Mammoth Hit the Road for Friday Showdown against Buffalo Bandits
NLL Colorado Mammoth

Mammoth Hit the Road for Friday Showdown against Buffalo Bandits

Published on March 12, 2026 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Colorado Mammoth News Release


Teams throughout the National Lacrosse League (NLL) understand no squad is likely to procure a perfect 18-0 record these days knowing how much talent is spread across the 14-lane landscape. That said, the way the Mammoth had been filling nets for a majority of the season had fans, players and staff alike believing that the team was essentially waiting for the postseason to begin, with the organization's 9-3 record continuing to shine bright beneath the Colorado sunshine.

However, the team fell to 9-4 Saturday night at Ball Arena after hosting a resilient (8-5) Ottawa Black Bears unit, coached and managed by former Mammoth Defensive Coordinator Dan MacRae. While the former defenseman himself wasn't out on the turf, it seemed rather adamant that the former Colorado bench boss had a good idea of what the Pat Coyle-led defense would throw at his Black Bears. Able to make some adjustments throughout the 60-minute battle, it was MacRae and the Black Bears who exited Ball Arena with the win, 10-5.

Solving the Mammoth offense for a majority of the evening, Ottawa held Colorado scoreless for the final 26 minutes of Saturday's matchup while battling back from a 4-3 deficit at the break. The low-scoring affair didn't feature many standout performances outside Jeff Teat (4g, 3a) and Andrew Kew (4g, 1a) who each netted four goals as the forwards continued to duke it out as two of the league's top-ranked goal scoring options. In fact, Dylan McIntosh (1g, 0a) joined Kew as the only other player to convert for Colorado. Just three men in Kew, Jack Hannah (0g, 3a) and Braedon Saris (0g, 3a) carved more than a single point into the Week 15 scoresheet in what we'll consider an overall down week for one of the league's top contenders.

Mammoth goaltender Dillon Ward allowed just nine goals on the night, stopping 42-of-51 shots faced, with the contest's tenth and final goal being scored in empty-net fashion, while rookie faceoff specialist Matthew Paolatto secured 15-of-19 opportunities at the dot. But in a game in which the Black Bears record the final seven tallies of the night, the Mammoth came up short in the O-zone, held to five or less goals for the second time this season.

Thankfully, the Burgundy Boys have held their own at the LOUD HOUSE for the most part this season, officially 5-2 at Ball Arena this year, which is a drastic improvement from the team's 4-5 record in Denver each of the past two seasons. Which has played a large role in the team's odds of returning to the postseason for the first time since the league's 2022-23 campaign.

Colorado technically had a chance to become the first team in the league to secure a spot in the postseason last weekend. Both the (4-7) Las Vegas Desert Dogs and (3-9) Calgary Roughnecks secured wins last weekend, checking the necessary boxes in order for said scenario to come to life, but with the Mammoth dropping a 10-5 final to the Ottawa Black Bears, all eight spots remain up for grabs at the start of Week 16.

The NLL's current Top 4-ranked squads in the (10-3) Saskatchewan Rush, (9-4) Colorado Mammoth, (9-4) Vancouver Warriors and (8-4) Georgia Swarm remain atop the standings in identical order as last week. However, things begin to get interesting outside said Top 4, with the (8-5) Ottawa Black Bears up to the No. 5 rank thanks to their win over the Mammoth. Throw in the (7-5) Toronto Rock and Mammoth fans understand there are at least two teams within immediate striking distance when it comes to potentially stealing a home playoff game from Colorado or any of the other Top 3 squads.

Of course, this weekend's opponent, the defending NLL Champion (6-6) Buffalo Bandits are equally equipped to make a run throughout the March to May. Winners in two straight and now three of the team's last four outings, the three-time Champs have turned things around since suffering a four-game losing streak in the middle of its season. Knowing the Bandits still have six games to play means the notable contingent has plenty of time to reach double-digit win totals. At the same time, five of Buffalo's last six games are against teams currently ranked No. 9 or better, with the team's regular season finale taking place against the (3-10) Oshawa FireWolves. Head-to-head tie-breakers very much play a part in helping to determine postseason seeding when the time comes, so Colorado would be wise to close out its two-game regular season series with a second win against Buffalo Friday night, following up the team's convincing 20-9 victory over the Bandits earlier this season.

The (6-6) San Diego Seals, ranked No. 8 at the start of Week 16, represent the eighth and final team at or above the .500 mark right now, doubling as the last postseason-eligible team were the postseason to begin this weekend. That isn't the case, however, so the Seals will need to win at least three or four games if they hope to keep the (5-6) Rochester Knighthawks, Las Vegas Desert Dogs and the league's bottom-dwellers out of the picture.

As far as the Mammoth are concerned, the organization's first priority is securing an outright berth to the playoffs, followed by earning a Top 4 seed, thus ensuring an opening round contest at the LOUD HOUSE at the end of April. It would be easy to look at the team's remaining five-game schedule and note that two of Colorado's remaining competitions are against the Calgary Roughnecks, who have just three wins to their names. Knowing the Roughnecks are an old rival, paired with the idea that the team hasn't mathematically been eliminated from postseason contention just yet, suggests the Roughnecks will bring every bit of effort to Ball Arena next weekend for a looming March 21 showdown. The same will 100% be said when the two teams meet again April 19 during their respective regular season finales.

Obviously, Buffalo is going to bring everything they have to the turf Friday when the Mammoth invade Banditland. Which makes the Mammoth's LOUD HOUSE finale against the Desert Dogs one hell of a matchup, not to mention a road battle against the No. 1-ranked Rush the very next weekend. That game could end up being for the top-seeded honors, as long as the Mammoth and Rush can continue taking care of business leading into said star-studded showdown.

So, when Head Coach Pat Coyle leads the Burgundy Boys into KeyBank Center to help kick off the Week 16 slate, Colorado understands they remain in the driver's seat when it comes to controlling its own destiny. Beginning with a second chance to knock off the defending Champs.

At 6-6 on the season, it's a bit odd to see the once-immortal Bandits rocking a .500 record two-thirds of the way through the season. Which is quite an improvement for Buffalo, which was 3-5 just one week after Colorado initially handed the Bandits a beating back on Jan. 31. Officially 3-3 in both home and away contests this season, it's been an uncharacteristic campaign for Buffalo thus far. But if fans around the league, if not sport, know one thing, it's that the team has been known to lock in down the stretch - Be it regular season or a playoff push itself. So, Colorado expects the Bandits to defend home turf come Friday. Yes, they're making a playoff push, but the idea that they just added a notable veteran scorer like Joe Resetarits means they're definitely steering the ship towards postseason waters.

Resetarits joins the team after recording 45 points (15g, 30a) in 12 contests with the (3-10) Philadelphia Wings and should fit in just fine on a team that's been missing the talents of Chase Fraser, Chris Cloutier and company this time around. Making the most of this year's March 9 NLL Trade Deadline, Buffalo also acquired defenseman Tyler Hendrycks from the Calgary Roughnecks, further evidence of the defending Champs loading up for the March to May.

That said, Dhane Smith remains atop Colorado's scouting report, as the skilled scorer paces the team with 79 points (25g, 54a). Ranked third in league with 54 helpers and third overall in scoring amongst all NLL players, Smith can do it all while regularly drawing double-team efforts whenever he gets close to the crease. And with the veteran afforded a bye week of rest, now the second time this season the Mammoth face the Bandits following a Buffalo bye week, fans can expect him to bring his A game, especially at home. Just 11 points behind Smith as the team's No. 2 option, Josh Byrne remains a capable converter just the same, up to 68 points (20g, 48a) on the season. He's athletic and has been responsible for some of the game's sickest tallies over the years, both indoors and out.

As the only other man above the 40-point mark ahead of Week 16, Ian McKay will look to get involved Friday night, already with 44 points (19g, 25a) to his name through 11 appearances. Both Kyle Buchanan (21g, 15a) and Tehoka Nanticoke (16g, 13a) are plenty capable of finding twine in their own right, any may need to do some heavy lifting knowing the Mammoth essentially shut down Buffalo's top options the last time these two rivals danced.

When it comes to the defensive end of the floor, guys like Paul Dawson and Steve Priolo stick out as noted veteran presences. Nick Weiss stays involved in the transition game and the team continues to heal up, with Mitch de Snoo back in action for Buffalo these days, alongside the likes of Matt Spanger and company. But the biggest takeaway from a quick glance at the Bandits' roster revolves around one of the sport's, if not position's, GOATs in Matt Vinc, who seems to be crashing back down to reality after a star-studded career. He's still doing his job at an average rate, but it's odd seeing the All-World talent struggle a bit this year, rocking a .773 save percentage at this point in the season. His 10.80 goals-against average suggests he's been solid overall, but his defense surely hasn't been helping him out too often this year, one of the many reasons the Mammoth were able to hang a 20-spot on them six weeks ago.

Another big reason why Colorado has been on fire this season? A man named Andrew Kew, who officially sits atop (albeit tied with Ottawa's Jeff Teat) the league's goal-scoring leaderboard with 35 conversions in nine games played (compared to 35 in 13 GP for Teat). Which 100% keeps him in the MVP conversation, especially when you add his 29 helpers, which creates a grand total of a team-high 64 points (35g, 29a). Averaging 7.11 points per game during his first season with the Mammoth, he's racked up the 11th-most points across the entire league. For reference, the next-highest point total for a player who's yet to play in 10 games is the San Diego Seals' Ben McIntosh, who's managed 28 points (10g, 18a) in nine games played. AK42 has now paced or tied for the team lead in goals for each of Colorado's last eight contests. Knowing he's only played in nine total tells the tale of how dominant the outside shooter has been in 2026. However, the Burgundy Boys will need some support come Friday, specifically needing to get over the nine-goal mark, as the team is a perfect 8-0 this season when scoring 10 or more goals and just 1-4 when scoring nine or fewer conversions.

Colorado Mammoth League Leaders

Goals: 35 - Andrew Kew (T1st)

Assists: 43 - Jack Hannah (T9th)

Points: 64 - Andrew Kew (11th)

Points Per Game: 7.11 - Andrew Kew (1st)

Power-Play Goals: 8 - Andrew Kew (T3rd)

Loose Balls: 112 - Robert Hope (4th)

Blocked Shots: 21 - Robert Hope (2nd)

Penalty Minutes: 26 - Ari Stevens (10th)

Faceoff Wins: 193 - Matthew Paolatto (5th)

Faceoff Win Percentage: 60 - Matthew Paolatto (5th)

Saves: 505 - Dillon Ward (3rd)

Save Percentage: .816 - Dillon Ward (2nd)

Goals-Against Average: 9.70 - Dillon Ward (4th)

Goaltender Wins: 8 - Dillon Ward (T3rd)

With the team adding a pair of forwards in Nathan Grenon and Aaron Woods, some additional firepower on the depth chart may have arrived. Woods spent a part of this year's Training Camp with the team before ultimately being released ahead of the regular season, while Grenon spent time with both the Toronto Rock and Rochester Knighthawks this year, albeit yet to draw into a campaign this season.

That said, forwards Will Malcom (22g, 38a) and Jack Hannah (14g, 43a) will need to bounce back from a quiet game last weekend, who combined for just three points (0g, 3a) against the Black Bears, if the Mammoth are to complete the two-game sweep. Dylan McIntosh joined Kew as the only other man to score a goal against Ottawa and has been a pleasant surprise this season, up to 30 points (19g, 11a) as the team's No. 3-ranked goal-scorer to date. Bringing 34 points (10g, 24a) into Week 16's showcase, rookie forward Braedon Saris continues to learn his role in the offense yet has plenty of room to grow on the right side. He's getting some open looks thanks to the likes of Hannah, McIntosh and company and has the ability to fine twine more often than he has thus far, so Mammoth fans can keep an eye on the youngster throughout Colorado's final five matchups.

Ari Stevens, Connor Nock, Dylan Hess have continued to complement Mammoth defensive efforts, with veterans in Robert Hope, Jordan Gilles, Warren Jeffrey and friends continuing to lead the way. Colorado's defense, anchored by goaltender Dillon Ward - who's have another All-Pro-caliber season, is allowing less than 10 goals per contest (9.69 to date), so if the offense can get going early in Banditland, Colorado has a chance to become the second team to achieve a tenth win, joining the Saskatchewan Rush in double-digit territory.

Get in the Game

Mammoth games can be viewed on Altitude Sports and streamed live via ESPN+ and NLL+. Friday's March 13 showdown against the Buffalo Bandits can be viewed locally on Altitude TV and streamed live on ESPN+ and NLL+ beginning at 5:30 pm. MT.

Check out the Colorado Mammoth Statistics

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National Lacrosse League Stories from March 12, 2026


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