Big Week for Mammoth
- Image by Ssmallfry via Flickr
After losing their home opener and dropping to 0-2, Mammoth fans were rife with frustration. It became apparent that the Mammoth were frustrated as well when President and General Manager, Steve Govett, shocked everyone by firing Coach Bob McMahon.
Many fans have been clamoring for McMahon’s dismissal since the end of his first season, especially so after his second season last year when the Mammoth went 7-9. But Govett stood behind McMahon, fiercely defending him… until now. According to the Mammoth website, Govett was quoted as saying, “I have a standard and a vision for this team, and sometimes it’s hard to have others buy into that vision and carry it out if they’re not 100% in sync with what I’m looking for. I think our fans deserve better than what we’ve shown on the field so far.”
The coaching change came as quite a surprise, especially since Govett, who has no coaching experience, will be filling in as interim coach. While Govett doesn’t claim to be the best choice, he also says he won’t be afraid of firing himself from the position if it seems that is what’s needed. In response to fans’ speculations he responded, “No one says it will be easy and I may end up firing myself and hiring someone that better suits the job, but I will put the effort and work in to turn our ship in the short term. I won’t hand over the reins of an 0-2 team that has fallen short of expectations to someone that has little knowledge of the players and landscape of the situation or organization. That wouldn’t be fair to the team, the players, the coaches or the management and especially the new coach.”
Following closely on the heels of the coaching announcement, the NLL announced Ilija Gajic earned “Rookie of the Week” honors, despite the Mammoth losing their first two games.
With a new coach at the helm, the Mammoth went uncertainly into the weekend facing back-to-back games against two different teams. They emerged victorious.
First up, they faced the Minnesota Swarm, a team they had both beaten and lost to in the preseason. Because the Swarm is also in the Western division, the game was very important. If the Mammoth lost, not only were they 0-3, they were 0-3 in their division.
The first half of the game was very high scoring with 17 goals, and the result that all four goalies had seen playing time in the game. Andrew Leyshon was briefly replaced in the first quarter by rookie Neil Tyacke but returned at the beginning of the second quarter. Swarm Goalie Nick Patterson was replaced in the second quarter by Kevin Croswell after the Mammoth scored four goals in a minute and a half. Going into half time, the Mammoth had 8 goals on 22 shots to the Swarm’s 9 goals on 21 shots.
The second half was much more defensive and lower-scoring with only 11 goals on 53 shots. The Mammoth were able to score 3 shots to the Swarm’s 2 in the third quarter, tying the game. Both teams scored 3 goals a piece in the fourth quarter, forcing the game into overtime where Mammoth Defenseman Tom Ethington scored the game winner.
Brian Langtry, Jamie Shewchuk and Cory Conway led the team with 3 goals each, 2 assists for Langtry, 3 for Shewchuck and Conway. Ilija Gajic had 2 goals and 2 assists and Cliff Smith 2 goals as well. Although Chad Culp only had 1 goal, he had a huge impact on the game, notching 6 assists. The game ended with the Mammoth at 15, the Swarm 14.
Back-to-back games are always hard on a team, especially when they’re playing different teams each night. Following their win in Minnesota, the Mammoth headed to Philadelphia to take on the 1-1 Wings. On an ordinary night, the Wings would be a strong opponent. Would the Mammoth be up to the task after a tough game against the Swarm?
Compared to the previous night, Saturday’s game was low-scoring with a total of 23 goals compared to Friday’s 29. Although many fans speculated that the games might be split between Leyshon and Tyacke, Leyshon started in goal both nights. The Mammoth led at the half with 6 goals to the Wing’s 5. The second half was a battle with the Wings scoring 6 goals to the Mammoth’s 5, sending the game in-to overtime tied at 11.
Although the Wings won the faceoff, Leyshon successfully blocked the shot on goal. Much to the Wing’s fans dismay, Bill McGlone received a two minute goalie interference penalty immediately after that first shot for colliding with Andrew Leyshon. After a little bit of back-and-forth, the Mammoth were able to capitalize on the power play with the winning goal scored by Alex Gajic, assisted by his brother Ilija.
Final score, Mammoth 12, Wings 11.
Around the League:
Buffalo Bandits 11, Washington Stealth 13
Rochester Knighthawks 3, Toronto Rock 17
Buffalo Bandits 7, Edmonton Rush 11
Orlando Titans 9, Boston Blazers 13
Washington Stealth 16, Calgary 15
Wow. The Rocks, Avs, Broncos & Mammoth all have new coaches. George Karl better be careful, there’s somethin goin around.
Killer that Ilija landed Rookie of the Week. Is the fan base more comfortable with the Prout trade now?
Denver is definitely going through head coaches lately! I think this is a good change though. The fans haven’t been happy with McMahon since the first season despite his winning career elsewhere.
Some fans will be upset over the Prout trade no matter what. Ilija has really made his mark though and while most fans would have liked to see Prout retire a Mammoth, you can’t really argue that acquiring Ilija was a strong move.