Di Miller, Colorado Mammoth Correspondent
Lacrosse is Awesome©
Featured Image Photo Credit: M. Hetzel
On Saturday March 18, 2023 the Colorado Mammoth (6-6) headed to Key Bank Center to face the Buffalo Bandits (10-4) for the much-anticipated rematch of the NLL Championship Series where the Mammoth defeated the Bandits in the three-game series 2-1. Not only was Colorado able to be the first team to defeat the Bandits in 2022 when they were undefeated, but they halted their six game winning streak this year as well showing once again that somehow the Mammoth have the Bandits number. There were more changes in the Colorado roster heading into tonight’s game. Rhys Duch and Dylan Kinnear were out of the line-up and Brett McIntyre had been released from the active roster. But on a positive note, Ryan Lee and Tyson Gibson were back. At the face-off dot, Tim Edwards for Colorado was sitting at 59% while on the other side Max Adler his counterpart for Buffalo sat at 47%. Goalie stats were closer than the 50/50 players. Dillon Ward Mammoth netminder had a .782 save percentage with 11.92 GAA and Matt Vinc was sitting with an .806 save percentage and a 10.25 GAA. Although Buffalo started out strong, their defense was no match for Colorado who shut them down for the majority of the second half outscoring them 6-2. In the end the Mammoth would come out on top. Final Score: Mammoth 13—Bandits 8.
The Bandits would win the opening draw and it took only 17 seconds for the first penalty to go up. A Mammoth player didn’t drop the ball on the over and back causing a delay of game giving Buffalo their first man up and they capitalized. With 1:04 left on the power-play, Chris Cloutier (2g, 3a) went low to low far pipe at the 1:33 mark and the Bandits were up 1-0. It took almost four minutes while the netminders stood tall in between their respective pipes before another ball would find twine. Zed Williams (2g, 3a) would come around the back of the net, backed in leaning in on his defender, stepped away and went low to low far side at the 5:09 mark and it was tied 1-1. Colorado would get hit with yet another penalty, this time a holding call and once again, Buffalo made them pay. Chase Fraser (2g) standing near the crease, got the cross-floor feed, got Ward going East to West and he couldn’t get back and Fraser put it inside pipe for a power-play tally with 7:04 left in the first putting them up by one. Five minutes came off the clock and the Mammoth would go on a man up of their own. But they wouldn’t be the ones to score. Byrne would dish to Kyle Buchanan (1g) who came out of nowhere, he caught Ward off guard and put it near pipe for a shorthanded marker with 2:51 to go and it was 3-1 Bandits. The final goal in the frame would come off a turnover and breakaway by Buffalo. In transition, Dylan Robinson (1a) grabbed the loosie, headed down the floor on the break with Carter McKenzie (1g), he found McKenzie on the backside, and he fired it five hole on Ward with 41 seconds in the frame for his first goal as a Bandit. The fisticuffs then broke out with 24.7 left as Warren Jeffrey and Steve Priolo went at it by the Mammoth cage and when it broke up, both went to the sin bin for five minute majors. Score at the end of one: Bandits 4—Mammoth 1.
Colorado would start the second on a man down situation with another penalty being called for fighting just as the buzzer sounded to end the first. Just after the penalty ended, Ryan Lee (6a) would make a beautiful BTB pass to Tyson Gibson (1g, 3a) on the crease and while he was falling down he got it to go through the wickets of Vinc at the 2:03 mark and it was 4-2 which started a rally for Colorado and a four goal run. Ty Thompson (2g, 1a) would go high-to-high top corner at 2:52 and it was 4-3. On a delayed penalty, Ward headed to the bench and Thompson would tally back to back markers with a side arm bounce shot under the glove of Vinc at 3:47 for the equalizer and it was 4-4. The tension started to build for Buffalo and there were two delayed penalties. When it was all said and done, the men in stripes called for a 5 on 4 in favor of Colorado on the ensuing face-off. Thompson had a beauty of a BTB feed to Connor Robinson (3g) and his skip pass bounced up and high over the shoulder to sting the top corner for a power-play tally and go ahead goal and first lead of the game for Colorado at the 5:06 mark 5-4. Five minutes came off the ticker and Buffalo would tie it up when Cloutier sent a cross field pass to Fraser and they caught Ward moving East to West and he put it in near pipe with 4:47 to go and it was tied at 5’s. With 2:27 to go in the half, Cloutier would slip the middle fake three times, went airborne, faked high, dropped his stick and went low for the go ahead tally again ant it was 6-5. But Colorado was on a mission and Eli McLaughlin (3g, 2a) would storm the crease, and dove through the crease far post down low with 1:29 to tie it again 6-6. Priolo apparently didn’t learn his lesson from the fisticuffs to end the first quarter and got nabbed for another penalty with 58.4 seconds left in the half. Williams sent a cross field pass to Chris Wardle (1g), he faked high inside and went low five hole with 45 seconds on the clock to regain. Score at the end of two: Mammoth 7—Bandits 6.
In the third, the fans were treated to a battle of the netminders as both Ward and Vinc would stand on their heads making save after save. Ward would face a total of 12 shots only allowing 1 goal; and Vinc would face 11 shots also allowing only 1 goal. The Mammoth defense would own the Bandits offense for the remainder of the game after having a slow start in the first. The lone goal for Buffalo didn’t come until there were only 3:47 left in the frame. Brad McCulley (1g) got a nice back hand pass from Josh Byrne and his quick stick on the backdoor tied the game at 7-7. But Colorado wasn’t about to let the score stand. With 1:50 to go, Williams backed in, stepped up and fired it upper corner putting the Mammoth back up once again. Score at the end of three: Mammoth 8—Bandits 7.
The Mammoth would own the fourth outscoring the Bandits 5-1. Josh Byrne (1g, 5a) finally got a goal on the board from way out off a feed from Smith and his high to high shot hit far side at the 2:37 mark and it was 8-8. That was it for the Bandits as they were shut out for the last 12 and change. Robinson from the outside got the ball, headed to crease, came back out and fired a low to low shot five hole at the 5:43 mark 9-8 Mammoth. At the 6:51 mark, Robinson struck again with his hat-trick. Lee drew two defenders, passed to Robinson and he fired it through traffic high to low 10-8 Colorado. With 6:18 to go, McLaughlin jab stepped, roll dodged, threw a fake on the crease and went five hole for his hat-trick 11-8 Mammoth. Three full minutes came off the clock when Gibson found McLaughlin on the run, he found an alley and he fired it down low stick side for his hat-trick with 3:18 to go and it was 12-8. The final tally in the contest came with 1:58 on the clock. There was a turnover at midfield and Anthony Joaquim (1g) scooped the loosie, broke down the field and in a one-on-one shot high in front of the crease over the shoulder for his first goal of the season. The Bandits could not find a way to put anything together in the last two. But the tempers didn’t stop with that. Bryce Sweeting speared Tyler Carlson in the face while he was standing in the Mammoth bench and as that happened, Josh Sullivan and Brad McCulley started up the fisticuffs with 1:00 minute on the timer. Both left the game with five minute majors and Colorado would end the game on a 5 on 4. Final Score: Mammoth 13—Bandits 8.
Stars of the Game:
Eli McLaughlin—Colorado Mammoth: 3g, 2a
Connor Robinson—Colorado Mammoth: 3g
Dillon Ward—Colorado Mammoth: Saves 38; Sv% .826%
STATS:
Colorado Mammoth—SOG 45; Saves 38; Sv% .826; FO 13-25; PP 2-7
Buffalo Bandits—SOG 46; Saves 32; Sv% .711%; FO 12-25; PP 3-7
NEXT UP:
The Colorado Mammoth (6-6) will head to Rogers Arena to face the Vancouver Warriors (3-10) on Saturday March 25, 2023, game time 10:00 p.m. EST. Fans in the USA can see the game on ESPN+. Fans in Canada can see the action on TSN.ca or the TSN app.
The Buffalo Bandits (10-4) will head to Pechanga Arena to face the San Diego Seals (9-2) on Saturday March 25, 2023, game time 10:00 p.m. EST. This is the Game of the Week for fans in the USA and they can see the game on ESPN and ESPN+. Fans in Canada can see the action on TSN.ca or the TSN app.
Di Miller, Colorado Mammoth Correspondent
Lacrosse is Awesome©