By: Tim Moony, NLL Correspondent
In a close contender for (early) game of the year, the Colorado Mammoth (3-0) would survive the Buffalo Bandits (1-1) at a rocking Pepsi Center, in overtime Saturday night. With two of the league’s most popular and well-attended teams, the stars shone brightly, and the National Lacrosse League’s fans were provided a serious treat. Final Score Mammoth 15—Buffalo 14.
Buffalo broke the ice three-and-a-half minutes into play, with a Dhane Smith goal in an extra-man situation. An illegal cross-check sent Bryce Sweeting to the penalty box. The Mammoth’s Chris Wardle would equalize just over two minutes later, on a set-up from Callum Crawford and Adam Jones. After that, Dan Coates of the Mammoth was charged with illegal equipment, and Mark Steenhuis of the Bandits was able to convert on the man-up opportunity. Adam Jones would score the next two goals for the Mammoth, before Steenhuis would beat Colorado goalie Dillon Ward, with just over a minute left in the first quarter. Jones’ first quarter goals would even the score at three apiece, as the period came to a close.
It would only take 13 seconds for Anthony Malcom to give the lead back to Buffalo, in the second quarter. Later on, a slashing penalty sent Billy Dee Smith to the penalty box, and Adam Jones scored the third of his game-high six goals on the extra man. Less than a minute later, Jones would add another goal, with both early second quarter goals coming from assists by John Grant, Jr. Grant would cap off a three-goal run for the Mammoth with his own goal, midway through the quarter, assisted by Ilija Gajic. An illegal substitution charged to Bryce Sweeting of Colorado led to a power-play goal from Dhane Smith of Buffalo, with five minutes to play before halftime. The Mammoth would respond with a shorthanded goal from Jones, who was able to beat Buffalo net minder Anthony Cosmo. Nick Weiss and Steve Priolo would score the next two goals for the Bandits, respectively, as the half concluded, and both teams were knotted at seven goals apiece.
The second half heated up with Grant assisting Chris Wardle, just over two minutes after the intermission. Eli McLaughlin would put the Mammoth ahead by two, just over a minute later. A mini-run of goals by Steenhuis, Ryan Benesch, and Chad Culp, respectively, would give the lead, and the momentum, back to Buffalo. However, it would not take long for the Mammoth to respond. About a minute later, Grant would have the first of the next two goals, each about a minute apart, to give the lead back to the Mammoth, with an 11-10 score, as the third quarter came to a close.
In the fourth, Benesch would even the score for the Bandits, with assistance from Chad Culp and Dhane Smith, less than two minutes into the final quarter of regulation. Seven seconds later, Smith would give the Bandits the lead. Steenhuis would cap off a three-goal Bandits run, by beating Ward 19 seconds after that. Colorado’s Bryce Sweeting would stop the bleeding, less than ten seconds after the Steenhuis goal. Although an illegal substitution bench minor penalty would put Mitch Wilde and the Bandits down a man, a shorthanded and unassisted goal from Mitch Jones gave the Bandits a two-goal advantage. Jones would score the last of his six goals on the same power-play, and Joey Cupido of the Mammoth would even the score with a shorthanded goal, from a holding penalty on Callum Crawford, with nearly six minutes to play. The defense would tighten up, and the Bandits could not beat Ward, nor could the Mammoth get one past Cosmo, before the whistle sounded to end regulation, with the score tied at 14 apiece.
In overtime, Mike Burke beat Cosmo after three-and-a-half minutes of nail-biting up-and-down action, to keep the Mammoth unbeaten for the 2016 season. Although the great Cosmo had 40 saves in the game, including four in overtime, he would have needed 41; exactly the number of saves Mammoth goaltender Dillon Ward would have in the contest, with three big overtime saves. Both teams would have 55 shots on net. Despite Colorado’s 12 penalty minutes, compared to Buffalo’s eight minutes, the Bandits also won 64% of the face-offs, going 21-for-33, nearly doubling the 12 faceoff wins for the Mammoth. The Bandits converted three of their six power-play chances, while Colorado was three-for-four on the man advantage. 14,125 fans were treated to an outstanding game Saturday night at the Pepsi Center, and the stars came out to play. A game of this magnitude felt like a playoff game—at a very early point in the season, between two of the league’s most skilled and most successful franchises.
The three stars for the game were Bandits’ Mark Steenhuis at third, with four goals and one assist; Mike Burke for the Mammoth, with one goal and one assist, including the game-winning goal; and the number-one star was the Mammoth’s Adam Jones, with a game-high six goals and two assists.
Tim Moony, NLL Correspondent
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