Di Miller, Beat Writer Colorado Mammoth
Lacrosse is Awesome
The Colorado Mammoth (4-3) headed to the Langley Events Centre in Vancouver to face their Western Division rivals the Stealth (2-5). On a rare Sunday game, the two teams would meet up again with the Stealth coming off the bye week and the Mammoth coming off their huge victory over the undefeated Georgia Swarm. The last time these two teams met, would be the last time Vancouver was victorious in a contest. They would defeat Colorado at home on January 7 by the score of 15-9. However, in Sunday night’s contest, it was a different story. Although the game was close and would go into an extra frame, the Mammoth would take down the Stealth by the score of 10-9 in OT.
Colorado was still without John Grant, Jr., (reasons unknown) as well as Jeremy Noble who is still recovering from the nasty hit by Greg Harnett of the Roughnecks, who was given a five game suspension for a match penalty when he slammed Noble into the boards during their contest on January 28. But even missing these two super-stars, the rookies would come to life and give the Mammoth the extra energy they needed to keep the game close and give the fans the ride of their lives.
Some notable things happened in this game, first would be Nick Ossello getting tossed at 2:21 in the third for a high-sticking unsportsmanlike roughing call “Match Penalty” on Rhys Duch. Ossello would head to the locker room for the remainder of the game for the infraction and must now serve a minimum one game suspension. When the penalty was called and Ossello was ejected from only his second game in a Mammoth jersey as well as the NLL, veteran Callum Crawford would serve the penalty and head to the box for the full five minutes. What many fans do not know, is that in a “Match Penalty Match”, the player causing the injury is ejected from the game and receives an automatic one-game suspension; and the penalty is non-releasable regardless of the number of goals scored by the opposing team. 
During this five minute span, the Mammoth would see Vancouver score three times, two from Logan Schuss and one from Garrett Billings. But “Lighting” Joey Cupido would also notch one for the Mammoth on the short handed side on an unassisted breakaway as he would get the turnover and head down the floor catching the Stealth off guard and put it between the pipes against former Mammoth goalie Tye Belanger.
Rookie Brent Adams would not only score his first goal in the NLL but he’d also put up the only hat-trick for the Mammoth in the contest and score the game winning goal in OT. Joey Cupido and Zack Greer would notch two apiece; and Mike Mallory, Jacob “The Rooster” Ruest and Creighton Reid would each get one apiece. Captain Danny Coates would lead in the face-off category with 11-21 (52%); and Dillon Ward would have 38 saves to 47 SOG for an .808 SV%. The Mammoth would dominate on loose balls with 71-53 over Vancouver; but on the power-play end, the Stealth would out perform the Mammoth with 5-7 on the PP vs. the Mammoth 1-3 on the PP.
On the Stealth side of the field, Logan Schuss would have seven points on the night (3G, 4A); Rhys Duch six points (2G, 4A); and Billings, Corey Small, Joel McCready and Peter McFetridge would all notch one apiece.
Vancouver’s woes continue as they have lost five in a row and need to regroup. Belanger held strong in net, but the trickery and speed of the Mammoth forwards and transition players was too much for the Stealth’s unorganized defensive lines.
If you watched this game, the Stealth most likely could have won the contest, but Brendan Fowler who won the face-off with less than two minutes on the clock chose to take a shot on goal which was deflected by Ward. This allowed the Mammoth to get back possession and pull Ward for the extra attacker giving the Mammoth a chance to put the tying goal on the board. That was all it took and with only 26 seconds left in regulation Greer would get his second of the game to tie it up. Final at the end of four: Colorado 9—Vancouver 9.
Heading into the extra 15 minute frame, Colorado would win the face-off on a procedure violation by Fowler. Colorado would again pull Ward for the EA and in spectacular fashion, 
Mammoth rookie Brent Adams would get the hat-trick at 1:09 into OT giving the Mammoth the victory and second win in a row. Final Score OT: Colorado 10—Vancouver 9.
This weekend, the Mammoth (4-3) will head to the Sasktel Centre to face another Western Division rival, the first place Saskatchewan Rush (4-2) on Saturday February 18, 2017. The Stealth (2-5) heads to Calgary to face the Roughnecks (3-3) who are coming off a heart-breaker loss against the Toronto Rock.
Di Miller, Beat Writer Colorado Mammoth
Lacrosse is Awesome