NLL Colorado Mammoth

Mammoth fall short

Published on March 13, 2010 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Colorado Mammoth News Release


DENVER - The Colorado Mammoth fell to the Edmonton Rush Saturday night at Pepsi Center in front of 14,566 disappointed fans. The loss drops the Mammoth to 2-7 on the season while Edmonton improves to 6-3.

The tone for the game was set early in the first quarter as former Mammoth captain Gavin Prout dropped his gloves to fight the current Mammoth captain John Gallant just 53 seconds into the game. Though the fight was stopped before any real damage could be done, it was clear that the Rush came to battle.

The first frame was a low-scoring affair, full of penalties and strong defense. Despite dominating face-offs, the Mammoth controlled little else on the field. The bright spot from the first quarter came on a Mammoth power play at the 9:34 mark as Mammoth forward Brian Langtry made a behind-the-back pass to Alex Gajic who was able to sneak a quick-stick shot past Rush goalie Matt Disher. The Rush offense made quick work of the Mammoth defense however, netting four goals before the end of the quarter bringing the score to 4-1.

The Rush had a strong start to the second quarter scoring two goals within the first five minutes. The Mammoth answered, however, with a pair of its own. The first came at the 9:50 mark as forward Jamie Shewchuk knifed through the defense on a fast break and received a pass from Nenad Gajic in time to beat the Rush goalie. The second, coming just 36 seconds later, was nearly identical to the goal scored in the first quarter as Alex Gajic got another behind-the-back pass from Brian Langtry and was able to beat the goalie despite shooting from a very sharp angle. Following a nearly five-minute scoring drought from both teams, the Mammoth found the net as Jamie Shewchuk back-cut his defender to get a lob pass from Cory Conway, then snuck one into the net to cut the Rush lead to just two goals. The Rush worked to regain its four-goal lead with a pair of goals before the end of the half including a very deep shot from Rush forward Ryan Powell with just eight seconds remaining.

The Mammoth kicked the second half off in exciting fashion as Alex Gajic found Brian Langtry open on the crease. Langtry then managed to slip a shot in despite having his back to the goal at the 13:43 mark. The Rush quickly regained momentum with two Matt Ward goals at the 12:00 and 10:40 marks. The Mammoth got back on the board with a no-look pass from Brian Langtry to Jed Prossner who ripped a shot into the back of the net. The Mammoth, then, had every opportunity to carry the momentum, but was unable to find the net. Despite Colorado being awarded a penalty shot and having the advantage of 13+ penalty minutes, including multiple two-man advantages, the Rush still led the Mammoth 10-6 at the end of three quarters.

The Mammoth showed promise to start the fourth quarter with a behind-the-back goal from Alex Gajic just 1:23 into the frame. Alex Gajic scored again at the 7:04 mark on a Bruce Murray fast break pass to cut the Edmonton lead to just two, but two quick Edmonton goals, just 22 seconds apart, brought the Edmonton lead back to four with 6:04 left to play in the game. Edmonton forward Gavin Prout capitalized on a broken play with 1:43 left, extending the Rush lead to five. Alex Gajic found the net, yet again, with 21 seconds left in the game to bring the final score to 13-9.

High performers for the game included Alex Gajic from the Mammoth with 5 goals and 1 assist. Edmonton's Gavin Prout finished with 4 goals and 1 assist and Rush goalie Matt Disher tallied 45 saves on the night.

Colorado will have two weeks to rest and evaluate before hosting the Washington Stealth on March 26 at Pepsi Center at 7pm.

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National Lacrosse League Stories from March 13, 2010


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