the fourth quarter up 10-8, but the Swarm quickly fell behind off a three-goal run from the Mammoth. Jackson's hat trick tied the game at 11 before Jacob Ruest's fifth goal of the night became the game-winner. Jeff Wittig finished the scoring with 5:34 min. left in the game.

The Swarm controlled possession in the final minutes but were unable to get the ball past Dillon Ward, who made 10 saves in the fourth quarter. Their extra attacker attempts were fruitless, and the clock ran out with the Mammoth winning 13-11 on the road.

"That five-on-three power play killed us, I think," Swarm captain Jordan MacIntosh said. "They only scored one on us, but we were gassed after that. They had a transition goal by (Jordan) Gilles, a power play goal, and the one Ruest goal, and then late, they had Wittig and Ruest goals underneath. Yeah, we defensively just didn't do our job, didn't shut the door."

Jackson (3G, 3A) and Randy Staats (6A) led the Swarm with six points apiece, and Lyle had five points (1G, 4A). Poulin's 33 saves gave him a .717 SV%.

For the Mammoth, Ryan Lee led them with eight points (2G, 6A), but Ruest's five goals and two assists were the most impressive performance from their offense. Ward saved his best for last, posting a .766 SV% after 10 saves in the fourth quarter.

The Swarm take a bye week before returning to Harrah's Cherokee Casino Field at Infinite Energy Arena on Saturday, Jan. 11 to take on the Buffalo Bandits. Face-off is set for 7:00 p.m.

"Off this bye week, we're really going to focus this week on us, and where we can get better, our conditioning coming out of the holiday season," Comeau said. "Then the next week, we'll really focus on Buffalo. We'll get a chance to watch film on them. Buffalo's always played us tough. They're a good, physical team. We'll have to make sure we're ready. But before we start looking outward, we've got to look inward and address some things we need to do better."

The Swarm are celebrating Lacrosse Out Cancer Night and will wear special purple uniforms, signifying early detection and the fight against all forms of cancer. Each jersey bears the names of those affected by cancer on the back, and the game-worn uniforms will be signed and auctioned off following the game's conclusion, with proceeds benefiting the Rally Foundation. Tickets are available by visiting GeorgiaSwarm.com/CancerNight or by calling 844-4-GASWARM.

Fans in the Metro Atlanta area can also catch the game live on Atlanta's CW69 or over the radio on the Atlanta Sports X 1230AM/106.3FM.

Check out the Georgia Swarm Statistics




Images from this story

Zed Williams of the Georgia Swarm (left) vs. the Colorado Mammoth
Zed Williams of the Georgia Swarm (left) vs. the Colorado Mammoth
(Kyle Hess)		   



National Lacrosse League Stories from December 28, 2019


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