Gajic Brothers come through in 2010 preview

The Mammoth downed the Swarm 10-7 in preseason NLL action. Now they prepare to open the regular season on the road against the Washington Stealth.

Editor’s Note: ProSportsColorado.com is very excited to be introducing Melissa Dafni, who will be charged with the daunting task of covering the Mammoth. We’ve made no secret here that though we are sports fans, we haven’t yet picked up on the intricacies of the game of lacrosse. But Melissa is here and we’re ready to learn – so without further ado, enjoy the launch of Mammoth coverage here at PSC! – Ed.

Alex Gajic, one of three Gajic brothers now playing for the Mammoth

Although only a pre-season game, the Mammoth still opened strong against the Minnesota Swarm, cheered on by their raucous faithful.  Last season, the Mammoth didn’t finish as strong as they would have liked, posting a record of 7-9 and a first-round playoff loss.

The Mammoth have had a very busy offseason resulting in only twelve players from last year returning to the team.  The remaining eleven are made up of seven rookies and four players from other clubs.  A lot of fan favorites, including former captain Gavin Prout, were either cut or traded.

The many changes were definitely evident in their first outing as the New Mammoth.

Colorado was led by longtime Mammoth player and new captain John Gallant.  The first quarter was a little rough at first, with the Mammoth not looking quite as cohesive as the Swarm, but it didn’t take long for the team to hit its stride.  Colorado came out on top, winning the game 10-7.

The newest Gajic brothers, Ilija and Alex (the topic of much offseason speculation,) put in good showings, with Alex scoring three goals and Ilija scoring one.  Cory Conway, an acquisition from the defunct Portland Lumberjax, had an immediate impact netting four goals.  Both goaltenders, Curtis Palidwor and Andrew Leyshon played well.  I’m sure this will make the decision on who will be the starter a difficult one for Coach McMahon.

A lot of questions remain in fans’ minds about how this year’s Mammoth will fare, but expectations are definitely hopeful.

The Mammoth start off their regular season in Everett, Washington on January 9^th where they will take on the Stealth.

Tags: Alex Gajic, Andrew Leyshon, Cory Conway, Curtis Palidwor, Gavin Prout, Ilija Gajic, John Gallant, lumberjax, Mammoth, nll, stealth, swarm

This entry was posted on Monday, December 28th, 2009 at 9:56 am and is filed under Mammoth. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed.

Articles similar to this:

• February 7, 2010 -- Mammoth Leave Fans Speechless (0)
  Going into Friday night's game against the Orlando Tita...
• February 22, 2010 -- Addition of Bob Hamley not enough for Mammoth in loss to Swarm (0)
  It’s not just that the Mammoth are losing. It’s that th...
• January 16, 2010 -- Mammoth Face Former Captain in Home Opener (2)
  As would be expected, the Mammoth hate to lose. They es...