Mammoth Open Back-To-Back Friday against Las Vegas Desert Dogs
NLL Colorado Mammoth

Mammoth Open Back-To-Back Friday against Las Vegas Desert Dogs

Published on February 11, 2026 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Colorado Mammoth News Release


Eight games into the 2025-26 National Lacrosse League (NLL) campaign, the (6-2) Colorado Mammoth continue to trail just one team in the overall standings, which comes in the form of the (8-1) Saskatchewan Rush, who remain red-hot in dominating fashion. However, the last time the Burgundy Boys took the turf back on Jan. 31, they were quite dominant themselves en route to securing a convincing 20-9 win over the (3-5) Buffalo Bandits.

Advancing the team's win streak to five-straight victories, tallies were appearing on the scoresheet left and right on a night which featured eight different goal-scorers. None, of course, were as dominant as Andrew Kew, who produced a game-high 11 points (7g, 4a), which included the second sock trick of his career as the veteran lefty managed 10 points for the second-consecutive contest. Dylan McIntosh shined bright with a season-high four goals amongst his five points (4g, 1a), while rookie forward Braedon Saris recorded his career-first hat trick, ending the night with seven points (3g, 4a) overall. Jack Hannah remained ferocious just the same, logging nine points (2g, 7a) while creating space all over the floor.

And for as dominant as the squad's offensive approach was, goaltenders Dillon Ward (26-of-32 in 45 minutes played) and Nathan Whittom (15-of-18 in 15 minutes played) may have been the largest contributors to the show, combining to limit the three-time defending NLL Champion bandits to single-digit figures, a feat rarely accomplished when facing the likes of Dhane Smith and company, who was limited to a mere four points (2g, 2a) in the decision.

Despite facing one of the league's biggest and most physical talents at the dot, rookie faceoff specialist Matthew Paolatto continued to play a role in the faceoff circle, claiming 18 of the game's 33 faceoff opportunities to Collin Farrell's 15 wins. Adding a contest-high 12 loose balls as he continues to pick up some additional defensive shifts as the team was without Owen Down most recently, he's proven to be an asset in several phases of the game, up to three points (1g, 2a) as a capable transition threat just the same.

Colorado may have enjoyed a bye week of rest as 12 of the league's other 13 teams went to battle during the NLL's Week 11 slate last weekend. But Week 12 has arrived, meaning the Burgundy Boys will need to leave their recent victory over Buffalo in the past, as the Mammoth are primed to complete its lone back-to-back scenario starting Friday night with a road showdown against the (4-4) Las Vegas Desert Dogs before returning home to the LOUD HOUSE Saturday night for a matchup against the trending (5-3) Toronto Rock.

Colorado has the opportunity to tie the franchise's all-time record for longest win streak should the team be able to secure a road victory against the Desert Dogs Friday night. But with the team out of action last weekend on bye, the league's standings have only gotten tighter since the Burgundy Boys last hit the turf. As mentioned, the Rush remain the NLL's runaway squad thus far, sitting at 8-1 through the team's first nine games and with plenty of quality wins to their name. From there, the Mammoth remain in second place courtesy of its 6-2 record. But after seeing the (6-2) Vancouver Warriors earn a dramatic 16-15 win over the (4-4) Rochester Knighthawks last weekend, suddenly the Warriors have an identical record as Colorado, with the Mammoth owning the tiebreaker due to Colorado's season-opening win over Vancouver.

As the fourth and only other squad to amass six wins to date, the (6-3) Georgia Swarm have been putting together a strong start to the season on the wings of their new, youthful core. As parity continues to riddle the league, only the (5-3) Toronto Rock and (5-5) Ottawa Black Bears have reached the five-win mark, leaving the Desert Dogs in control of the eighth and final postseason seed if the playoffs were to start today. Knowing (4-4) San Diego, (3-5) Halifax and (3-5) Buffalo are more than capable of making runs, yet remain below the cutline at this time, suggests there will very much be a shootout over the course of the next 10-plus weeks as roughly 11 teams battle it out for eight coveted playoff spots, with the Philadelphia Wings, Oshawa FireWolves and Calgary Roughnecks essentially duking it out for top honors in this fall's 2026 NLL Entry Draft.

That said, competition is heating up - And with the March to May just three weeks away at this point, each and every contest will increase in value as the season rages on.

Which 100% starts with Friday's showcase against the Desert Dogs inside Lee's Family Forum. Colorado may be the storied franchise, with two championships to its trophy case, but surprisingly it's Las Vegas which owns a 3-2 all-time record between the two familiar foes. At the same time, the Desert Dogs are just .500 on the season and were most recently without the talents of one Chase Fraser, who's only suited up for six of the team's eight games. The team is also coming off a 12-9 loss to the Georgia Swarm last weekend, a team that plays extremely physically, so there's a chance Las Vegas will still be a bit sore come Friday. Yet, the black and white squad has defended its den successfully to start the season, officially 3-1 playing in Nevada. The team also just broke its single-game attendance record in sellout fashion the last time the Desert Dogs played at its home barn, so Mammoth fans can expect to hear some home team support when tuning into Altitude TV, ESPN+ or NLL+ Friday, Feb. 13 at 8:30 p.m. MT.

The league's most recent expansion unit has endured a bit of a roller coaster season during their fourth campaign lurking in the desert. After shaking things up over the offseason, including acquiring the likes of Chase Fraser, Chris Cloutier and company, the new-look Desert Dogs were an early favorite to secure their franchise-first playoff appearance thanks to some additional firepower. The team is off to its best start in NLL history, no doubt, so the blueprints to success have been laid. However, with Fraser missing two games already, including the team's most recent loss to the Swarm, the squad hasn't been at full capacity too many times quite yet. Cloutier is up to 36 points (15g, 21a) in his eight games played, but Fraser sits at just 22 points (10g, 12a) across his six regular season appearances to date, a set of figures that Head Coach Shawn Williams and company expected to be a bit higher. It's hard to blame a banged-up player for said slow start, but if the Desert Dogs want to be one of the eight units contending for an NLL Championship, they'll need their star back sooner than later.

Veteran Mitch Jones serves as one of the team's sparkling new additions just the same and has been playing his role well with his new team. Pacing Las Vegas with a team-high 49 points (18g, 31a), the known commodity appears to have turned back the clocks a few years, as he's been operating at an effective rate while drawing into each of the team's first eight contests. Operating as Las Vegas' primary dish-man, forward Jonathan Donville leads the squad with 33 assists amongst his 44 points (11g, 33a) as the team's overall No. 2 option right now. He's a smaller body who used to benefit from space created by his former teammate in Jack Hannah but remains one of the highest lacrosse IQs whenever he's on the floor. These two, plus Cloutier and a pending Fraser, will be of utmost importance to Colorado when it comes to limiting looks and specifically power-play opportunities for the Desert Dogs. Adam Poitras represents the fifth and only other Vegas player with 20 points, as the transition specialist has racked up 20 points (12g, 8a) in his eight appearances. Averaging 12.38 goals per game, the Desert Dogs have found ways to score goals and win games overall, but the squad's four wins have come against some of the league's lower-ranked squads, with an early-season win over the Toronto Rock (who were still figuring things out) representing their only win against a current Top 5 team. However, the team has also relinquished 12.88 goals per game, meaning they're currently allowing more goals against than scoring.

That problem revolves around the team's meddling mix of defensive personnel, while remaining true to youngster Landon Kells, who brings a 4-2 record into the weekend. That said, the netminder is rocking a 12.22 goals-against average and .761 save percentage, thus ranking towards the lower end of goaltending efforts across the league. Veteran Alex Buque remains available for turf time and could very well see some action Friday if the Mammoth bring its high-powered offense to life early inside Lee's Family Forum, who's sporting an 11.54 goals-against average and .730 save percentage.

And, in case anybody forgot, Friday's showdown will serve as the first time Mammoth forward Jack Hannah will face his former squad. We won't call it a revenge game, as the DU product has been putting his skillset on display each and every game en route to helping the team establish its dominant five-game win streak. But we will say he's likely to be fired up to continue filling nets and finding teammates, as he's been on fire this season.

Knowing teams have completed anywhere from eight to 10 contests at this point of the season can and will affect statistical leaders as it pertains to the Mammoth's role in chart-topping efforts. And while it would be concerning to see a player like Will Malcom fall down the ranks in several categories after serving as Top 5 contender, the reality of Malcom's absence this time around stems from the star being forced to sit due to injury during the team's 20-9 win over the Buffalo Bandits mixed with the fact Colorado has only played eight games so far. The left-handed finisher remains atop the team's scoring efforts, however, with 41 points (18g, 23a) to his name. The other factor in Malcom's absence from the heights of said league-leading ranks involves the idea that the Mammoth have been effectively spreading the ball around in the O-zone. Andrew Kew has been handling a lot of touches and will continue to do so with or without Malcom in the lineup, up to 33 points (16g, 17a) in just four appearances with Colorado. Jack Hannah commands both the rock and the attention of opposing defenses just the same, up to 31 points (8g, 23a) as the team's third-highest scoring forward despite drawing into just five contests. The trio of flashy forwards has largely done the heavy lifting for the Mammoth and remain the team's only players above the 20-point mark through eight games played.

Colorado Mammoth League Leaders

Shorthanded Goals: 2 - Will Malcom/Dylan McIntosh (T2nd)

Loose Balls: 70 - Robert Hope (8th)

Caused Turnovers: 11 - Owen Down (T12th)

Blocked Shots: 16 - Robert Hope (2nd)

Penalty Minutes: 22 - Warren Jeffrey (9th)

Faceoff Wins: 115 - Matthew Paolatto (7th)

Faceoff Win Percentage: 61 - Matthew Paolatto (5th)

Saves: 317 - Dillon Ward (6th)

Save Percentage: .828 - Dillon Ward (2nd)

Goals-Against Average: 8.80 - Dillon Ward (2nd)

Goaltender Wins: 6 - Dillon Ward (T2nd)

That said, Dylan McIntosh has been a welcomed addition to the team, with his impact specifically felt after his four-goal outing against the Bandits. Bringing 17 points (11g, 6a) into the team's looming showdown against Las Vegas, the right-handed scorer ranks third on the team with 11 net-filling efforts and continues to create space for Hannah, Braedon Saris and company. The rookie in Saris continues to figure it out game after game, most recently recording a personal-best seven points (3g, 4a) which included his first professional hat trick. Now at 17 points (7g, 10a), he's also been using his body to make waves and will look to stay hot with the team missing Ryan Lee due to injury. Malcom's status becomes the pivotal point for Colorado against a Las Vegas team which is very capable of running up the goal total, so fans should keep an eye on coloradomammoth.com and team social media accounts for this week's Injury Report and any related transactions. Defenseman Owen Down also has a chance to return after missing the team's competition against Buffalo, which would reinforce the Mammoth's stalwart defensive unit just the same. It won't be easy figuring out who's sat and scratched come Friday, but with the team's next game coming just 24 hours later, there could be a strategic return for either Malcom or Down pending how General Manager Brad Self and Head Coach Pat Coyle want to approach the personnel puzzle during the back-to-back weekend.

Of course, with netminder Dillon Ward making his case for Goaltender of the Year, Friday's showcase against the Desert Dogs comes down to what "The Wall" can keep out of his net, as No. 45 has been red-hot to start the season. Tied for the second-most goaltender wins at six, he remains ranked within the Top 3 of goals-against average (8.80: 2nd) and save percentage (.828: 2nd) while owning the sixth-most saves (317), as the veteran shared the pipes with youngster Nathan Whittom last time out with the Mammoth up big over the Bandits. For as much as his leadership on the floor means to the team, it's his ability to stay calm, cool and collected in the locker room which goes a long way. Especially for a younger team this season. He's been the squad's anchor once again and will very much have a shot at several league honors should he continue to serve as such an advantage in head-to-head battles.

Get in the Game

Mammoth games can be viewed on Altitude Sports and streamed live via ESPN+ and NLL+. Friday's Feb. 13 showdown against the Las Vegas Desert Dogs 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 Saturday's Valentine's Day showdown against the Toronto Rock, so be sure to lock yours in and get ready to TUSK UP at the LOUD HOUSE!

Check out the Colorado Mammoth Statistics

Share: Facebook | Twitter/X | LinkedIn | Reddit | Email



National Lacrosse League Stories from February 11, 2026


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central