Di Miller, Colorado Mammoth Correspondent
Lacrosse is Awesome©
Featured Image Photo Credit: Alexis Goeller
On Friday December 13, 2024, the Colorado Mammoth (2-1) headed to Pechanga Arena to face the San Diego Seals (2-1) for the only meeting of the two teams during the regular season. But the Seals’ home arena has plagued the Mammoth the last four times the teams met there and tonight would be no different. Although Dillon Ward looked good in the first, in his 170th game as the Mammoth net minder, second most in Colorado history, the wheels fell off in the second and they’d play catch up for the remaining 45 minutes only to get within two and 1:55 left in the game, they just couldn’t pull out the “W”. The Seals would go on to defeat the Mammoth by the score of 14-11.
The first quarter was clean with no penalties and the Seals striking first. Kyle Jackson (3g, 1a) would return to line up and put one in with a nice pump fake getting Ward to go low and he dropped it over the shoulder 4:34 in and the Seals were up 1-0. Connor Robinson (3g, 3a) was in the groove in the contest and put a beautifully placed shot into the back of the net at the 5:46 mark and it was one all. Ryan Lee (1g, 3a) looks like he’s finally comfortable again after having missed the entire 2023 season when he received the feed from Will Malcolm who drew the attention of the defenders and Lee would step down and bounced one in five hole for the first of only two leads Colorado would have during the contest making it 2-1. A little over a minute later, Zach Currier would feed to Wes Berg (4g, 3a), and in true Berg fashion, he stepped down and fired it over the top of Ward to tie things up 2-2. About 45 seconds later, Robinson from way outside stinged the top corner with an overhand shot for the final lead Colorado would have on the night 3-2. As the teams would go back and forth for the remaining six and change, Mammoth Bench Boss Pat Coyle would pull Ward for the EA in the last 30 seconds, and it backfired. Origlieri flipped to Danny Logan (2g, 1a) along the boards near the San Diego net, and he fired a long pass down the floor which was perfectly placed and bounced into the empty net with 1.2 seconds left in the first. The quarter would end with the teams tied 3-3.
The Seals got things going early in the second just 1:52 in with Rob Hellyer (2g, 3a) finding the back of the net. This would be the start of a four-goal run to start the frame. The next two came courtesy of Kyle Jackson. San Diego with nice tic-tac-toe movement, got the ball to Jackson and with a quick release, put it near side for the first power play marker on the night. His next tally came as he was heading out the “O” door. Hellyer made the perfect pass, and Jackson fired a one hand shot near side to double up Colorado 6-3. They capped the run with another from Berg with a high to low shot that bounced in five-hole and the Seals were up 7-3 only 4:11 into the frame. San Diego would go man down just 19 seconds later which gave Colorado their first man up opportunity on the night. The Mammoth were moving the ball with precision, Connor Kelly (2g, 2a) used a head fake, and found an opening on the inside top right 13 seconds into the power play stopping the 5 goal run San Diego carried over from the first getting their first goal in a little over 11 minutes and it was 7-4. With 4:43 left in the half and just two seconds left on the shot clock, Berg scooped the loose ball off the rebound to keep the play going, turned and fired a side arm shot down low stunning Ward and once again the Seals had doubled up on Colorado. Zach Currier (2g, 2a) would find a way, with Connor Robinson draped all over his back, to drag him through the crease and put one in far side and the gap was five. Kelly would sandwich one in between another by Currier. On the two-man game, Lee flipped a lever pass to Kelly, and he buried it top left with 3:09 cutting the gap to 9-5. San Diego would cap off the half with Currier stutter stepping from the outside and he would bury it in the back of the net. On the next possession, Trevor Baptiste who had gone 16-16 at the 50/50 dot, went down grabbing his leg and he was done for the night. Although no one wants to see anyone go down with an injury, the lack of possession the Mammoth had for the first 30 needed something to help them out. We hope Trevor is OK. The Seals offense in the second was stellar, they were playing very effectively while the Mammoth began to implode. At the end of two, San Diego led in two very important categories. They had 32 SOG as compared to 15 by Colorado and at the face-off dot, they were 100%. They had once again doubled up Colorado and would head into halftime with a 10-5 lead.
As we always see in contests between the two, things get chippy. After having a penalty free first, the second, third and fourth would see a combined 15 penalties.
Colorado would finally win their first draw of the night and possession paid off. Zed Williams (2g, 2a) carried two defenders towards the net and put a one-handed shot past Origlieri for their first of three in the frame and it was 10-6. It took less than two minutes for Berg to notch his hat-trick. He snuck towards the front of the net, split the double team, threw a face dodge and put it under the arm of Ward 4:12 in and the five-goal gap was restored. The Mammoth would strike back in transition. Eli McLaughlin (1g, 3a) came off the bench, and Damon Edwards (1a) would flip a perfectly timed pass to McLaughlin on the run, he went high, brought it back down low and found the near side pipe 11-7. It took almost five minutes for the next point to go up on the board. The Seals would get their second man up opportunity in a row and this time made it count. Just 19 seconds into the power play, Hellyer on the give and go fired a side arm shot down low and it went five-hole with 4:45 in the third. So far this season, they are 7-9 in the extra man opportunities. Origlieri would team up with Logan again. This time, he found Logan after making the save, in transition, Logan got the fast break, headed down the floor and on a one-on-one, bounced it five-hole with 2:29 on the ticker and it was 13-7 Seals. San Diego would then go man down off a holding call giving Colorado another chance to find the back of the net. Robinson got the cross-field pass from McLaughlin and with just .8 seconds left on the clock, found an opening and buried it to close out the third with the Seals still leading 13-8.
The Mammoth would outscore the Seals 3-1 in the final frame, but it still was not enough. Williams scooped the loose ball off the rebound near the back of the net, threw a backhand, jumped and dunked it over the opposite shoulder of Origlieri closing the gap to four 13-9. The teams would go back and forth for the next 10 minutes before Will Malcolm (2g, 2a) finally got on the board. He’d notch a man up tally with 4:19 in the fourth and another with 1:55 left getting them to within two 13-11. In the last 90 seconds, Colorado would go for the empty net and extra man. Unfortunately, they’d lose possession before Ward could make it back to the cage, and Owen Down would be forced to step in as keeper of the cage and Eli Gobrecht (1g) would go low and found the far side of the net capping off a very unlucky night for Colorado. Final Score: Seals 14—Mammoth 11.
GAME STATS:
Colorado Mammoth—43 SOG; Saves 37; Sv% .740; FO 8-27; FO% .296; PP 2-9; PIM 12
San Diego Seals—50 SOG; 32 Saves; Sv% .744; FO 19-27; FO% .704; PP 2-6; PIM 18
NEXT UP:
The Colorado Mammoth (2-1) return home to host for the first time ever, the Halifax Thunderbirds (0-1)*** at Ball Arena in Denver on Saturday December 21, 2024, game time 9:00 p.m. EST. Fans in the USA can see the game on ESPN+. Fans in Canada get to catch the action on TSN+. If you have the NLL+ app you can also see the game.
The San Diego Seals (2-1) will play host to the Georgia Swarm (1-0)*** at Pechanga Arena on Saturday December 21, 2024. Fans in the USA can catch the game on ESPN+. Fans in the USA can see the game on ESPN+. Fans in Canada get to catch the action on TSN+. If you have the NLL+ app you can also see the game.
Di Miller, Colorado Mammoth Correspondent
Lacrosse is Awesome©
***Record at the time of the article