Mammoth Host Defending NLL Champion Buffalo Bandits Saturday
NLL Colorado Mammoth

Mammoth Host Defending NLL Champion Buffalo Bandits Saturday

Published on January 28, 2026 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Colorado Mammoth News Release


Don't look now, but the Colorado Mammoth may literally be the hottest team in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) as the Burgundy Boys have earned their first four-game win streak last weekend since the organization's NLL Championship-capturing campaign back in the 2021-22 season via a HUGE 15-11 win over the Oshawa FireWolves.

Rounding out the circuit's four-game weekend with all eyes on them, Colorado allowed the FireWolves a chance to complete what would've been an upset for a majority of the game, as the Mammoth's largest lead was just a three-goal advantage until late in the game when defenseman Owen Down earned the home team a four-goal lead, which eventually lead to the 15-11 final in Colorado's favor. And for as close as the scoreboard suggests the contest was, fans at the LOUD HOUSE felt the momentum flow in the Mammoth's favor for a majority of the night as the team held strong and pulled out the big win. Improving to 2-1 at Ball Arena and 5-2 overall on the season, Colorado's fifth win took a true team effort, which once again starts and ends with All-Pro goaltender Dillon Ward, who stopped 49-of-60 shots faced Saturday.

Rookie faceoff specialist Matthew Paolatto had a game, himself, as the rookie managed to secure 22-of-30 draw opportunities while the first-year talent continues to prove he belongs in this league. Receiving the team's "Player of the Game" Belt during postgame celebrations, No. 27 has been feeling the love, deservedly, as he navigates the NLL waters for the first time.

While fans have been beyond ecstatic to see hometown kid Jack Hannah put on quite the show since being acquired by the organization, a team which is now 4-0 since welcoming Hannah on board, it was fellow newcomer Andrew Kew who paced the scoresheet during the team's win over Oshawa. Recording a season-high 10 points (4g, 6a), Kew now has hat tricks in each of his past two performances. Knowing he's only played in three games so far this season, dealing with a hand injury earlier in the year, and has still managed to log 22 points (9g, 13a) tells a tale that the talented scorer has plenty left in the tank as his sixth professional campaign rages on.

Hannah's seven points (1g, 6a) on the night served as the second-most, while Will Malcom (2g, 4a), Thomas Vela (2g, 2a), Owen Rahn (3g, 0a) and company spread the workload around the O-zone. Rookie forward Braedon Saris added four points (1g, 3a) as he continues to get involved while his inaugural season progresses. Rahn's career-first hat trick couldn't have come at a better time, as the team placed defenseman Jalen Chaster (who's been playing forward most of the season due to available personnel and injuries) on the Physically Unable to Perform List prior to Saturday's win.

Over the course of the team's established four-game win streak, Colorado has managed double-digit scoring totals in three of the four, which is a good sign the offense is gelling after accomplishing said range just once in the Mammoth's first three outings. Hannah and Kew are here, and here to stay. Will Malcom has plenty of tricks left in his bag and plenty of wheels to burn with. Guys are stepping up and playing their roles on both ends of the floor, which has created a few additional transition looks lately. The idea that defenseman Tim Edwards has scored in consecutive contests proves just that. And with Paolatto running the show at the dot, the veteran back-ender in Edwards has looked damn fresh and damn effective.

Sure, the Saskatchewan Rush may technically be ranked No. 1 to Colorado's No. 2 spot as the league prepares to usher in the Week 10 slate. As the only team with six wins, and just one loss, they have to be the favorite to make a run at this near-mid-point of the season. But knowing the Rush were afforded a Week 9 bye means the Mammoth were the most recent team to display its dominance. And the idea that Colorado has defeated a pair of likely contenders in the (4-2) Vancouver Warriors and (4-2) Rochester Knighthawks gives them a theoretical bump when it comes to strength of schedule in the early season stretch.

With four other teams lurking just behind the Mammoth with matching four-win totals, including the Knighthawks, Warriors, (4-3) Georgia Swarm and (4-4) Ottawa Black Bears proves the top of the table has plenty of skilled, proven teams. Yet, it's the next chunk of teams with matching three win totals which confirm parity is alive and well in the NLL, as five different teams are sitting with either 3-3 or 3-4 records ahead of Week 10. Which means Colorado needs to take care of business for the duration of the season if the team hopes to extinguish its two-year break of participating in the postseason.

Enter this weekend's approaching opponent in the (3-3) Buffalo Bandits, the last team the Mammoth faced in playoff contention, dating back to the 2022-23 NLL Finals. Sitting atop the professional box lacrosse throne with three-straight NLL titles to their name, the Bandits are very much still in dynasty mode, albeit without a few top contributors, who have since bunked up with the (3-3) Las Vegas Desert Dogs this season.

But with a majority of the band back around to attempt a historic fourth-consecutive championship, the sport's most dominant group since the old school Rochester Knighthawks remains a sincere threat despite just a 3-3 start to the season. The three contests that Buffalo has lost so far have been by a combined five goals, including a pair of one-goal losses and a three-goal loss to the Knighthawks. Currently riding a two-game losing streak, Saturday's showdown very much serves as a bounce back opportunity for Buffalo. And you better believe they'll have a little bit of extra steam for a team which has approached rivalrous territory over the past three or four seasons. The Mammoth, too, will bring an edge into the matchup, but knowing Colorado is riding high on a four-game win streak and Buffalo has two losses in a row makes this a must-win for the Bandits.

With only eight teams in action last weekend, the Bandits are coming off a bye week of rest, last operating during a tight 10-9 loss to the Ottawa Black Bears back on Jan. 16. The team is .500 overall, including a 2-2 record at home and a 1-1 record away from Banditland, which means holes have been and can be poked in the juggernaut of a squad. Honestly, this hasn't been the usual dominant start to the season fans have gotten used to seeing from Buffalo the past three or four seasons now. Dhane Smith is still doing his thing. Matt Vinc remains one of the, if not the, league's best goaltenders to play. So, what's changed for Buffalo other than a few offseason departures? Better yet, how can the Mammoth take advantage of their slow start?

We'll leave that up to Head Coach Pat Coyle and company to crack in the scouting reports. But the idea the once-untouchable contingent is averaging just 11.5 goals-per game suggests they may be missing the likes of Chase Fraser, Chris Cloutier and company.

Dhane Smith's 44 points (16g, 28a) remain both a team-high mark and the fourth-most to date amongst all NLL players as the silky-mitted man continues to do what he does best. Just as Josh Byrne has, up to 35 points (11g, 24a) in six games as the team's No. 2 option. Kyle Buchanan (12g, 9a) and Ian McKay (9g, 11a) join the two as the squad's four players with 20-plus points so far, with Buchanan's 12 goals the second-most amongst Buffalo personnel. Tehoka Nanticoke (7g, 6a), veteran Ryan Benesch (3g, 8a in four games) and transition player Nick Weiss (2g, 9a) round out the team's seven men with double-digit point totals to their name.

Trailing only Robert Hope in blocked shots, defenseman Paul Dawson ranks second in the league with 13 blocked shots to Hope's 16 as the defenseman remains a pillar on Buffalo's back end. Yet, it's Buffalo's netminder Matt Vinc which represents Colorado's largest looming threat, as the veteran has quite literally done it all at this point. His 10.17 goals-against average and .774 save percentage aren't exactly putting him on pace to become the NLL Goaltender of the Year - But that's much more on the defense in front of him than anything this season. Having played in just six games, he's ranked No. 11 with 209 saves to his name, so Mammoth fans can expect Vinc to play his part and play it well as the Bandits look to get back on track Saturday.

However, Buffalo is walking into quite the westerly storm come Saturday, as Colorado has solidified itself as a legit contender to make a run this season. With the March to May just around the corner, wins and head-to-head tiebreakers are only going to become increasingly important. And with Colorado and Buffalo set to close out its two-game regular season series in Buffalo later this season, any sort of leg up in the standings is welcome in Week 10.

Seeing the likes of Malcom, Kew and Hannah combine for 23 points (7g, 16a) last weekend was surely an encouraging sign for Colorado's odds of returning to the postseason. But the Burgundy Boys and personnel throughout the organization thoroughly understand this team is taking things game-by-game. So, if the Mammoth are to knock off the Bandits and send them spiraling into a three-game win streak, they're going to need each of their top three forwards to play a similar role. Thankfully, Malcom has been performing to his best ability and remains the only player of the bunch to have played in all seven of Colorado's contests, currently leading the team with 41 points (18g, 23a) while entering the week tied with Ottawa's Reilly O'Connor for the seventh-most points amongst all NLL talent. Meanwhile, his 18 successful conversions are good for the fifth-most as the sixth-year forward remains on pace to set a career-high point total.

Colorado Mammoth League Leaders

Goals: 18 - Will Malcom (T5th)

Points: 41 - Will Malcom (T7th)

Power-Play Goals: 5 - Will Malcom (T5th)

Shorthanded Goals: 2 - Will Malcom/Dylan McIntosh (T1st)

Loose Balls: 63 - Robert Hope (7th)

Caused Turnovers: 11 - Owen Down (T7th)

Blocked Shots: 16 - Robert Hope (1st)

Penalty Minutes: 18 - Warren Jeffrey (T4th)

Faceoff Wins: 97 - Matthew Paolatto (5th)

Faceoff Win Percentage: 62 - Matthew Paolatto (5th)

Saves: 291 - Dillon Ward (3rd)

Save Percentage: .829 - Dillon Ward (2nd)

Goals-Against Average: 8.89 - Dillon Ward (3rd)

It's easy to look at the scoreboard and think of the offensive production as to why Colorado has been streaking lately. The goals are 100% needed to get the job done, but perhaps even more impressive is Colorado's defensive and special teams efforts the last few weeks. Sure, Paolatto dominated at the dot in Week 9, but it's Owen Down who continues to surge up the league leaderboard in the CTO column, now up to 11 on the season after recording two breakups against Oshawa. The lengthy, physical defenseman has learned from a group of professionals including Jordan Gilles, Warren Jeffrey, Robert Hope and beyond, who have each played their parts well just the same. Hope remains a stalwart in the blocked shot category, leading the entire league with 16 blocked shots, while the "Moose" Warren Jeffrey remains tied for the fourth-most penalty minutes as the team's traditional enforcer. Jeffrey needs one more penalty to crack to the Top 7 in all-time Mammoth PIM-earners, but after seeing guys like himself, Tim Edwards and company get involved in the transition game lately suggests this may be the most complete group of back-enders Colorado has had in a few years. Youngsters like Ari Stevens and Dylan Hess are fitting in seamlessly via intense, yet disciplined, play. Connor Nock looks the part, too, as the entire unit has set up Dillon Ward to continue his reign.

Ward remains ranked amongst league-leading company in total saves (291: 3rd), goals-against average (8.89: 3rd) and save percentage (.829: 2nd) as he has looked the best he has over the past few seasons. We're talking about an All-Pro campaign being forged before our eyes - All while climbing NLL and franchise rankings just the same. Knowing he's residing amongst noted guys like Christian Del Bianco, Brett Dobson and fellow elite netminders at the top of the goaltending pyramid should remind Mammoth fans how lucky they have, and continue to be, in witnessing one of the game's greatest goaltenders do his thing week in and out. The most goals Wardo has relinquished this year has been 13, against a furious Knighthawks' offense. That said, No. 45 may be facing his greatest test of the season Saturday night against the likes of Dhane Smith, Josh Byrne and beyond. Knowing the recent history associated with this group of rivals points towards a dramatic, hard-fought battle coming to Ball Arena Jan. 31. Exactly what we'd expect.

Get in the Game

Mammoth games can be viewed on Altitude Sports and streamed live via ESPN+ and NLL+. Saturday's Jan. 31 showdown against the Buffalo Bandits can be viewed locally 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 remain for Colorado's approaching showdown with the three-time defending NLL champions, so be sure to lock yours in and get ready to TUSK UP!

Check out the Colorado Mammoth Statistics

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National Lacrosse League Stories from January 28, 2026


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