The Good
Yay! The Mammoth won.
The Bad
After having the lead the entire game, the Mammoth sat back on their heels trying to nurse a four goal lead. In the last two minutes of the game, the Buffalo Bandits erased that lead to send the game into overtime.
Overall
The Mammoth continue to show their fans glimpses of greatness, however, they temper it with the apparent inability to play a solid four-quarter game.
The Power Play continues to struggle for Colorado, only going 1 for 3 in this contest. Meanwhile, the Buffalo Bandits went 2 for 2. And while shots on goal were virtually the same, the Bandits won 2/3 of the playoffs and got 66 loose balls to the Mammoth’s 47.
1st Quarter
Rookie of the Month, Alex Gajic, started off the scoring, notching his first goal of the night a minute in. Mike Accursi scored the first goal for the Bandits four minutes later, but Jamie Shewchuck put the Mammoth back in the lead.
Colorado followed that with a Power Play goal by Alex Gajic to end the quarter. Mammoth 3 Bandits 1
2nd Quarter
Fan favorite Brian Langtry scored his first goal of the night 30 seconds into the second quarter, followed by another goal from Alex Gajic and the first of two goals from Jed Prossner. The Buffalo Bandits chose to swap goalie Angus Goodleaf in for Mike Thompson.
Chris Levis and the Mammoth defense were able to shut down the Bandits’ offense for about 22 minutes before John Tavares and Mark Steenhius (Buffalo’s top scorers and probable future hall of famers) each notched goals to keep the Bandits in the game. Mammoth 6 Bandits 3
3rd Quarter
The first half of the third quarter was a test of both defenses until Kevin Dostie scored a Power Play goal, followed a minute later by a second Buffalo Power Play goal. Jamie Shewchuck and Jed Prossner scored back-to-back goals with under four minutes remaining to maintain their advantage.
The Mammoth struggled to stop Dostie, though, and he scored a third goal before the quarter ended. Mammoth 8 Bandits 6
4th Quarter
As expected, the 4th quarter was the Mammoth’s true test.
As has continuously been mentioned, the Mammoth have struggled to finish games this year. Colorado has led in several games, but been unable to stay on top through the final buzzer. Even in their losses last week against the Washington Stealth, the Mammoth had the lead for part of the game… they just couldn’t maintain it.
That was, once again, the modus operandi against the Bandits.
Steenhuis started the scoring off in the 4th to bring the Bandits within one. In response, Derek Malawsky, Brian Langtry and Alex Gajic each scored goals over the course of three minutes for the Mammoth. But as proof that no lead is safe in this sport, in less than a minute and a half and as the game neared its end, Mark Steenhuis scored again supported by three goals by Brett Bucktooth. Those four Buffalo tallies tied the game at 11 and sent it into overtime. Mammoth 11 Bandits 11
Overtime
The Mammoth must have an overtime fairy.
How else can you explain that the only wins the Mammoth have this season have come in overtime? Or that they were still able to win against Buffalo despite Colorado doing almost everything possible to give the Bandits the game?
The Mammoth failed to win the face off, giving the Bandits the first shot on goal in a one-and-done situation. Luckily for the Mammoth, Levis made the stop and the game continued. That was followed by rushed play on both sides before Nick Carlson scored the game-winning goal on a breakaway.
Around the League
Friday
Calgary 8, Toronto 9
Washington 13, Edmonton 14 OT
Saturday
Edmonton 13, Minnesota 12 OT
Toronto 13, Philadelphia 6
Calgary 11, Rochester 9
Orlando 13, Boston 10
