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NLL Colorado Mammoth

Mammoth Fall In West Division Semifinal

April 30, 2011 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Colorado Mammoth News Release


DENVER - The Colorado Mammoth fell to the Calgary Roughnecks 10-6 in the West Division Semifinal at the Scotia Bank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta Saturday night. Colorado's offense struggled throughout the game as Calgary's goalie Mike Poulin proved to be more than the Mammoth could handle racking up 45 saves. Bright spots for the Mammoth included a strong effort in net by goalie Chris Levis who finished with 32 saves and forward John Grant Jr. who tallied three goals and an assist.

The Mammoth was able to get on the board early with a power-play goal by forward Alex Gajic as he collected a loose ball and beat his man to the crease tucking the ball over Mike Poulin's shoulder at the 2:19 mark. The Roughnecks answered quickly, though, with a transition goal finished by forward Dane Dobbie just 27 seconds later. Following a Roughnecks transition goal, Colorado added two of its own to carry a 3-2 lead into the second quarter.

A very promising first quarter gave way to a disappointing second frame as the Mammoth allowed four goals while failing to find the back of the net even once, bringing the first-half score to 6-3 in Calgary's favor.

With the exception of Grant, Colorado's offense continued to falter in the second half. All three of the second-half goals scored by the Mammoth came from the stick of Grant who single-handedly kept the game close until late in the game. Two of the three goals by Grant came in nearly identical fashion by stinging the top-right corner of the net from the top center.

Colorado entered the final quarter trailing 7-4 and was able to pull to within two with little time remaining. A flurry of quality shots by the Mammoth offense was turned away by Poulin though, forcing the Mammoth to pull Levis in hopes of scoring with an extra attacker. Two empty-net goals by Calgary sealed the Roughnecks victory as they advance to the West Division Finals next Saturday.

Colorado finishes the season with a record of 5-13 improving by one win over last season while making a playoff appearance after failing to do so in 2010. The Mammoth will look to continue to improve after finding a balanced mix of young talent with veteran leadership and experience.

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