NLL Colorado Mammoth

Jones' OT Game-Winner Propels Mammoth into Playoffs

Published on March 25, 2012 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Colorado Mammoth News Release


DENVER - Early in the third quarter, the Colorado Mammoth looked like it would coast to a victory over the Philadelphia Wings on Sunday afternoon at Wells Fargo Center. The Mammoth owned a 13-7 lead and was seemingly in control; then, penalty after penalty, Colorado came unraveled. By the end of the period, the Mammoth's advantage was cut to one. Twenty-four seconds into the fourth, Drew Westervelt's power-play goal tied the score at 13.

Mammoth forward John Grant Jr., the National Lacrosse League's leading goal-scorer, found twine 4:29 into the quarter to give Colorado a one-goal lead. Wings rookie Kevin Crowley, who trails only Grant in goals scored this season, netted two straight to give Philadelphia a 15-14 lead. Then Grant went back to work, scoring the equalizer on a power play with 44 ticks remaining in regulation.

Colorado goaltender Chris Levis had nine of his 42 saves in overtime, including two point-blank denials of Philadelphia all-pro Dan Dawson. Mammoth rookie Adam Jones ended it, scoring his fourth of the night off a rebound 9:38 into the extra frame.

"I guess five-hole seems to be my spot of choice, so I just put it there," explained Jones. "I thought I might have been in the crease. When they called it a good goal, it was a good feeling."

The Wings scored nine times on the man-up, and the Mammoth mustered seven power-play goals. In fact, from late in the second to early in the fourth, the teams combined for 11 consecutive power-play tallies.

"We knew the only way they could get back in the game was by taking penalties," said Mammoth head coach Bob Hamley of Colorado's six-goal lead. "We got a little undisciplined. [The players have] been resilient all year and tonight they buckled down in the fourth quarter and overtime to win the game."

Grant led all scorers with three goals and nine assists to regain the NLL points lead (40g, 47a, 87 pts) from Philadelphia's Dan Dawson (1g, 7a). The Mammoth star has now surpassed his point-total from a season ago (83 in '11), and is on pace to break the league's single-season points record despite missing two games with an upper-body injury.

Jones added five assists in the victory, and captain Gavin Prout recorded four goals and four helpers. Dawson led all Wings in points (8), and Westervelt had six (3g, 3a).

"We're meeting our expectations - we're playing well," said Levis, who celebrated his 36th birthday on Sunday. "It feels good to have that playoff spot clinched. Now we want to lock up home-floor going down the stretch."

The win gave Colorado a 1/2-game lead in the West Division and the league's best record (9-3). It also made the Mammoth the first team to clinch a playoff berth.

Philadelphia won the front-end of the home-and-home series, 13-12, on Friday night at Pepsi Center as Wings forward Brendan Mundorf scored the game-winner with 3.7 seconds remaining. Sunday's loss drops Philadelphia to 7-5.

Colorado takes on the Rochester Knighthawks (5-6) on Saturday, March 31 at 11:05am MT at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y. The game will be broadcast live on Altitude Sports & Entertainment.

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National Lacrosse League Stories from March 25, 2012


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