NLL Colorado Mammoth

Storylines Aplenty in Mammoth's Visit to Rochester

Published on March 30, 2012 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Colorado Mammoth News Release


DENVER - The Colorado Mammoth (9-3), owner of the best record in the National Lacrosse League and having already clinched a postseason berth, faces the Rochester Knighthawks (5-6) this Saturday at 11:05am MT at Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y. in a game with no shortage of storylines: Colorado in pursuit of guaranteeing itself a home playoff game for the first time since 2008. A rematch of a 14-11 Mammoth win at Pepsi Center in January that saw three Colorado players record hat tricks. And, of course, the return of Mammoth forward John Grant Jr. to a place he called home for a decade.

"It's going to mean a lot, going back to the place where I basically played my whole career," said Grant on Thursday. "I'm going to try not to think about it any extra, but obviously, in the back of my mind, this game's pretty important."

Entering this weekend's action, Colorado's magic number with the Minnesota Swarm (5-5) is just two to secure no worse than the number two seed in the West Division. The top two seeds are guaranteed a home playoff game. The Swarm hosts the Calgary Roughnecks (8-3) on Friday, and plays at Rexall Place in Edmonton on Saturday.

"Like every other team, the playoffs are our goal - but only one of three," said Mammoth head coach Bob Hamley. "Our next goal is to try and get as many home playoff games as we can. That will be our focus."

Pepsi Center hasn't hosted a Mammoth playoff game since 2008, and Colorado hasn't won a postseason game since hoisting the Champion's Cup in 2006. While the team's mindset centers around winning as many games as possible down the stretch, Grant's return to central New York steals the show this weekend.

"I'm sure there will be a lot of fans in that building excited to have him back," said Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen. "Probably a little disappointed that he's in a different uniform, but nonetheless, hopefully he's just another player on another team and we'll give him his due credit."

But he's not just another player on another team. He's Rochester's franchise leader in goals (433) and points (894), and was a perennial all-pro in the teal, purple and white. Grant led the Knighthawks to the 2007 Champion's Cup and was the league's regular-season and postseason MVP that year. Many consider him the frontrunner for the regular-season honor again this year. On Saturday afternoon, he has a chance to once again showcase his skills on the floor he used to call his own.

"John's been talking about [this game] since the schedule came out," said Hamley.

This season, everyone's been talking about him. The two-time NLL Player of the Month, the four-time and current NLL Offensive Player of the Week, the 500 career goal-scorer, the 1,000 career point-getter, and current league scoring leader was magical a weekend ago against Philadelphia, accumulating 19 points in two games. His one-handed, behind-the-back, underhanded bounce shot to the top corner sparked interest in a lacrosse goal never seen before in the sport. But to Grant, it's not about the individual accolades or the highlight reels. It's about winning a Champion's Cup, something he's only done once in his illustrious career. A win on Saturday would put his current team, the Mammoth, one step closer to accomplishing another of Colorado's goals. And ultimately, that's what he and his teammates care about most.

The Mammoth-Knighthawks game will air live on TV on Altitude Sports & Entertainment this Saturday, March 31 at 11:05am MT .

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