NLL Colorado Mammoth

Mammoth Upset Rush in Division Semifinal

Published on May 4, 2019 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Colorado Mammoth News Release


The No. 4 seeded Colorado Mammoth upset the No. 1 seeded Saskatchewan Rush in the NLL Western Division Semifinal at SaskTel Centre on Friday night, winning the one-and-done playoff game 11-10 in overtime.

"Upset" may be too mild of a word. The Mammoth had never won a game at SaskTel Centre, in the regular season or in the postseason, until Friday night. After their regular season finale flop - a 13-8 loss - against the Rush in Saskatoon just last week, it didn't look like the Mammoth's first win against the perennial NLL powerhouse would come anytime soon. But that's the NLL. You never know what to expect.

"We were happy to win," said Mammoth head coach Pat Coyle. "Honestly, though, there's a part of all of us that felt that [this win] wasn't a pipe dream. We actually thought we were going to come in here and win. I know that no one else really thought that, but we did."

In the Mammoth's historic playoff win, Ryan Lee led the team with six points from three goals and three assists. Goaltender Dillon Ward saved 44 of 54 shots.

"I'm so proud of our guys," said Mammoth eight-year transition player Joey Cupido, who scored the game-winning goal. "We have a lot of character in the room. We don't care what happened all season. We knew [tonight] was a new season. I'm proud of how we battled, and we were able to come through with it.

"We had a bit of a chip on our shoulder. We knew everyone outside of the locker room counted us out, but we don't care about all that noise. We knew we had the talent to play this team. We have the best goalie in the league. We have a great defense. We have a lot of young guys who did what they had to do out front tonight. We're just excited that we're going to be playing next week."

In the first half of the game on Friday, the Mammoth came out with a focus and energy that they hadn't displayed against the Rush in the regular season. Both teams did what needed to be done in the first half and went into the break knotted 4-4.

Coming back from halftime, the Mammoth seemed to be leaking momentum and were ultimately shut-out, 3-0, in the third quarter. Trailing 7-4, it looked like the lights were going out on the Mammoth.

Then the lights literally went out. When the arena blew a fuse, it could have killed the Mammoth's momentum altogether, but, instead, it sparked a comeback.

Back-and-forth goals from Mammoth forward Eli McLaughlin and Rush forward Jeff Shattler brought the score to 8-5 Rush by 3:01 in the fourth quarter. Sixteen seconds later, the Mammoth took off on a four-goal run beginning and ending with tallies by Jacob Ruest, giving the Mammoth a 9-8 lead at 8:20 in the final frame.

Rush assistant captain Ben McIntosh leveled the game 9-9 at 8:55. Just over three minutes later, the Mammoth answered and regained the lead with a marker from Ryan Lee on a dive. Then, with 41 seconds left on the clock, McIntosh lobbed one past Dillon Ward. It was a close call, but Saskatchewan won the review and tied the game 10-10, forcing overtime.

After just over four minutes of good looks and great saves on both sides, Joey "Lightning" Cupido, a former college cornerback, now two-time NLL Transition Player of the Year, became the hero of the game. Intercepting a ball meant for Matthews, Cupido took off at his typical lightning speed and beat Rush Goalie Evan Kirk with a game-winning snipe. In the blink of an eye, the Mammoth had pulled off one of the biggest upsets in NLL history.

"I tried to shut my brain off and not think too hard about what I was going to do, and I was fortunate enough to get that goal," said Cupido.

"I want to say [this win] means everything, but we plan on winning having at least three more wins in the rest of the [postseason], so it means we get to keep playing next week. We've got to reset the pace quickly and get ready to go."

The Mammoth will advance to the one-and-done Western Division Final next week, playing the winner of the Calgary and San Diego semifinal matchup slated for Monday, May 6, at 8:30 p.m. MT.

"We'll go back to the hotel and enjoy this for tonight," said Coyle. "But really, we're thinking about next week already. You know, whoever we're playing against, we know they're going to be a tough team; a tough opponent. We'll have the same game plan. We're just happy to be here."

The Mammoth's last appearance in the Western Division Finals was in the 2017 NLL Playoffs.

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