Ron Schell, Correspondent Vancouver Warriors
Lacrosse Is Awesome©
Featured Image Photo Credit: Di Miller
The last time Colorado played Vancouver (1/4/2020), the Warriors (2-4) offence shot out to a 4-0 lead before the Mammoth (3-3) even knew they were in a game. The right side and left side of the Warrior’s offence were synchronized early. Eventually, Coach Pat Coyle called a time-out and then pulled Dillon Ward to get the attention of his team. His bag of tricks woke the feisty Mammoth. The powerful and aggressive Mammoth defence held steady while the offence caught fire and eventually prevailed with a 13-9 win.
The underperforming Warriors (1-4) began the game tonight missing Logan Schuss, their emotional and offensive stalwart, due to a lower body injury. The Vancouver offence that looked so dominant early on in the previous Mammoth game would need to find a way to gel as a team to meet the tenacious Colorado challenge. In a low scoring; and tough defensive battle, the Warriors would come out on top. Final Score: Warriors 7—Mammoth 5.
Colorado opened the scoring with a great one on one dodge by Jeff Wittig (1g). Vancouver tied it on the power play when Jordan McBride’s (1g) outside shot dribbled off the knob of Dillon Ward’s goal stick. Vancouver followed this with an excellent transition goal by Sam Clare (1g, 1a) for his first career NLL goal. Ward tied the game by firing a long bomb down the floor to a streaking Jordan Gilles (1g) who fired the ball directly past Vancouver goalie Eric Penney. In the final minute of the first quarter, league leading scorer Mitch Jones (2g) beat Ward on a blistering outside dart. Vancouver led Colorado 3-2 after the initial frame.
There was a remarkable difference in this game than the Warrior’s last game in Philadelphia. Last game, the Wings stole close to 80% of the face-offs and dominated, gaining the vast majority of loose balls. In a game where possession is vital, the results this week had to change. Vancouver face-off specialist Bobby Snider had a strong outing. The Warriors and Mammoth fought hard to gain control. Bodies crashed to the floor adding extra physical entertainment to this rough defensive match.
For the majority of the game it was Vancouver’s defence that kept most of Colorado’s shots well outside. The goalie, Eric Penney was able to see these outside shots clearly. The defence also vacuumed up the majority of dangerous rebounds near the net. The second quarter saw Jones score his second goal with a beautiful set up by Tyler Codron. Jacob Ruest (1g) scored Colorado’s third goal with a strong drive to the net. Vancouver’s effort, together as a team, was by far the best yet this season. Without the familiar Schuss up front, Riley Loewen filled in admirably on the right side. The game remained extremely close at the half with the Warriors leading 4-3.
In the third quarter, both teams were struggling offensively. The offensive players on both teams seemed to become more individualistic. Unfortunately, for Vancouver this seems like the time when opposing teams put their offence together and surge past the Warriors. For the Warriors, Loewen (1g) buried their fifth goal. The Mammoth countered with an athletic Eli McLaughlin (1g, 1a) drive. Both defences would bend but not break. The score held at 6-4 Vancouver.
The Vancouver Warriors defeated the New York Riptide early in the season and narrowly lost a nail bitter in overtime against San Diego. Their 1-4 record could turnaround tonight. A win was within their grasp against a dangerous divisional rival. The smaller but boisterous Vancouver crowd, effected by the aftermath of a rare Vancouver snowstorm, would be treated to an exciting finish.
The fourth quarter began with a bang as Keegan Bal fed McBride (1g), who finished with a powerful bounce shot. Vancouver now led 7-4. Colorado’s Will Malcom scored, yet it was overruled by video review. Ryan Lee (1g, 1a) then scored Colorado’s fifth goal from a McLaughlin feed. Colorado was now within two goals. Vancouver also had a Joel McCready crease dive disallowed adding to the excitement. The final minutes flew by as the Mammoth fired shot after shot towards Penney. When they smoke cleared, Vancouver hung on to win 7-5.
Tonight’s game was fast, exciting and rough. This was by far Vancouver’s best team effort. Eric Penney played his strongest game backed by a tenacious “motivated” defence standing in front of him. The face-off specialist doesn’t have to win all the challenges. He just needs to get the ball in the position where his teammates can gain a chance to possess the ball. Snider went 9-16 on face-offs. On a night when Vancouver didn’t have all its regular starters, it was nice to see everyone pull together and earn a solid win. Hopefully this will help build confidence in the team and help them grow together. Overall, it was a fun night to watch lacrosse in Vancouver.
NEXT UP:
The Vancouver Warriors (2-4) have the bye-week and will head east to face the New England Black Wolves who are currently sitting at 3-0 on Saturday February 1, game time 7:00 p.m. EST.
The Colorado Mammoth (3-3) are in Saskatchewan to face the Rush (3-1) for a rematch tonight January 18, game time 8:30 p.m. EST.
Ron Schell, Correspondent Vancouver Warriors
Lacrosse Is Awesome©