Di Miller, Beat Writer Colorado Mammoth
Lacrosse is Awesome
The Colorado Mammoth (11-7) hosted the Toronto Rock (8-10) at the Loud House on Saturday night. There were 15,767 Mammoth fans in attendance stoked to see their team break out of the three game slide and the worst streak Colorado has had. They got their wish while the Rock saw their season end. Final: Mammoth 19—Rock 15.
Toronto got a quick jump on the Mammoth with a three goal run controlling the ball for the first six minutes of play. Adam Jones (3G, 3A) who we spoke with before the game said “I’m glad to be back in Colorado” was the first to score stick side low on Ward, and his former team at the 2:50 mark. Rob Hellyer had a cross field pass to Reid Reinholdt (2G, 2A) who shot left and hit Ward glove side low less than two minutes later putting Toronto up by two. Jones hit net again (assist Dan Lintner and Brett Hickey). The fans were silent as the Mammoth were turning over the ball and slow on transition. The Rock were picking on Dillon Ward glove side and they were finding away to beat the Mammoth net minder. The Rock were controlling the ball well for the first six minutes when Colorado picked up the pace and got on the board. Joey Cupido passed up field to Jeremy Noble (3G, 3A) who split the defenders and beat Billy Hostrawser on the right, jumped and sent the ball over the shoulder glove side on Nick Rose. This pumped up the Mammoth and the fans. Eli McLaughlin (3G, 2A) was next to score as he beat Brad Kri on the right side of the crease diving through and scoring the second for the Mammoth only 43 seconds later. For the next four minutes the teams would move up and down the field, turning over the ball but neither could score until Reinholdt (assist Jones and Tom Schreiber) would notch his second of the game at 14:11. On the ensuing face-off, the ball changed possession but neither team could find twine while the clock ticked to zero. This would be the only frame that Toronto would carry the lead. Score at the end of one: Toronto 4—Colorado 2.
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The Rock started the second the same as they ended the first, scoring 40 seconds in. Tom Schreiber (2G, 5A) with the feed from Hellyer found an opening on Ward putting them up 5-2. But Colorado was not ready to slow down and Noble would capitalize with 10 seconds remaining on the man-up situation on the Brock Sorensen two minute holding call at 3:28 to bring them within two. Toronto was fighting for the third spot in the NLL East and wasn’t giving an inch as Lintner would score again at 5:54 (assist Schreiber and Kieran McArdle). And at that moment, when the Rock were on their high, the Mammoth would go on a three goal run to tie the game at 8:10 while causing a change in net as Rose was pulled in favor of back-up net minder Brandon Miller. Miller would have seven saves on nine SOG. What prompted the change in net? The Mammoth would see Noble on the power play and his hat-trick at 6:45; Zack Greer (3G, 2A) at 7:41; and Stephen Keogh (1G, 4A) at 8:10 tying the game at six apiece. Schreiber would stop the run with a nice unassisted bullet past Ward at 11:29 breaking the tie but it lasted less than three minutes as Ryan Benesch (2G, 3A) who was only four goals away from a career 400, would get his first of the night at 14:05; and Cupido would team up with Brad Self and Robert Hope to put the Mammoth up by one at 14:21. The score would hold heading into the locker room. Score at the end of two: Colorado 8—Toronto 7.
Heading onto the floor after the break, the Rock knew it was do or die. They had 30 minutes to put this game away knowing that Buffalo had already been eliminated from the playoffs and they still had a chance. Challen Rogers would beat Ward only 41 seconds in with a nice unassisted shot faking out Ward. This was the first of 10 goals in the frame. Colorado was next to find the net with Greer and Jacob Ruest (2G, 5A) hitting back to back in less than two minutes putting the Mammoth back up by three. And then out of nowhere, Toronto came back with a vengeance on a four goal run. Lintner would hit back to back goals at 4:51 and 6:26 (hat-trick) both assists from Schreiber; next up was Brett Hickey (2G, 1A) followed by Lintner (assist Schreiber) at 8:45 putting them up 12-10 and the final point the Rock would put on the board in the third. The Mammoth would close it out with a three goal run by McLaughlin at 10:01; Jordan Gilles (12:12) on a short-handed goal off the Greg Downing ‘illegal equipment penalty’; and to close out the third Ruest found his second piece of the net at 14:37. Score at the end of the three: Mammoth 13—Rock 12.
With the carry over on the Downing ‘holding stick’ penalty at 14:57 in the third, the Mammoth would see Lighting Joey Cupido score his second off the fast break unassisted at 1:00. Five minutes would run off the clock as the players ran up and down the field making shots, but unable to penetrate the walls within the pipes. Brad Self (1G, 2A) would team up with Cupido for his first and only on the night at 6:01 breaking up the tennis match and putting the Mammoth up 15-12. At this point, Toronto was fighting for their lives and as they watched time tick off the game clock, Damon Edwards (1G, 1A) would find his little piece of the net at 7:53. Colorado wanted to break their losing streak and Toronto were the victims as Cupido (assist Ward); and Benesch (assist Greer and Keogh) would both score on man-down situations at 9:07 and 10:03. The Rock were fighting to keep the game from getting completely out of reach but time was running out. At 10:29 Hickey on the power-play (assist Reinhold and Jones) would score with 14 seconds remaining on the Bryce Sweeting ‘illegal body check’ penalty 17-14 with four and a half remaining. Colorado would win the ensuing faceoff and McLaughlin would get his hat-trick at 10:48; followed by Greer at 12:31 and his hat-trick. Toronto was down by four with only two and half minutes left in their season. In a last ditch effort, Jones would put the final point on the board for the 2018 Toronto Rock season. Score at the end of four: Colorado 19—Toronto 15.
In this game, Colorado had another slow start but was finally able to put together their shots; picked up their loose balls with Robert Hope getting 12 of the 79; Tim Edwards dominated at the faceoff “X” winning 25 of 34; and four players notching hat-tricks (Noble; Cupido; Greer; and McLaughlin). With all the pieces falling into place, the Mammoth ended the Rock 2018 season and head into the playoffs to face their Western Division rivals the Calgary Roughnecks (8-10) on Saturday May 5 at the Loud House in Denver, CO.
Toronto goes home to figure out what they can change up for the 2018-2019 season; the players who also play in the MLL will head to their respective teams to being the 2018 MLL season; and Toronto will shut off the lights at the Air Canada Centre in 2018.
Di Miller, Beat Writer Colorado Mammoth
Lacrosse is Awesome