The Mammoth faced two strong opponents this weekend in the Edmonton Rush and Calgary Roughnecks.
While Colorado may not have had a perfect weekend, they managed to keep their slim playoff hopes alive with some help from the Minnesota Swarm.
Friday vs Edmonton Rush
Coming off a three game winning streak, the Edmonton Rush looked to take first place in the Western Division with a win over the Mammoth. Colorado had other plans in mind.
The Mammoth looked amazing claiming a solid win over the Rush.
Goaltending has been an issue for much of this season, but you wouldn’t have guessed it watching Chris Levis play. He made some phenomenal stops behind a defense that did a great job of keeping the Rush from getting in close to the net. Brad Richardson won more than half the face-offs, and Chris McKay had 13 of the 71 Mammoth loose balls.
Just as important, while the Mammoth went 0 for 2 on the power play, Colorado held the Rush 1 for 2 on their man advantages.
Then there was the Mammoth offense.
The Rush successfully shut down Alex Gajic, who went 1 for 2, but Brian Langtry and Jamie Shewchuck picked up the slack. Despite injuring his ankle, Langtry notched 5 goals on 14 shots and 2 assists. Game MVP Jamie Shewchuck scored 4 goals on 12 shots and 5 assists.
Although the Mammoth allowed a short-handed goal in the 3rd quarter, they stepped it up in the fourth. Colorado kept Edmonton to one goal in the quarter, scored by former Mammoth Captain Gavin Prout, his second on the night.
Final Score – Colorado Mammoth 14, Edmonton Rush 10
Saturday vs Calgary Roughnecks
Playing back-to-back games is never an easy task, especially when playing different opponents each night.
The Mammoth came out strong in the first half against Calgary, playing much like they had the previous night. However, by the second half, exhaustion appeared to set in.
Unlike the previous night where there were only two infractions for a total of four minutes between the teams, it seemed Calgary was looking to set a penalty minute record and bring the Mammoth along with them. It’s typically chippy between these two teams, as they have a long history that has most certainly developed into a strong rivalry.
In the first quarter alone, Calgary had 8 penalties resulting in 27 penalty minutes and Jeff Moleski being ejected. The Mammoth had 5 penalties for 13 minutes in just the first quarter. Unfortunately for the Mammoth though, they were only able to capitalize on 2 of their 8 power plays, while Calgary went 3 for 5 including a short-handed goal.
Going into the half, the Mammoth led 7-4, but they came out in the 3rd looking like a different team.
Calgary made the most of it, scoring 5 goals and taking the lead while the Mammoth struggled both offensively (1 goal) and defensively. Adding insult to injury, 2 of their goals were on the power play, and one was short-handed.
Calgary dominated the first half of the fourth quarter, but the Mammoth fought hard to retake the lead. Colorado was only able to get within one before the final buzzer.
Jamie Shewchuck had another strong game with 3 goals on 9 shots and 2 assists. Jed Prossner had one of his best games this season, notching 4 goals on 12 shots and 1 assist. Alex Gajic struggled, though, going 0 for 7.
Faceoffs seemed to make a huge difference in the game as Brad Richardson struggled, only winning 5 of the 25.
With the Minnesota Swarm losing both of their back-to-back games this weekend, winning over Calgary would have put the Mammoth solidly into the playoff race. Even with the loss, the Mammoth are still in the playoff race, although their chances are slim.
Final Score – Colorado Mammoth 11, Calgary Roughnecks 12
Around the League:
Friday
Rochester Knighthawks 12, Minnesota Swarm 11
Saturday
Washington Stealth 17, Orlando Titans 7
Toronto Rock 10, Buffalo Bandits 13
Philadelphia Wings 12, Rochester Knighthawks 15
Minnesota Swarm 8, Boston Blazers 13
