Mammoth Head East for Matinee Matchup against Philadelphia Wings
NLL Colorado Mammoth

Mammoth Head East for Matinee Matchup against Philadelphia Wings

Published on December 10, 2025 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Colorado Mammoth News Release


Despite going 4-5 last season away from the LOUD HOUSE, the Colorado Mammoth secured a 10-7 opening weekend win against the Vancouver Warriors inside Rogers Arena back in Week 1 to officially begin their past two seasons with opening night wins against the Warriors.

Seeing hometown forward Will Malcom explode for a game-high eight points (6g, 2a), including his third career sock trick, suggests Colorado's left side could be rather productive this season. Especially when you consider newcomer Andrew Kew racked up seven points (2g, 5a) during his Mammoth debut - Not to mention a two-point (1g, 1a) Mammoth debut for fellow lefty Dylan McIntosh and a scrappy effort from Thomas Vela, who earned the season's inaugural Player of the Game belt during postgame locker room celebrations.

Of course, Ryan Lee held things down just the same on the right side, getting his campaign off to a fiery start via a seven-point (1g, 6a) night of his own. Primarily playing quarterback for the squad once more, Flyin' Ryan put a highlight reel dive on tape to remind friends and foes alike that he's still got the ability to go airborne. Dillon Ward also documented quite the opening night performance, stopping 39-of-46 on the night, thus allowing just seven tallies in 60 minutes.

A quality win against what was predicted by a majority of the lacrosse community to be a championship-contending Warriors unit - And yet Colorado is just one game into its 18-game marathon, with the organization's next matchup against the Philadelphia Wings looming in the form of a Saturday matinee showdown inside Xfinity Mobile Arena Dec. 13!

With 10 of the National Lacrosse League's 14 squads having embraced a bye during Week 2, Colorado remains one of five teams with matching 1-0 starts. Knowing each of the Las Vegas Desert Dogs, Philadelphia Wings and Rochester Knighthawks have yet to endure a regular season game means the early-season landscape is set to shift in Week 3. Especially knowing all 14 teams are in play for the first time this weekend. The (1-0) Saskatchewan Rush will open up the Week 3 slate during a battle against the (0-1) Ottawa Black Bears. Then, once Saturday morning rolls around, Colorado prepares for a second-straight road contest as the Burgundy Boys travel east to meet the Wings during the Mammoth's earliest game of the season, primed for an 11 a.m. MT faceoff.

While the Wings have been resting up to start the season, enduring byes in both Week 1 and Week 2, ahead of Saturday's home opener showcase, the early start time will likely be a bit of a unique change of pace for both teams, so Colorado will look to take advantage of the Wings' late start to the season.

All-time, Colorado owns a 3-1 record against this iteration of the Philadelphia Wings, with the Mammoth most recently capturing a 10-8 road victory last March inside the very same barn the organization is set to invade Saturday morning. That said, Colorado was just 3-2 last season competing in the Eastern Time Zone, so the Burgundy Boys will need to pack their finest travel bags and one hell of a work ethic if they hope to exit the City of Brotherly Love with win No. 2.

At the same time, the Wings are coming off a 7-11 season and an uneventful offseason when it comes to personnel, which included the departure of star forward Mitch Jones, among other veteran players coming and going. So, it's fair to be unsure of exactly what type of product and effort the Wings will put on the turf this season. Watching the first two weekends of NLL action at home will either have lit a fire under the squad or provided some rust after a hard-working Training Camp, so the ball is very much in Philadelphia's court. Especially knowing Saturday's contest serves as the Wings' 2025-26 home opener.

Jones may be preparing for his first season with the Las Vegas Desert Dogs after producing 111 points (31g, 80a) for Philadelphia last year - But the team's veteran offensive leader in Joe Resetarits returns in full force after pacing the team with a whopping 122 points (41g, 81a), which ranked as the third-highest point total amongst all NLL players in 2024-25. The big-bodied threat knows how to score in a variety of ways and will need to be atop the scouting report for Colorado, 100%. From there, sophomore forward Brennan O'Neil represents the next-highest-scoring returning talent from last season. Named to the league's 2025 NLL All-Rookie Team courtesy of his 58-point (25g, 33a) rookie campaign, the 23-year-old has the opportunity to take another huge step forward for a team who could direly use some net-filling talent and results.

With Blaze Riorden beginning the season on Philadelphia's Physically Unable to Perform List, forwards Phil Caputo (25g, 10a) and Sam LeClair (16g, 13a) join Resetarits as the only three players to produce double-digit point totals for the Wings last season. Due to some employment issues, the team was essentially forced into dealing standout defenseman Mitch de Snoo to the Buffalo Bandits before Philadelphia's season even began, which is quite the blow for a team with an already lackluster personnel grouping.

Which means fresh incoming talent like Eric Fannell, Brian Cameron (who the Mammoth dealt to the Wings during Training Camp) and Dustyn Birkhof (who the Wings signed last week) may see significant playing time early while youngsters like Dalton Young, Landen Sinfield and Michael Sowers (once active from the team's Injured Reserve List) will need to step up if the Wings are to make some noise this season.

Philadelphia's defensive core may be the most consistent and solid group on the team, filled with a healthy mix of young up-and-comers and established veteran presences. Longtime defenseman Chris Corbeil prepares for his first full season with the Wings after joining the squad 10 games into last season, while returning defensemen in Pat Foley, Liam Patten, Isaiah-Davis Allen, Mike McCannell and company get another fresh slate to keep things clean outside the crease.

Back between the pipes for his second season in Philadelphia, Nick Damude is arguably coming off his worst season in net, which may be more of a reflection on the Wings' down 2024-25 campaign more than anything. Turning in a .780 save percentage alongside a 12.74 goals-against average and 5-9 record, Damude wasn't necessarily the problem for Philadelphia. In fact, he led his squad to victory in two of the Wings' last three games thanks to 43 and 54-save nights en route to allowing just 10 and seven goals, respectively.

Knowing Ward and the Mammoth defense just limited the likes of Keegan Bal, Curtis Dickson and Jesse King to a combined four goals back in Week 1 suggests Colorado's veteran-heavy defensive unit very much has a chance to keep opposing offenses to single-digit totals more games than not. Which is also a direct reflection on the team's ability to establish and maintain possessions in the O-zone at a friendlier rate so far this year, with rookie faceoff specialist Matthew Paolatto earning a whopping 16-for-20 (80%) record at the dot during his pro debut. Hailing from Rutgers University, the 24-year-old also added a team-high 11 loose balls within his first taste of NLL competition and despite brief time on the turf, very much looked like he belongs in the league.

Colorado's other pair of newcoming defensemen who made their respective debuts against the Warriors fit in just the same, with Connor Nock recording three loose balls and four penalty minutes as he put his physicality on display alongside Dylan Hess, who recorded three loose balls of his own and one caused turnover. Forward Braedon Saris rounded out personnel dipping their toes in professional play, notching three loose balls and 43 touches as a member of the team's power-play looks and regular rotator on Colorado's right side.

It was Ryan Lee, however, who paced the team in touches, one of the league's new statistics set to be tracked throughout the season and moving forward. Credited with touching the ball 83 times, the squad's quarterback was the primary point of contact once again. Yet, it's Will Malcom's mustached mug which appears atop the league's goal-scoring charts as Week 3 dawns, making him the only man with six conversions to his name thus far. All in one game, too:

Colorado Mammoth League Leaders

Goals: 6 - Will Malcom (1st)

Assists: 6 - Ryan Lee (T1st)

Points: 8 - Will Malcom (T2nd)

Sock Tricks: 1 - Will Malcom (1st)

Blocked Shots: 3 - Robert Hope (T3rd)

Penalty Minutes: 4 - Connor Nock/Connor Cook/Will Malcom (T5th)

Saves: 39 - Dillon Ward (T5th)

Save Percentage: .848 - Dillon Ward (2nd)

Goals-Against Average: 7.00 - Dillon Ward (2nd)

Goaltender Wins: 1 - Dillon Ward (T1st)

With just one combined tape of game film between the two squads available so far this season, it's hard to predict what Saturday's matinee matchup will truly look like when it comes to Xs and Os. Plenty of changes have taken place throughout both lineups since Colorado last defeated Philadelphia, 10-8, but with Ward and Damude set to handle goaltending duties, the safest bet may be that the Week 3 showdown may again take the form of a slow-starting, low-scoring battle.

Ward and Damude bring matching 5-5 records against each other when it comes to regular season head-to-head slates, meaning this one could truly be a coin flip. That said, the Mammoth are bringing tons of momentum out east after knocking off one of the league's most recently reloaded contenders-to-be, so Colorado supporters will want to catch all of the action, starting at 11 a.m. MT on Altitude TV, ESPN+ and NLL+!

Get in the Game

Mammoth games can be viewed on Altitude TV and streamed live via ESPN+ and NLL+. Saturday's Dec. 13 showdown against the Philadelphia Wings can be viewed on Altitude TV and streamed live on ESPN+ and NLL+.

Mammoth fans can keep an eye on coloradomammoth.com and Colorado Mammoth social media channels for the latest news, transactions and organizational updates throughout the 2025-26 NLL season.

Limited tickets for Colorado's Dec. 27 LOUD HOUSE Home Opener against the Georgia Swarm at Ball Arena remain available.

Check out the Colorado Mammoth Statistics

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National Lacrosse League Stories from December 10, 2025


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