NLL Colorado Mammoth

Mammoth Beat Boston in Home OT Thriller

March 27, 2011 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Colorado Mammoth News Release


DENVER - The Colorado Mammoth won an overtime thriller, 9-8, on Lacrosse Out Cancer Night against the Boston Blazers at home in front of 17,123 fans on HealthONE Field at Pepsi Center on Saturday night. Colorado benefited from strong contributions from recent acquisitions Joel Dalgarno and Gavin Prout; Dalgarno recorded a hat trick and Prout registered one goal and an assist. Ultimately, it was Colorado forward John Grant Jr. who scored the game-winning goal 2:33 into the overtime period to earn the Mammoth its first home victory since April 17, 2009.

Boston all-star forward Dan Dawson got the scoring started 2:49 into the first with a power-play goal, getting free on the crease off a high screen. Boston's Kevin Buchanan added another goal before Colorado could get on the board with a goal by Dalgarno, who managed to shoot around his defender who was screening Blazers goalie Anthony Cosmo. The period finished 2-1 in favor of the visitors.

Boston picked up the scoring in the second frame as forward and reigning league MVP Casey Powell weaved through the Mammoth defense and bounced a goal home. Dalgarno tallied his second goal on the night just 35 seconds later. Boston followed with a goal of its own to push the lead to two. The Mammoth answered with two goals just over 30 seconds apart. The first came as forward Alex Gajic cut back-door on his defender, then buried the ball in the net. The second was an off-speed bounce shot from Grant from the top right corner. Boston regained the lead, however, at the 9:23 mark with a goal by forward Nick Cotter to bring the halftime score to 5-4.

Cotter picked up where he left off in the third, scoring a goal at the 8:16 mark. Colorado cut Boston's lead to one, 6-5, as Dalgarno completed the hat trick on an outside ripper. The Mammoth was unable to capitalize on a two-minute, two-man advantage to finish the quarter, as one shot hit the pipe.

Boston made the most of its first power-play opportunity of the fourth quarter as Powell bounced home a goal 1:50 into the frame. Casey's younger brother, Ryan, extended Boston's lead to three with a fast-break goal just 1:31 later. Colorado rallied to score two goals as Prout collected a Grant rebound and found the back of the net. Another back-door cut by Gajic trimmed Boston's lead to just one with 3:32 remaining in regulation. The Mammoth tied the game at eight with 24.8 seconds showing on the clock as forward Dan Carey buried a quick-stick goal off a Brian Langtry pass to force overtime.

A back-and-forth overtime frame concluded as Grant drove to the cage and bounced the game-winner home before entering the crease, scoring his second on the night. Mammoth fans remained on their feet as officials reviewed the goal to confirm that Grant did not enter the crease before the ball crossed the goal line.

Colorado takes on the Edmonton Rush next weekend in a home-and-home with playoff implications, as the teams are vying for a postseason berth. Friday night's game is in Edmonton, with Saturday's contest at Pepsi Center at 7pm MDT. Tickets to the Mammoth's two remaining regular-season home games are on sale now and start at just $5 apiece.

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National Lacrosse League Stories from March 27, 2011


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