NLL Colorado Mammoth

Mammoth fall short to Stealth at home

Published on March 26, 2010 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Colorado Mammoth News Release


DENVER - The Colorado Mammoth lost another heartbreaker, 15-14, at home to the Washington Stealth in front of 15,102 fans Friday night at Pepsi Center. Fans were treated to a back-and-forth game that saw multiple lead changes as neither team was willing to give up easily. The Mammoth carried the momentum for the first half thanks to strong goal-tending from Andrew Leyshon and a balanced offense, but uncharacteristically saw a drop off in the second half that included a goalie change after the Mammoth gave up eight goals in the third quarter and an impotent offensive effort with just one goal in the fourth quarter.

The first quarter started slow, but heated up quickly as the Stealth drew first blood with a Luke Wiles goal at the 10:16 mark. Following a five-minute break, the two teams traded blows for the remainder of the quarter starting with an opportunistic goal by Alex Gajic who collected a deflected pass in front of the net, then ripped a low-to-high shot on Stealth goalie Tyler Richards. The Stealth matched with a goal of its own just 37 seconds later. Gajic made it back-to-back goals for the Mammoth just 26 seconds later at the 4:45 mark. The Stealth got back on the board at the 3:07 mark with another goal from Wiles. The Mammoth punched back at the 2:38 mark as Derek Malawsky cradled his way through the defense to free his hands for a shot. The goal tied the game at 3-3 to finish the quarter.

The second quarter saw more of the same fast-paced, high-scoring play as the first. The Stealth regained the lead on a short-handed, Lewis Ratcliff goal just 30 seconds into the quarter. The Mammoth stole the lead back as it went on a three-goal run. The first of which came at the 12:53 mark as Nick Carlson threaded a nearly full-field, fast-break pass to a streaking Jamie Shewchuk for a goal that brought the crowd to its feet. The Stealth fought back with an unsettled goal by Lewis Ratcliff at the 9:56 mark, but wouldn't score again in the half. The Mammoth would put up two more goals before the end of the half. The second coming with just 1:54 left as Gajic muscled around his defender to bounce a shot into the goal. The Mammoth carried an 8-5 lead to the dressing room.

The Mammoth started the third quarter strong with a goal just 24 seconds into the quarter as Gajic rolled off a pick then received a pass from Langtry in time to slip a shot in. Despite the fast start, the Mammoth watched the momentum quickly swing back in favor of the Stealth which reeled off four unanswered goals. The Mammoth stopped the bleeding at the 7:49 mark as Gajic checked the ball loose from his man, then collected the loose ball and snuck a goal past the Washington goalie. The Stealth squelched the would-be comeback with three more consecutive goals, all three from far outside, which resulted in starting goalie Andrew Leyshon being sent to the bench at the 3:03 mark in favor of Chris Levis. The two teams traded goals to finish the third quarter. The eight goals scored by Washington helped them carry a 13-11 lead into the final frame.

The fourth quarter proved to be a low-scoring, defensive battle as it took over five minutes for either team to put up a goal. Joel Dalgarno got on the board for the Stealth with an outside bounce shot at the 9:59 mark. The Mammoth quickly answered with a goal from Chad Culp who scored in transition. Neither team scored again for over seven minutes until Jed Prossner scored a goal with 2:04 to bring the Mammoth within one. The Stealth battled back however, as Jeff Zywicki scored a transition goal at the 1:35 mark to extend the lead back to two. Things got exciting though when the Mammoth were awarded a penalty shot with 25 seconds left to play. The Mammoth chose the hot-handed Gajic to take the shot that completed a sock-trick scoring his sixth goal on the night as he faked the goalie out of position then drove the shot home to bring the Mammoth to within one. The Mammoth won the ensuing faceoff but were unable to net the tying goal before time expired handing the Mammoth another loss.

Colorado will not have much time to reflect on this loss as they face the Stealth again on Saturday night on the road in Washington. The next home game for the Mammoth will be on April 16 as it hosts the Boston Blazers at 7pm at Pepsi Center. Tickets are on sale now.

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National Lacrosse League Stories from March 26, 2010


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