NLL Georgia Swarm

Georgia Swarm Pursue Rebound in Colorado on Saturday

February 14, 2019 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Georgia Swarm News Release


Alex Crepinsek of the Georgia Swarm (left) fights for a loose ball against the Colorado Mammoth
Alex Crepinsek of the Georgia Swarm (left) fights for a loose ball against the Colorado Mammoth
(Georgia Swarm, Credit: Jack Dempsey)

(ATLANTA) - After the punch in the gut last weekend, the Georgia Swarm (7-3) are in the hunt for a rebound win against the Colorado Mammoth (2-5) on Saturday, Feb. 16 at Pepsi Center. Faceoff is set for 9:00 p.m. ET.

The Swarm suffered their worst defeat this season, falling 19-9 to the Buffalo Bandits and swapping spots in the standings with the Bandits.

"Rewatching the game, it was about halfway through the second quarter we got it [the score] to 4-3 after being down 3-nothing, and then we got outscored in the next 15 minutes 11-1," Swarm head coach Ed Comeau said. "You don't come back from that.

"A lot of those goals were direct results of mistakes we made. It was disappointing, but certainly a good and painful learning lesson. We use that, and we move on."

Moving on means trying to find success in the Mile High City, a place the Swarm have not won in since relocating to Georgia. The Swarm have to set that history aside if they hope to rebound against a Mammoth team struggling this season, especially at home.

"Past success or past failure doesn't dictate what happens this time around," Comeau said. "At least a couple of those games that I was involved in, I thought we had a really good chance to win those games, and we let things slip away."

The Swarm will look to connect offensively like they did two weeks ago against the Knighthawks when Holden Cattoni, Shayne Jackson, Randy Staats and Lyle Thompson ran rampant in Rochester.

Lyle leads the team in points with 58 (28G, 30A), and he also has the most goals in the league while his points rank second overall. Staats is directly behind Lyle in points on the team and in the NLL with 57 (18G, 39A).

Goaltender Mike Poulin was chased from the net for the first time all season last Saturday. Despite the loss, Poulin has a 11.42 GAA and a .781 SV%. Kevin Orleman has been steady between his first career start and subbing in for Poulin and has a 13.43 GAA and a .725 SV%.

After being touted as a contender in the West Division before the season started, the Mammoth have struggled to get in the win column. They are coming off their second win of the season, a 12-10 road victory against the Philadelphia Wings.

"They're going to play with a great sense of urgency," Comeau said. "They got a little confidence after a win. I know a number of the players in their locker room and their staff, and none of those guys are going to be happy with the results that they've had so far. They're working to find the right chemistry, the right changes, and certainly, they're going to come out with a lot of energy and intensity, especially at home where they maybe haven't had the greatest success this season."

The Mammoth's offense is 10th in the NLL, averaging 10.86 GF/GAME. Ryan Benesch is having another strong year with 39 points (15G, 24A). Eli McLaughlin is next in points on the Mammoth bench with 31 (16G, 15A).

Defensively, the Mammoth are strong, per usual. Their penalty kill unit is at the top of the NLL, preventing opponents from scoring on 65.22% of their man-advantage opportunities. Goaltender Dillon Ward has spent 400:00 min. in net, posting an 11.40 GAA and a .770 SV%.

Despite last weekend's results, the Swarm are still one of the top teams in the NLL at 7-3, and a win going into the bye week will be a nice way to get back on track and cap a 10-game stretch squeezed into eight weeks.

Saturday's game will be broadcast on the B/R Live app available through iTunes, Google Play, Apple TV, Roku and Amazon Fire.

Check out the Georgia Swarm Statistics




Images from this story

Alex Crepinsek of the Georgia Swarm (left) fights for a loose ball against the Colorado Mammoth
Alex Crepinsek of the Georgia Swarm (left) fights for a loose ball against the Colorado Mammoth
(Jack Dempsey)		   



National Lacrosse League Stories from February 14, 2019


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