Di Miller, Beat Writer Colorado Mammoth
Lacrosse is Awesome
The Colorado Mammoth (7-6) headed up north to face the Toronto Rock (6-5) at Air Canada Centre in lovely Toronto, Canada. This was the first time since 2013 that the two teams have faced off and Colorado going into tonight’s game led the series 5-2. The Mammoth were coming off back-to-back losses in Saskatchewan and less than 24 hours later to Vancouver at the Loud House in Denver, Colorado. After their harrowing weekend prior to the St. Patrick’s Day game, the Mammoth knew they had to regroup. In fact, the race for the play-offs is tightening up at this point and no team can sit back and feel safe with the current positioning in the divisions. The Mammoth would go on to defeat Toronto for the sixth time. Final Score: Colorado 14—Toronto 11.
Both teams would be without their face-off specialists in the game, Colorado without Captain Dan Coats; and Toronto without Bradley Kri, two of the best in the league. 
Setting up in the face-off circle would be Ilija Gajic for Colorado (16-30) and Jordan Magnuson for Toronto (14-30).
Toronto would start out scoring first at 2:10 off a nice feed from Dan Lintner to Brett Hickey for his 25th of the year, through the five-hole on Dillon Ward who guessed the wrong way. But Colorado would strike back with two of their own. Jacob Ruest would score out the back door, caused the pick and causing the defenders to switch, and dove through the crease on a half open net; and Callum Crawford (3G, 3A) would notch his first of three (4:05) on a one hop, turning left and shot lower left glove side, in fact he got so high it actually changed the position of his shot. 
While the track meet continued, fans would be treated to some amazing goal tending by two of the best in the league, Dillon Ward and Nick Rose. Finally at 9:15 the drought would end with a sweet spin move by Kasey Beirnes who stepped around the defender and shot under the arm stick on Ward (assist Tom Schreiber). Colorado would close out the quarter with Stephen Keogh (3G, 2A) hitting five-hole on Rose when he was left wide open in front of the net; followed by Eli McLaughlin at this point in the game was second in scoring for the Mammoth. McLaughlin would get the feed from Zack Greer and sent it into the twine in front of the crease. The Mammoth were testing Rose up top and glove side and it seemed to be working. The Mammoth again were behind on shots on goal (10-15), but this week they were making those shots count. Score at the end of one: Mammoth 4—Rock 2.
The second would start with a Toronto penalty only 1:42 in when Lintner would be pegged with an illegal cross check putting the Mammoth on a man-up situation. Crawford would get his first of two power-play goals on the night (assist Greer) when he went five-hole off the inside of the left leg of Rose stretching the twine. But Toronto wasn’t giving up that easy. They would score back-to-back goals off Reid Reinholdt (5:09) and Stephan Leblanc (first of three) who would put a little extra effort diving across the crease for a sick goal only 32 seconds later. The game continued to remain close throughout. Chris Wardle would come back less than 90 seconds later and put the Mammoth back up by two. But the Rock would strike back yet again with another from Leblanc off the pick from Reinhold and score a vicious skipper when Ward couldn’t get down fast enough. The Rock would pull Rose for the extra attacker and Beirnes would take advantage tying the game at 6 apiece. 
This would be the last time Toronto would keep up pace with the Mammoth. Next up, Ilija Gajic would catch the Rock in transition, scooped the ground ball and headed down the field on the breakaway. Toronto had a big miscue as they didn’t send any defenders down to defend Gajic who would blow it past Rose (assist Joey Cupido). The Mammoth would get their second power-play opportunity on the night on yet another illegal cross checking penalty. Keogh would take advantage of the man-up situation with a nice fake pump on Rose, went low and shot high. Leblanc would close out the half with a hat-trick (3G, 3A) on the night when he blew by the defender with only 37 seconds remaining and stayed airborne long enough to lay out parallel above the crease. Although the Rock kept edging closer, they couldn’t seem to take the lead. Score at the end of the half: Colorado 8—Toronto 7.
In the third, the teams would match goal for goal. Gajic would start it out for the Mammoth with an absolutely picture perfect highlight reel goal. Out of nowhere, Keogh would wind up for the shot, pass the ball to Gajic who while tip-toeing the crease, would shock Rose with a behind-the-back shot. The shot was the talk of the town and Toronto was reeling from its effects. Finally, less than four minutes later Damon Edwards bullied his way unassisted for the Rock and shoved right past Creighton Reid and sent a shot glove side low on Ward at 7:01. Ruest would get his second and final goal on the night when he got the low rebound, caught Rose off guard and as he was hovering near the crease, took the shot and the ball just floated in. Tom Schreiber would get his only goal of the night again with only 37 seconds remaining the in the frame. Score at the end of three: Colorado 10—Toronto 9.
Heading into the final 15, Toronto was trying to figure out what they needed to do to jump ahead of the Mammoth. Keogh would get his hat-trick on the night only 55 seconds in. But Colorado would get hit with an illegal cross checking of their own putting the Rock on the power-play and Beirnes would notch his hat-trick on the man up situation. Toronto took their turn in the penalty box off a checking from behind by Billy Hostrawser on Cupido right in front of the net putting the Mammoth back on their third man up opportunity of the night. Crawford would notch his hat-trick on the power-play giving the Mammoth a 3 for 3 on the man up. Phil Caputo would get the breakaway, head down the field unable to find a man open so he took the shot for Toronto 22 seconds later and went low stick side on Ward. This would be the last time the Rock would put the ball between the pipes. Jordan Gilles would get another breakaway for the Mammoth and took advantage of a breakdown in transition for the Rock and score (assist Reid). Toronto took a chance late in the fourth and twice attempted to go with the EA with time running out. The first time Reid got the loose ball and headed down the field he hit pipe. Toronto would get back possession, but would lose possession again and Lightning Joey Cupido had the fast break towards the empty net, shot, hit post, got his own rebound and scored unassisted at 14:00. That was all she wrote for the Rock. Colorado ran out the clock during their possessions and although the Rock attempted to score, Ward stood rock solid in net. Final Score: Mammoth 14—Rock 11.
The Mammoth rose to the challenge and played fundamental lacrosse; were good in transition; settled the ball; and Ward was like bulldozer scooping shots, not allowing rebounds and turned his saves into quick transitions. Looking at Keough it was as though he had stick ‘em in his stick, no matter how many defenders he had on him at any given time, he’d blow through them and maintain possession. It’s obvious that so far, the Mammoth made a good move picking him up from the Knighthawks.
Next weekend, Toronto has a double-header weekend. On Friday March 24, they head to Georgia to play the Swarm (8-3), then hop on a plan and head back to Toronto to host the Vancouver Stealth (5-6) on Saturday March 25, 2017. Colorado will host the Saskatchewan Rush (7-3) on Saturday March 25 back home at the Pepsi Center in Denver hoping to do what they haven’t done this year, and defeat the 2016 World Champions.
Di Miller, Beat Writer Colorado Mammoth
Lacrosse is Awesome