The Edmonton Rush have a lot to prove. They’re one of those teams whose records doesn’t really reflect the quality of the team. Underestimate them, and they’ll quickly capitalize on your mistake. For the Colorado Mammoth who had a win under their belts over the Rush two weeks ago and a 4-0 record, it would have been very easy to look past Edmonton. They didn’t however, and the game between these two teams was very aggressive and hard fought.

1^st Quarter

On a pass to center from Derek Hopcroft, Jordan McBride takes it to the net to start off the scoring for the Colorado Mammoth. The next play, the Rush on the power play, take it hard to Chris Levis peppering him with shots. Levis makes several difficult saves in a row, but the Mammoth fail to get the rebounds and Scott Evans is able to score on a screened shot after receiving a behind the back pass from Ryan Ward. Mammoth continue to struggle to recover the shot on goal rebounds. Chris Corbeil recovers one of these rebounds and does a long outlet pass to John LaFontaine giving him a 1:1 opportunity for a goal and what will be the Rush’s only lead. Aaron Bold has his own fair share of shots on goal to contend with despite John Grant Junior shooting several times wide of the net. Putting Bold to the test, he successively blocks several shots in a row until he blocks a shot from JGJ that bounces the wrong way off his leg pad and into the net for a Mammoth goal. With 2:15 remaining in the quarter, Edmonton scores but the goal is waived off for a shot clock violation.

Colorado Mammoth 2, Edmonton Rush 2

2^nd Quarter

Starting off the quarter with a highlight clip worthy attempt, Mat MacLeod gets a 1:1 opportunity against Bold after Jed Prossner grinds out the loose ball, gets slammed into the boards before sending the outlet pass down the floor. Running hard, MacLeod takes the shot from the left side of the crease but Bold is able to get across the net in time to make the save, making it look easy. Edmonton fail on their possession and Mammoth bring it right back down the field where Adam Jones takes a shot from around his defender and gets it past Bold for the goal. Aaron Wilson gets around his defender and catches the pass from Zack Greer at the crease, shoots and scores to tie the game again. The goalies continue to get peppered with shots but the offense for both teams just can’t seem to find the sweet spot. In one instance, Levis blocked a shot and remained on his knees, apparently thinking he had the ball, the Rush recovered and took a shot but with luck on his side, the ball ricocheted off both posts behind him and went out. After over eight minutes without a goal, JGJ finally breaks the scoring drought. He throws a swim move over his defender, attacks the net, and then fakes before shooting and scoring.

Colorado Mammoth 4, Edmonton Rush 3

3^rd Quarter

Adam Jones starts off the scoring in the second half, hitting the net from the outside. Play continues back and forth with the Rush heavier on the possessions but no scoring. Midway through the quarter in a brilliant play, Gavin Prout shoots, Bold blocks it but fumbles the rebound, Prout knocks the ball out of the crease into the corner where he and a Rush player fight over the loose ball. Prout manages to grind it out, he passes to JGJ who takes the shot, but Bold comes up with the save. With six minutes remaining, the scoring drought finally comes to an end with a goal from Wilson followed by on from Zack Greer on the power play to tie the game back up. Jordan McBride scores back to back goals, one a straight shot from the crease, the second also at the crease after faking twice before scoring. Closing out the quarter Scott Evans scores for Edmonton with a hard low right side arm shot.

Colorado Mammoth 7, Edmonton Rush 6

4^th Quarter

Scott Evans starts off the scoring six minutes into the final quarter, shooting outside, he hits the cross bar and the ball goes in to tie the game again. The play increases in aggressiveness from both teams, but in some questionable calls and no calls (but seriously, when is that not the case?), the refs attempt to keep control of the game. It would appear that Chris Levis has studied some Judo, after Scott Evans crashes into Levis, Levis uses Evan’s momentum and flips him to the ground. Both players get penalties – Evans for goalie interference and Levis for roughing. Adam Jones manages to score in traffic on the power play giving the Mammoth back the lead with under 5 minutes remaining. In an unusual side arm shot around his defender, JGJ also manages to score. In a beautiful play, Dan Coates in a 1:1 opportunity scores on a running behind the back shot. As the clock wound down, the Rush began to pull Bold from the net for the extra attacker. Mammoth recover the ball and Jarrett Park manages to beat Bold to the net scoring in a not quite empty net goal.

In a show of class (which from comments I received on Twitter is typical of him,) after Evans was sent to the box on a 5 minute major high sticking penalty to Rory Smith’s chin, (Smith himself got a roughing major after trying to get Evans to throw down the gloves, but Evans refused,) Evans proceeded to get into it with the fans behind the penalty box, Smith, and the fans. He continued to shout and taunt the fans all around the arena after game’s end. Apparently Scott Evans is the Draco Malfoy of lacrosse. It should be interesting when these two teams face off again April 20.

Final score:

Colorado Mammoth 11, Edmonton 7

Attendance: 14,055 (actual appeared closer to 8,000 due to the snowy conditions)

1^st Star – Chris Levis, with 44 saves on 51 shots, Levis was an important factor in the Mammoth’s win.

2^nd Star – Aaron Bold, with 38 saves on 49 shots, Bold was standing on his head. He kept the Mammoth to a low scoring game until the final minutes of the fourth quarter. Which, when you’re facing the offensive talent that includes John Grant Jr, Ilija Gajic, Gavin Prout, Adam Jones, Jamie Lincoln and Sean Pollock, that’s saying something.

3^rd Star – John Grant Jr, with eight points on the night, JGJ was a part of almost every goal the Mammoth scored. Although, with 13 shots on goal (23%) and 7 shots completely wide on the goal, JGJ was also part of why the Rush had as many possession as they did. But then, JGJ has always had a high shots to goal ratio.

Around the League

Toronto Rock 15, Philadelphia Wings 6

Washington Stealth 11, Buffalo Bandits 10 OT

Minnesota Swarm 14, Rochester Knighthawks 16

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While the term Battle of Alberta is usually reserved for when Edmonton and Calgary face off, the past few seasons, the Mammoth have had their own Battle of Alberta facing off against both Edmonton and Calgary in back to back games. Playing a barn to barn game is tough enough but at least you’re playing a team that also played the previous night. The Mammoth headed into Alberta faced with the challenge of playing not just two different teams but two strong division rivals. They definitely had their work cut out for them and they rose to the challenge.

Colorado Mammoth at Edmonton Rush

1^st Quarter

If there was any doubt in Colorado’s mind that Edmonton came to win, the first five minutes of the game definitely erased it. The Rush took a commanding three goal lead with a bounce shot goal before the game hit the minute mark, followed by a phenomenal play from Zack Greer where with a combination of faking and fancy footwork he was able to get around his defender and shoot one over Levis’s shoulder. Not to be left out, Scott Evans scored on an outside shot.

Rookie Adam Jones gets the Mammoth on the board with a crease shot from a behind the net pass from John Grant Jr. Sean Pollock scores off a diving shot but it’s waived off for crease violation and understandably, since it’s still very early in the game, there’s no challenge from the Mammoth bench despite it looking like a good goal. Zack Greer answers with his own assisted by Shawn Williams. Jones gets his second goal assisted by Sean Pollock to close out the quarter.

Colorado Mammoth 2, Edmonton Rush 4

2^nd Quarter

While Edmonton started off strong and the Mammoth offense looked flat and unfocused, the second quarter was a whole other story with Colorado dominating completely. The Mammoth offense looked good. It was hard to believe it was the same team. Levis found his groove and the defense prevented a lot of shots as well. Again assisted by Pollock, Jones starts off the scoring notching a hat trick as the only Mammoth player to score. John Grant Jr scores an unassisted goal on a running shot from the outside bouncing it five hole. In a beautiful play, Pollock spins to the outside of his defender to break away and score with a crease shot. The Rush stop the bleeding for nearly eight minutes before Jed Prossner scores his own unassisted goal followed by Jones scoring his fourth on the night.

Colorado Mammoth 7, Edmonton Rush 4

3^rd Quarter

Early in the third quarter, Mammoth rookie Jamie Lincoln blasted a hard shot at Rush goalie Aaron Bold only to have it ricochet off the side of Rush defender Jim Quinlan’s head ringing his bell. Zack Greer opened up the scoring with his hat trick goal four minutes in. In a questionable call for a game that hadn’t been remotely chippy, Mammoth player Rory Smith and Rush player Scott Evans both receive two minute roughing penalties for a non-fight. Apparently in the East coast, they get full on team brawls, however, on the West, mild pushing and shoving is the same penalty. The next play John Grant Jr scores his second goal of the game followed by Gavin Prout with a power play goal. In a beautiful underhand five hole shot, Shawn Williams follows up with his own power play goal for the Rush launching the Edmonton into their own run. Corey Small followed by Ryan Ward with his own power play goal and Brett Mydske to tie it up. With four seconds remaining in the quarter, John Grant Jr scores his hat trick goal on the power play to take back the lead.

Colorado Mammoth 10, Edmonton Rush 9

4^th Quarter

Thirty seconds in, Adam Jones kicks off the final quarter with his 5^th goal assisted by John Grant Jr. Tom Johnson scores his first goal of the night followed by a pair of goals from Ryan Ward, (one of them a shorthander), to take the lead for Edmonton. John Grant Jr dashes Edmonton’s hopes though by scoring both the tying goal and with fifteen seconds left, the game winner. Both teams made a lot of mistakes and it’s obvious it’s early in the season, but both teams showed potential and their next meeting February 4^th in Denver should be exciting.

Final

Colorado Mammoth 13, Edmonton Rush 12

Attendance: 8, 192

1^st Star – Adam Jones, the rookie had 5 goals (4 of them in the first half), a 41.7% shot percentage, and was second in loose balls.

2^nd Star – John Grant Jr, hard to argue with 5 goals, especially when his last two tied the game and subsequently won it.  He also had 4 assists and 6 loose balls.

3^rd Star – Scott Stewart, there’s plenty of discussion about how important face offs are and whether having a dominant face off guy a la Geoff Snider is important or not, but as Stewart won 22 of 29 including key moments like the end of the game, this at least is one instance where the face off guy had a huge impact.

Colorado Mammoth at Calgary Rush

1^st Quarter

Coming from across the crease, Sean Pollock makes the most of the first Mammoth possession scoring 47 seconds in. A Minute later, Daryl Veltman scores with a low hard shot going top shelf on a power play provided by John Gallant. (Unfortunately, what happened was off camera. Gallant was charged with a minor roughing, but game play was stopped and the trainer came out to check on him and he looked like he was in a lot of pain walking to and sitting in the box. By the look of it, he may have been lucky he only had to serve about 10 second of the penalty.) In the first of what would be many Roughneck illegal substitution penalties, John Grant Jr. capitalizes almost immediately to retake the lead. Kaleb Toth scores on the next play to knot it back up and kick off a Calgary run. Scott Ranger and Shawn Evans both score on the power play followed by Curtis Manning. Derek Hopcroft stops Calgary’s run heading in to the second quarter and on the assist, John Grant Jr scores his 1,000^th career point.

Colorado Mammoth 3, Calgary Roughnecks 5

 2^nd Quarter

Rookie Jamie Lincoln starts things off scoring for the Mammoth in the first minute followed by John Grant Jr on a penalty shot forty seconds later after the Roughnecks were served with a trio of penalties for delay of game (Kaleb Toth), illegal substitution and unsportsmanlike conduct (Dane Dobbie). Mammoth Captain Gavin Prout scores his own power play goal a minute later followed by a power play goal from Gavin Prout to retake the lead. Daryl Veltman and Curtis Dickson each score a goal in under twenty seconds to retake the lead. And that was just the first three and a half minutes! Adam Jones scores on the power play for the Mammoth to tie the game, but Veltman immediately follows it up to give Calgary back the lead. Pete McFetridge scores a short hander after Mammoth take a shot, fail to get the rebound and Mike Poulin passes it down the floor to give McFetridge a clear one on one opportunity.

Colorado Mammoth 7, Calgary Roughnecks 9

3^rd Quarter

For as heavy scoring and back and forth as the second quarter was, the third quarter was relatively quiet aside from penalties. Midway through the third, Shawn Evans scored on the power play followed by Scott Ranger making it look easy as running ahead of his defender he catches a pass from Shawn Evans and scores from the crease to give the Roughnecks a four goal lead, but John Grant Jr scores a short hander and in an unusual circumstance Derek Hopcroft recovers a rebound off a bad Calgary pass that bounced off the ref to score his second goal of the night to cut the lead back to two.

Colorado Mammoth 9, Calgary Roughnecks 11

4^th Quarter

Curtis Manning starts of the scoring with a one on one break away to take Calgary back up to a three goal lead. In a play that would get anyone else benched for even attempting, John Grant Jr scores on a no look behind the back shot to the top right corner. Jones gets his own breakaway chance to score bringing Calgary’s lead down to one. Chris Levis may have had some rough moments early in the game, but the fourth quarter was all about Levis standing on his head making tension inducing saves. Especially against Dane Dobbie who was relentless, peppering him with one shot after another. Adam Jones scores his hat trick goal on the power play to tie the game. Levis continues to make one phenomenal save after another to keep fans of both teams on the edge of their seats as the game goes to over time.

Colorado Mammoth 12, Calgary Roughnecks 12

Overtime

As expected, Geoff Snider won the faceoff for the Roughnecks giving them a definite advantage in overtime however Levis is able to block the shot, Mammoth get the rebound. In a “what in the world were you thinking” move, Shawn Evans clearly intentionally trips the Mammoth player giving the Mammoth a man up advantage which Gavin Prout uses to his advantage to score the winning goal.

Final

Colorado Mammoth 13, Calgary Roughnecks 12

Attendance: 9,341

1^st Star – John Grant Jr, four goals and six assists in this game was huge.

2^nd Star – Adam Jones, the second highest scorer on the night with three assists, and instrumental in sending the game to overtime.

3^rd Star** – Chris Levis, Calgary had plenty of opportunities in the fourth including stonewalling Pete McFetridge on a breakaway, with ten seconds left, and a diving shot from Dane Dobbie, who went zero for fourteen on the night, immediately afterwards but Levis stopped them all. Without Levis’s performance in net the last quarter, Calgary would have had the game in the bag.

**Gavin Prout was a strong consideration for third star, especially as not only did he have the overtime game winner, he also had another goal and four assists, however, in a game where their opponent was capitalizing on power plays, he had 7 penalty minutes because of his tussles with Andrew McBride.

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Washington Stealth 9, Philadelphia Wings 10 OT

Buffalo Bandits 12, Rochester Knighthawks 9

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The Colorado Mammoth beat the Calgary Roughnecks in Denver to clinch a playoff spot on Friday night.  The two may meet up in the postseason.

It’s not unusual in the National Lacrosse League for teams to have somewhat wonky schedules with several back-to-back games or to play the same team several times in a row as Colorado did against the Edmonton Rush.  What is interesting about this occurrence though is how different each game truly can be.

Sometimes the teams look so different you almost feel like you’re watching a different set of teams.  Often when teams play one another in such quick succession, there’s often an extra level of chippiness.

Heading into Friday’s game against the Calgary Roughnecks, many Mammoth fans wondered if Kaleb Toth might be on the receiving end of extra Mammoth aggression after his hit from behind last Friday that momentarily knocked out Mammoth captain John Gallant.

Surprisingly, the game was relatively reserved in all aspects.  Outside of Geoff Snider, who got into it with Ilija Gajic in the second quarter and then ejected in the final minutes of the fourth after putting Matt Leveque in an MMA style guillotine, both teams could almost be described as aloof.

On the one hand, Calgary not playing super-hard isn’t too surprising, as they really didn’t have much to play for. With the playoffs starting in two weeks, why push yourself and risk injury right beforehand against the team you’re most likely facing?  On the other hand, these guys are competitors and no one likes to lose.

The Mammoth did have something to play for.  If they won, not only would they clinch the final playoff spot in the West, they would also have beaten the team for the second time this season they would be facing in the playoffs.  Watching their play though, you wouldn’t have known it.

The Mammoth made mistakes left and right all game and once again the offense barely moved the ball. Colorado scored four of their goals on the power play, one with an extra attacker and one empty netter.  They even scored a short-handed goal in the fourth.  Calgary only scored on one of their seven power play opportunities, and scored two short handed goals – one in each half.

Mammoth fans couldn’t help but be at least slightly nervous after Chris Levis failed to block the first shot he faced from Brandon Ivey.  Levis has been playing strong all season, but incidents like that definitely make some goalies crumble.

The Roughnecks won’t play again until the playoffs when they face the Mammoth in Calgary in two weeks.  The Mammoth though will head to Minnesota to face the Swarm in a game that may very well determine who takes second in the West.  If the Swarm wins, they will be tied with the Washington Stealth and the Swarm holds the tie breaker.

>Needless to say, the playoffs are going to be interesting.

Final Score:

Colorado Mammoth 11, Calgary Roughnecks 7

Attendance: 17,841

MVP: Chris Levis

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Boston Blazers 16, Buffalo Bandits 9

Philadelphia Wings 9, Minnesota Swarm 11

Toronto Rock 14, Edmonton Rush 18

Rochester Knighthawks 18, Washington Stealth 10

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Image by MPR529 via Flickr

The Colorado Mammoth headed into this weekend with their playoff destiny squarely on their shoulders. If they won both games, they would clinch the fourth and final spot.  If they lost both, the Edmonton Rush would clinch that spot.  And if they split the games, things wouldn’t be as simple.

Their destiny still is in Mammoth hands, now it’s just a matter of Colorado either winning in Denver against Calgary April 15 or in Minnesota April 23.  For the Rush to get that fourth spot, they need to beat the Toronto Rock and the Mammoth need to lose both games.

The next two weeks will be pivotal.

The rivalry between the Calgary Roughnecks and the Colorado Mammoth is long-standing with much of it stemming from playoff battles.  This year might not be any different.  With the Mammoth and Roughnecks facing off twice in a week and the potential of playing a third time two weeks later in the playoffs, both teams will be giving it their all once again.

Friday, April 8 vs Calgary Roughnecks

The Mammoth started the game very strong with John Grant Jr scoring in the first 40 seconds followed quickly by a goal from Ned Crotty a minute later.  Midway through the first, Daryl Veltman scored with Geoff Snider winning the subsequent faceoff and taking it down and immediately scoring and unassisted goal.  Dan Carey scored for the Mammoth on the power play followed by another goal from JGJ.

Penalties and therein power plays had a big impact in the second quarter.  Calgary capitalized three times while the Mammoth scored once on the power play in addition to two short handed goals.  Starting shortly after the 5 minute mark, a flurry of goals began with one scored almost every minute.  Heading into halftime, the teams were only separated by one goal.

Curtis Dickson scored for the Roughnecks off the opening faceoff but like in the in the second quarter, penalties were the big factor in the third as well.  The Mammoth scored twice on the power play while the Roughnecks scored one power play and two short handed goals.  The Roughnecks outscored the Mammoth 7-3 in the third giving Calgary a three goal cushion heading into the fourth.

Neither team was going down without a fight though. Early on, the Gajic brothers each score a goal to bring the Mammoth within one but unfortunately for the Mammoth, on the faceoff immediately following Alex Gajic’s goal, Geoff Snider managed to snag another face off which he then preceded to run down the field with and score to give the Roughnecks back a two goal lead.  The remaining eight plus minutes were intense with both goalies standing on their heads blocking shots on goal. With eight seconds remaining in the game, Carey manages to get his third goal of the night past Poulin, but it wasn’t enough and the Roughnecks hold on to their lead.

Final: Colorado Mammoth 13, Calgary Roughnecks 14
Attendance: 12,213

MVP: Daryl Veltman

Saturday, April 9 vs Edmonton Rush

The Mammoth played a hard fought game the night before and lost.  The Edmonton Rush were well rested and playing in front of their home crowd.  Playoff implications were on the line.

Brian Langtry, who has been relatively quiet on the goal front this season, started off the scoring with trademark style. Leaping from the left side of the crease he pulled his stick around his body and shot from behind as he dove through the air, scoring before hitting the ground in a highlight real worthy goal.

Corey Small snuck a low shot past a screened Chris Levis a few minutes later to put the Rush on the board.

Nick Carlson has taken a lot of flack this season with many fans frustrated by his lack of production on the floor and mistakes resulting in goals.  Many have even speculated that this is probably Carlson’s last season. But looking like the Nick Carlson of old, he runs down the field on a breakaway with a one on one opportunity against Matt Disher and scores.

A few minutes later, in a beauty of a goal, Joel Dalgarno manages to step around Kyle Sweeney, fakes a couple of times before shooting on net for the score to start off a flurry of goals.  Mac Allen scores on a one on one opportunity from a turnover from Scott Evans for the Mammoth.  It’s quickly followed by a Rush goal by Ryan Ward less than thirty seconds later.  John Grant Jr scores his first goal of the night a minute later to give the Mammoth a three goal lead heading into the second quarter.

After an offensive end to the first quarter, the second quarter was decidedly defensive with only two goals scored for each side as the quarter wound down.  Three of the goals were scored in under 90 seconds starting with a power play goal from Ward cutting through the center.  Dalgarno makes use of a solid screen to shoot around Sweeney for the score followed by another diving across the crease goal from Langtry.   With two minutes remaining and the Mammoth on a power play, Rush have the ball.  Ward takes a shot, Levis blocks but Brodie Merrill gets the rebound.  He passes to Bill Greer at the center of the crease line who puts it past Levis for the goal.

The third quarter starts off with frenetic play from both sides until the Mammoth begin to find their groove with John Grant Jr scoring on a pass from Gavin Prout.  A minute later, Dan Carey scores undefended from the left side on a cross crease pass from Dalgarno.  Scott Evans scores for the Rush on a low hand shot around Ian Hawksbee that hits the pipe before going in.

After several minutes of defensive play and many blocked shots from both goalies, Brian Langtry manages to notch two more to finish out the third quarter giving the Mammoth a five goal lead.

The Mammoth finish off the fourth quarter with solid defensive play but a relatively mellow offense.  Alex Gajic scores on the power play mid way into the fourth while JGJ scores his third goal of the night a couple minutes later.

Final: Colorado Mammoth 13, Edmonton Rush 6

Attendance: 7,164

MVP: Chris Levis

Around the League

Friday, April 8

Buffalo Bandits 11, Toronto Rock 8

Saturday, April 9

Philadelphia Wings 7, Boston Blazers 9

Buffalo Bandits 9, Rochester Knighthawks 8

Minnesota Swarm 15, Washington Stealth 16 OT

Sunday, April 10

Rochester Knighthawsk 10, Philadelphia Wings 6

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When discussions turn to the Mammoth, a lot of it revolves around Levis and his goal tending abilities.  Many people around the league do not believe Chris Levis is a starting caliber goalie and would use games such as Friday’s match against the Rush to bolster their points.  However, on the flip side, many other people around the league believe he is seriously underrated and doing a phenomenal job keeping a lackluster team in the playoff hunt.  Saturday’s game against the Rush would provide ample support for their argument.

Coming off a long awaited win at home over the Boston Blazers, Mammoth fans were hopeful heading into the weekend.  I think few people expected the Mammoth to win both games, but many did pick the Rush to win both, or for the teams to split as is relatively common in back to back games.

Friday, the Mammoth offense really started to step up and they looked much better than they have in some areas, but continued to struggle in others.  The offense showed more movement in this weekend’s games than I think they have for the entire season up to this point.  Shot selection, shot clock management, dropped passes, interceptions and rebounds continue to be an issue.

However, the Mammoth defense was another story.  In Friday’s game, they looked complacent with several goals the result of blown coverage giving the Rush offense one on one opportunities against Chris Levis and Matt King.  Steve Forsythe especially looked lost on the floor.

I don’t know if for some reason the Mammoth defense thought the Rush were going to be an easy win or what.  Regardless, they didn’t give the Rush much of a challenge Friday.  Thankfully though, they decided to show up and play hard Saturday.

As Saturday’s game wound down, many wondered if it might just be one for the record books.  With five minutes remaining in the final quarter, the combined score of both teams was only 9 goals.  The last five minutes kept fans on the edge of their seats with four goals scored – two by each team.

Next weekend the Mammoth head up North for their own Battle of Alberta facing the number one team, Calgary Roughnecks Friday, and to Edmonton Saturday to face the Rush for a third time.  The results will mostly likely determine both the Mammoth and Rush fates.

Scoring Summary
Friday
Colorado Mammoth 10, Edmonton Rush 14
Mammoth: Alex Gajic 4, John Grant Jr 4, Joel Dalgarno 2
Rush: Scott Evans 4, Corey Small 3, Andy Secore, 2, Brodie Merrill 1, John LaFontaine 1, Ryan Ward 1, Dean Hill 1, Zack Greer
Attendance: 7,092
MVP: Matt Disher

Saturday
Colorado Mammoth 7, Edmonton Rush 6
Mammoth: Joel Dalgarno 2, John Grant Jr 2, Alex Gajic 1, Nick Carlson 1, Jed Prossner 1
Rush: Ryan Ward 2, Brett Mydske 1, Scott Stewart 1, Corey Small 1, Bill Greer 1
Attendance: 15,027
MVP: Chris Levis

Around the League

Friday, April 1
Washington Stealth 12 , Toronto Rock 13 OT
Minnesota Swarm 12, Calgary Roughnecks 15

Saturday, April 2
Toronto Rock 11, Philadelphia Wings 12
Rochester Knighthawks 19, Boston Blazers 8
Washington Stealth 10, Buffalo Bandits 9 OT
Calgary Roughnecks 8, Minnesota Swarm 13

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  Leading up to the National Lacrosse League trade deadline, things were pretty quiet overall… and then the Colorado Mammoth made some moves. They reacquired former captain Gavin Prout from the Edmonton Rush, and Joel Dalgarno and Ian Hawksbee from the Washington Stealth.

Although the Prout trade got the most coverage, Dalgarno had the bigger impact… unless of course you do believe there really was a Prout curse.  The Mammoth haven’t won a home game since Gavin Prout was traded.  While most feel it is merely coincidence, others feel that trading Prout was equivalent of trading the heart of the team away.  Regardless of which side you fall on, the Prout trade was certainly divisive.

The Boston Blazers came in to the game after playing the Washington Stealth the previous night, the Mammoth had fresh legs, but hadn’t played for three weeks.  Not to mention, the Mammoth made some big changes to the lineup but hadn’t see them in action.

Both Anthony Cosmo and Chris Levis made some great saves, especially when they counted most.  Both defenses were also instrumental throughout the game, but it’s offense that grabs headlines.

Despite taking thirteen shots, John Grant Jr. only scored twice, however, as his second goal was the game winner, many will overlook the misses.  On the one hand, Wayne Gretzky is right; you do miss 100% of the shots you don’t take.  On the other hand, how many better scoring opportunities were missed because JGJ doesn’t seem to pick his shots?

For the first time all season, the Mammoth offense didn’t look flat most of the game.  They were picking and rolling, cutting, cross pass shooting and just in general working to get the goalie to move to set up a shot.  Unfortunately, too often, the Mammoth were unable to get the rebound when Cosmo did make the save.

While the Mammoth still have a long way to go, they’ve at least taken the first step.  Or as John Grant Jr told fans after the game, “There’s more to come, be ready.”

Game Summary

1^st Quarter

The Boston Blazers were given an early gift when Josh Sanderson apparently tripped over his feet or the carpet and went headlong into the boards.  Sanderson was okay, however, Mammoth captain was given a two minute checking from behind penalty.  He was also given a two minute unsportsmanlike conduct penalty for jawing at the refs.  The Blazers were able to capitalize on both with goals from Dan Dawson and Kevin Buchanan.

Making his mark quickly on his new team, Joel Dalgarno notches the only goal for the Mammoth on a side arm bounce shot.

Mammoth 1, Blazers 2

2^nd Quarter

Casey Powell starts the second quarter off notching a Blazer goal in the first minute assisted by Buchanan.  Dalgarno quickly counters with his second goal of the time thirty-five seconds later.  Josh Sanderson scores his only goal of the night a few minutes later for the Blazers followed a minute later by a quick pair of goals from Alex Gajic and John Grant Jr for the Mammoth to tie the game.  The tie wouldn’t stay long though as Nick Cotter scored the last goal of the quarter with just over five and a half minutes remaining to give the Blazers the lead going into half time.  There was a brief scare when Damon Edwards tripped over Anthony Cosmo’s foot while trying to block Dalgarno and hit hard head first into the boards.  Edwards remained on the turf for several minutes but left the floor under his own power.

Mammoth 4, Blazers 5

3^rd Quarter

The third quarter proved to be very defensive with one goal scored a piece just over half way in; Cotter for the Blazers and Dalgarno for the Mammoth. 

Mammoth 5, Blazers 6

4^th Quarter

Casey Powell scored his second goal of the game two minutes in the quarter on a power play provided by Jarett Park who was sent to the sin bin on a holding penalty.  His brother, Ryan Powell, scored a little over a minute later to give the Blazers a three goal lead.  Gavin Prout started the Mammoth streak off scoring on the power play just under nine minutes in to the 4^th.  Alex Gajic scored his second goal just under a minute and half later to bring the Mammoth within one. With the clock winding down and the Pepsi Center electric with anticipation, the Mammoth pulled Chris Levis for the extra attacker.  Dan Carey scores his only goal of the night with under thirty seconds left to tie the score sending the game into overtime.

Mammoth 8, Blazers 8

Overtime

Heading into overtime, the Pepsi Center was deafening. It’s been entirely too long since I’ve heard it that loud.  The Mammoth won the face off and quickly call a time out.  Play commences, and to nobody’s surprise, John Grant Jr is given the ball.  He runs around and although some of the other players may have had a better opening, takes a shot and Cosmo makes an easy save. Boston gains possession, Casey Powell passes to Dan Dawson who shoots wide.  After much battling over the loose ball, John Gallant comes up with the loose ball, passes to Steve Forsythe who passes to Prout.  Prout passes to Langtry.  Langtry makes a pass but it’s tipped and Boston recovers.  Casey Powell crosses the midline and passes it to Jamie Rooney.  Boston passes it around several more times before Rooney attempts a bounce shot that goes wide.  Mac Allen recovers the ball for the Mammoth.  The Mammoth slow the pace down passing back and forth setting up the play.  Prout gets the ball and gets ready to shoot on net when the whistle is blown and Alex Gajic is called for an illegal pick.  Boston regains possession.   Dawson starts off the passing for the Blazers.  Sanderson takes a shot, but Levis makes the save.  After much fighting for the ball, it’s whistled dead and possession awarded to Colorado.  Dan Carey picks up the ball and passes it across the center line to Jed Prossner who quickly passes it to John Grant Jr.  JGJ does a swim move over the top Kyle Rubish and shoots five hole to get the game winner.  The goal is reviewed while everyone waits with anticipation.  After watching several angles multiple times, the goal is called good and the fans go nuts like it was a playoff win.  Anthony Cosmo is very upset over something and after being very vocal to the refs for several minutes is given a two minute unsportsmanlike penalty.

Final Score: Mammoth 9, Blazers 8

Attendance: 17,123

MVP: John Grant Jr

Around the League:

Friday, March 25

Minnesota Swarm 13, Edmonton Rush 14

Toronto Rock 9, Calgary Roughnecks 14

Boston Blazers 8, Washington Stealth 9

Saturday, March 26

Philadelphia Wings 10, Rochester Knighthawks 13

Sunday, March 27

Buffalo Bandits 12, Minnesota Swarm 9

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At the start of every season, there’s always lots of conjecture on how each team is going to do.  Did the changes they made in the off season help or hurt?  Who’s going to dominate?  And of course, every fan wants to think their team improved and will take the Champion’s Cup.  The league is full of talent, but with the loss of the Orlando Titans, the talent pool was even deeper this year.  A lot of changes were made around the league, both on and off the field.

West

Calgary Roughnecks
The Roughnecks are one of those teams everyone else in the division seems to have a grudge with.  And for good reason as they are often a prime reason in their opponent’s not making it far in the post-season.  This year however, I think they’re going to have some issues.  They’ve added top face-off man and sin bin regular, Geoff Snider to the line-up but they’ve also made some leadership changes.  They’ve added former Mammoth coach Bob McMahon to the coaching`staff as defensive coordinator, but they’ve lost captain Tracey Kelusky and starting goalie Matt King.  Andrew McBride takes Kelusky’s place as captain.  Former backup Mike Poulin will be filling King’s spot with veteran goal tender Curtis Palidwor stepping in as backup.  The Roughnecks may surprise their critics, but like many others, I think they will struggle more this year and be in a fight for the last playoff spot against the Swarm.

Colorado Mammoth
The Mammoth have a lot to prove this year, especially after not making it to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history.  To say last year was tumultuous is a bit of an understatement.  They started the season with Coach Bob McMahon, temporarily had General Manager Steve Govett and finished with Bob Hamley.  They lost their starting goalie in the opening minutes of the first game.  They struggled on offense finishing with the lowest goal total in their history and on defense with the most goals scored against. Known as one of the hardest teams to beat at home, they went 0-8, definitely not something the team wants to repeat.  Like many of the other teams, they made several roster changes.  Most notable is the addition of John Grant Jr.  They will have former Roughneck goalie Matt King in net with former Arizona Sting goalie Rob Blasdell backing him up until Chris Levis’ ankle heals. Last year, loose balls were a huge issue for the Mammoth, but with the signing of veteran D-man Steve Toll, hopefully this season will be better.  With Bob Hamley still coach and a team still feeling the sting from an embarrassing season, I fully expect them to come out fighting.  I expect to see them battling in the finals to compete for the Champion’s Cup, probably against one of their favorite post-season opponents, the Stealth.

Edmonton Rush
Despite being deep in talent, the Rush have struggled over the years.  Last year they made their first playoff appearance and will look to build on what they were able to accomplish last year. They’ve added some players from fellow division team such as Devan Wray and Bruce Murray,  While Murray will provide some veteran leadership, he was on my list of Mammoth players I didn’t expect to see back on the team because I felt he wouldn’t be able to make the cut.  Needless to say, I was surprised when he signed with Edmonton.  He was fun to watch both here and in Arizona, but time will tell if the Rush bolstered their defense or slowed it down.  I expect them to start strong, but finish weak ending up in third place when all is said and done.

Minnesota Swarm
Minnesota is another team that just continues to struggle each season.  They limped into the playoffs last year, but not on their own merits.  After losing their own crucial game, they narrowly squeezed in after the Mammoth dropped a must win game of their own. Compared to others in the division, the Swarm didn’t make any major moves.  They certainly have size in Richard Morgan on Defense, and with 2006 Rookie of the Year, Ryan Benesch still on offense, the Swarm won’t be pushovers.  I expect them to struggle in the first half of the season, but finish strong to battle the Roughnecks for the final playoff spot.

Washington Stealth
As defending champs, the Stealth have a huge target on their chest, and I don’t just mean their logo.  There’s no denying it, the Stealth looked good last year, but they didn’t finish as strong as they started.  They only made a few changes to the roster adding Jeff Moleski, Victoria Shamrock D-man Chet Koneczny and former Rush captain Chris McElroy. It can be much harder to defend a title than it is to win it and while the Stealth are a talented team, the division just got much deeper in talent.  Rhys Duch had a huge impact last year. It will be interesting to see if he’s able to continue his streak this season.  I expect to see the Stealth battling it out for the final cup spot.

East

Boston Blazers
The Blazers have many wondering when they made headlines recently for firing their head coach Tom Ryan and bringing in Toronto Rock assistant coach, Matt Sawyer. Plenty of people are speculating whether there are other issues at play with many speculating certain talented members may have had a hand in it.  Of this, I will not conjecture further, however, it is certainly odd with the start of the season on the horizon for them to make such a change. The reasons behind it may certainly have an impact on team morale.  The other big question hovering over the Blazers is a matter of Egos, and are there too many for one team. While Casey Powell is certainly talented, he has a bit of a reputation and the Blazers will have issues if players can’t come together and play as a team.  I think the Blazers are going to struggle this season, but still expect them to make the playoffs.  They’re not the first team to struggle with first round knockout issues, but I don’t think this will be their year to break the streak.

Buffalo Bandits
The Bandits made some interesting acquisitions in the off season.  They now have former Roughneck captain Tracey Kelusky, and from the Mammoth Chad Culp. In addition to veteran John Tavares and Mark Steenhuis this has the potential to be a very dangerous offense. Tavares may not have many more seasons left in him, but only a fool would underestimate the impact he still holds on offense.  Don’t be surprised if the Bandits are batteling for that final cup spot come April.

Philadelphia Wings
To say the Philadelphia Wings were active in the offseason is an understatement. They have really overhauled their roster!  Probably most notable is the loss of long time Wing, Geoff Snider, but they’ve also lost Jason Crosbie and Dan Teat.  Athan Iannucci is expected to return to the line-up after being sidelined last season with a knee injury.  With the addition of Brendan Mundorf and Ryan Boyle on offense and Ryan McFadyen on defense, the Wings could surprise everyone this season.  With this much change, most people would expect them to have a rebuilding season and finish in last place.  I don’t think that will be the case though.  I think they will probably struggle in the first half of the season, but see them finishing strong and taking the number four spot.

Rochester Knighthawks
The Knighthawks have been making headlines of their own this off season.  Hall of Famer Gary Gait is coming back for another year.  In a league where 1-year contracts are the norm, they signed rookie Cody Jamieson to an unprecedented 10-year contract. Veteran goaltender Pat O’Toole retired and they traded John Grant Jr to Colorado for goalie Matt Vinc.  Like John Tavares, Gait doesn’t have many more seasons left, but with the loss of Grant on offense, his veteran leadership will certainly be an asset.  Like the Wings, the Knighthawks had a lot of change on their roster, so it will be a matter of when the team comes together.  However, while Gait is an asset, he also can be a hinderance as players will often second guess themselves and pass the ball to him rather than take a shot.  I think this season, they’ll miss the playoffs, but expect a very competitive team in 2012.

Toronto Rock
It was rumored during the off season starting goal tender Bob Watson might not be able to return this season due to complications with his job.  Watson was able to get it worked out and will be returning in net with Pat Campbell and Gee Nash backing him up.  As a Gee Nash fan, I can’t deny my bias, but that doesn’t change the fact that Watson has not one but two pretty solid goalies backing him up which will definitely be good for the Rock defense.  With Colin Doyle, Stephan Leblanc, Garrett Billings and Pat Maddalena on offense and a solid defense, the Rock will definitely be fighting for the Cup this year.

So basically, to sum it up:

West
1st – Mammoth
2nd – Stealth
3rd – Rush
4th – Swarm
5th – Roughnecks

East
1st – Rock
2nd – Bandits
3rd – Wings
4th – Blazers
5th – Knighthawks

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This summer I had the pleasure to sit down with Colorado Mammoth defenseman Chris McKay while he was in town for a lacrosse tournament.  Chris joined the team mid season, and while the Mammoth had a rough go of it, Chris is optimistic for next season.

A British Columbia native, Chris previously played for the Victoria Shamrocks, the Arizona Sting and the Edmonton Rush.

This is the first part of two of the interview.

MD: What got you playing lacrosse?
CM: When I was 9 years old. I changed baby sitters. My parents were both at work and I was being sat by a different lady. And she had two other kids she was baby sitting and they had lacrosse sticks.  The two of them were in the backyard every day playing back and forth. Felt left out so I wanted to play. So I went home and asked for my parents to get me some lacrosse stick and gear. Back then it was wooden, you know, a wooden stick. And they did. And it just went from there.  That’s how I started. Babysitter’s house.

MD: Did you play hockey too?
CM: A little bit, but I was more into soccer.  Yeah, I just picked up lacrosse. I mean, hockey in Canada is pretty competitive so I was definitely at that age.

MD: What do you like most about playing lacrosse?
CM: I’m a pretty competitive person.  It’s a great sport. Combines thinking, physicality, and you have to be a great athlete to do it. And I enjoy, I enjoy all those things.  You know, people says it allows you to get some frustrations out  It does. You get to whack people, hurt people, which is good. But actually, I like the thinking side more. Now that I’m coaching,  you know, I see a lot more of the game is mental. And uh, at just a high level it’s a very worthwhile game and I enjoy that.

MD: If you weren’t playing lacrosse, what sport would you want to play?
CM: Golf. I enjoy golf. Uh, what else? Hockey. I love playing hockey. Basketball is similar, I’m just not tall enough.  I like all sports. Volleyball. Yeah, I’m just limited in my stature and my strengths in what I can do.

MD: It seemed like when you were with the Sting, I was watching an old game against the Mammoth that you were playing more of an offensive transition role. Was that more what you were with the Sting? Or was it just maybe that game?
CM: Maybe that game. I mean I’ve always been given the green light by my coaches to go up. Um, you just have to pick your spots. Some games you seem to end up there a lot more than another. You know, coming to a new team, Colorado this year, maybe, you didn’t see me up there as much because, one, when you’re struggling, you kinda want to give your own guys every rep they can. And when you’re hurting for goals or you’re, you know, you don’t want to be up there as a D guy taking a bad shot or offensive minutes, right?  When you’re playing on a good team, like the Sting, was, they can score goals in bunches. So there was a little less pressure to win one at the other end.  Take a 50/50 shot. Maybe it went in you’re a hero, if it didn’t, that’s ok.  Whereas when you’re fighting to get 8, 9, 10 goals a game and you go up and take a bad shot it’s kinda like “Hey Chris, the Offense coulda used that possession. You know, so.  It depends on your teams too.  But as far as my role, it’s funny, when I was younger, I think I had a little bit more of an offensive upside playing transition for the Shamrocks in the summer and whatnot.  In the NLL it’s just so cut and dry.  There’s so many good offense ball players and there’s only seven of them dressed for a game so you almost feel selfish sometimes if you go up there more than once right? Obviously if there’s a transition 4 on 3, 3 on 2, 2 on 1 you gotta take, but as far as staying up there I rarely do that these days.
MD: I remember the most common phrase all the announcers used to say about that particular Sting team were young and liked to run.
CM: It was just kinda go out there and have fun and you know we always seemed to do good things and so again there’s less pressure, right?  When you’re winning games and getting away with it more and more stuff is tried.  More transition is encouraged.  You know, stay up there for a shift and some picks and hey good things happened.

MD: What’s your favorite lacrosse memory?
CM: Alright, this question is always a tough one because there’s so many. I’m sure a lot of people say that.  Pretty fortunate when it comes to Mann Cups in Victoria. those are pretty special. Um. Now that I’m coaching in the field lacrosse side of things.  I really enjoyed my time down, well, in University. Was captain of the team.  You know, just had a good time. We were never a talented team down there, but it was hard work and effort and you know, you got to see some cool things.  I really enjoyed that time.  As far as singular moments you know, getting drafted was cool.  Playing first NLL game was cool. Scoring your first NLL goal in the big arenas you know was cool.  Going to Philadelphia and having your name announced and sucks yelled at ya, that was a cool experience.  You know there’s a lot of cool things that come with the pro game.  But I guess you know being Captain of the Shamrocks and lifting a Mann Cup was definitely up there.  In front of friends and family is always special. Like, we travel to away arenas. It’s awesome, there’s 18,000 fans but it feels like when you play at home in front of 500 and they all you know, that’s pretty special

MD: What team was your first goal scored against?
CM: In the pro league? San Jose.  Anthony Cosmo. Pretty proud of that. Yeah.  It’s kinda funny. I’m suiting up, a rookie in Arizona. You know, Cosmo’s in net. He’s pretty good. He plays with us in the summer. Hmm, I’m like, wonder if I’ll cross center tonight. Then literally, like 3 minutes into the game I kinda got a 3 on 2, had the ball up top. Probably closed my eyes, shot hard and think it trickled in, caught him by surprise.  Raised my arms like I knew what I was doing and went back to the bench.

MD: Who’s on your dream team, past or present?
CM: Oh god. Again playing in Victoria you know, the Gait name comes up quite a bit, both of them.  Kevin Alexander, I don’t know how many people, today’s age you know in the pro sport have heard about him, but he was a phenom back then.  There’s obviously the greats.  Right now, I’m pretty lucky to play with Dan Dawson, both in Arizona and Victoria.  I have a lot of respect for him. Not only because he’s a big body and he’s a good lacrosse player but he gets it, the working out and just everything that’s involved with the sport.  I really appreciate what he does.  Defensively I was lucky enough to play a year with Jim Veltman.  That was pretty impressive.  I don’t know, dream team, that’s so tough. There’s so many good players.  Andy Turner really did a lot for, Andy Turner and Tom Hajek When I was a junior in Victoria, they were in Burnaby and it was like Men amongst boys. They were just so much skill and so much smarter.  And I really, I learned a lot watching them play against us, but then I got to play with them in Victoria Senior, and they were just awesome guys.  And they really thought the game well and played it even harder.  I really appreciated my time playing with them.

MD: Who’s your favorite team to play against & why?
CM: In the NLL?  That’s a good question.  I mean, coming to Colorado was always cool, Right?  Such a great atmosphere, the fans are passionate, and I think there was a little thing going between Arizona and Colorado back in the, you know, we were always meeting in the Western Division Finals and there was a little thing going there. That was always fun. Um, I dunno. I like, I dunno. In summertime in the WLA the Victoria program had some pretty good rivalries.  Victoria Brent had some good rivalries.  Victoria Peterborough had some really good rivalries. I didn’t like playing in some. I didn’t like any of them, to be honest with you.  Back in my junior career, Victoria Burnaby every year, but Burnaby won every year so I don’t like bringing that up.  Favorite team to play against?  I have to say Colorado I guess before I came here.
MD: Least Favorite? I mean, you touched on that a little bit with Burnaby but…
CM: Yeah, definitely didn’t like playing any of those teams I’d said. Burnaby & Peterborough.  Burnaby Junior, Peterborough Senior.  Um, in the NLL, I guess Calgary.  They were a good veteran team. They were pretty cagey.  And you always knew when you played Calgary it seemed you were going to see quite a few lumps on your arms.  It’d get pretty rough out there.

MD: How would you describe an NLL game to someone unfamiliar with the sport?
CM: The words that come to mind are obviously fast paced, action packed.  Lotta changes, both possession and lead changes.  I think that’s always important when, you know, when you’re trying to get someone hooked on a sport it’s good to see you know lots of change.  Right? You don’t want them to get bored.  You don’t want them to be watching the same thing over and over again.  It’s up and down, up and down.  Exciting, you know hard hitting.  Good action.

MD: What did you think when the Mammoth came calling?
CM: It was awesome.  Like I said, everybody who plays in the league wonders what it would be like to play for Colorado.  You know, great organization, they treat their players right, and they have phenomenal fans.  At the end of the day, we all know we’re not making professional, like top pro four sport wages so it’s really for the love of the game and for the fans. And it’s just a dream come true I think when any player gets out there and is lucky enough to experience it first hand.  And like I said, it was tough, we didn’t win a game at home but I still gotta see what it was all about and I’m just super excited to be a part of it next year.

MD: What was the biggest surprise for you this season?
CM:I guess just the inability to win a home game.  You know.  I’ve played on a lot of sports teams and never have I seen a team struggle at home so bad.  It was tough to see us lose every game at home because like you said, there’s so much talent, and you look on the roster and knew the guys beside you.  And it was like, we’re a good squad here.  And you’d think we could, you know there were a couple close ones at the end where we just couldn’t pull it out.  It was a bit of a shocker at the end to say, look at the record.  You know, I look at a lot of things afterward and seeing 0 and 8 at home.  It was an eye opener.

MD: What positives do you see from this season?
CM: A lot of young guys on the team.  Some of the biggest cliches you ever hear in sports is you gotta learn to lose before you learn to win.  And as tough as it was, losing all those games at home, having a losing record, you know, it does build.  I don’t care what people say, when you lose together, you know, you can only take so much of that.  And you know, people react in different ways.  Maybe someone is gonna get in better shape. Maybe someone’s gonna work harder at what they do.  But everyone has gotta part to say enough is enough.  I think a bunch of young guys, and some veterans too you know, kinda looked at the season and said that was, enough’s enough, we can’t have that again.  And everyone’s gotta be able to to what their, makes them better and I think they will.  And you know the coaching staff and the management will make sure there’s a real competitive training camp next year and uh you know the best players will make the team and we’ll go from there.  I think, you know, it opened everyone’s eyes.  The players need to know, we know we need to be better. The coaches know they need to be better.    Management knows, we gotta, you know, more, better players.  From every part of the team, every part of the organization has to step up next year.  And we know that, so there’s gotta be a positive in that.

MD: What changes do you think will be made in the off season?
CM:You know what, there will be changes, there always are.  Every team, every year there’s some new players on the team.  Steve Govett seems like a really active General Manager.  I don’t think he, you know, no general manager would be happy with what he saw.  But I think he’ll want to make some changes.  He’s a professional.  He’s watched very closely.  He’s got some areas that need to be addressed and I’m sure he will.  I’m sure, like I said, training camp in my experience is they’ll bring in a ton of players at each position and kinda let them battle it out and the best ones make the team.  And I’m sure they’ll have some new players at every position to make it interesting.

MD: What are you most looking forward to next season?
CM: Just playing here.  I’m super excited.  I left with a bad taste, losing.  Talked about how great it is to be here.  I wanna be here and experience the winning side of it.  Experienced the losing side of it.  I’ve got enough of that for a full nother year.  I can’t wait to win a home game and look up after 60 minutes and see people cheering and high-fiving and smiling at you, not that they weren’t when we were losing, but it’s a different atmosphere when you win.  I really look forward to experiencing that.  And I just really look forward to a new team bonding and earning those wins together.  It’s always exciting when you feel a team come together.  When you have big wins, like character wins, you feel the team come closer.  You know first game in 2011 season, Mammoth squeaks out a win in overtime, that’d be huge, right? It’s just like you feel the team come together.  Like, you just had six hard weeks of training camp, you gritted it out on the floor.  Got a win for us, and a win for the fans. That’d be a good feeling.

MD: What impact do you expect to make next season?
CM: Every year I just wanna work on my game. Try to help the team on the back end.  I pride myself on hustle, hard work and effort. You know, I’m not the biggest guy, I’m not the best defenseman by far and I just try to pick up loose balls and try and help out as much as I can in any way I can..

MD:You’ve made quite an impact on the floor this season despite being smaller than most of the other lacrosse players. What do you think makes you successful?
CM:Again, just playing the game as long as I have, you learn where your strengths are and where your weaknesses are.  I learned at an early age I probably shouldn’t be checking the Dan Dawson’s of the league so uh, you know, I just try and hustle as much as I can.  I really try to work on picking up loose balls on my own end.  Because I think being smaller and quicker that’s an advantage I can bring to the team.  Just realizing where you fit in and where you don’t.  Right? You gotta play physical.  You gotta try playing bigger than you are when you’re a small guy and I try and do that.

MD: How’s it feel when you’re playing against guys like the Morgan or Dawson brothers?
CM:It’s not a match up I go looking for.  Obviously in lacrosse, lots of switches.  Again, you gotta be very positionally sound.  I’ve got the shot clock on my side, they’ve only got so much time.  So if I just try and keep them away from the net, I’ve kinda done my job.  Yeah, it’s tough but you gotta do it, right?

MD: How’s it feel to be playing for Bob Hamley again?
CM: I really like Bob Hamley. [section lost] The two Bobs together is a great system.  They compliment each other.  Yeah, I really like playing under Bob Hamley.

You can find part 2 of the interview here.

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East Division Final

Toronto Rock at Orlando Titans

One quarter was all it took to make a world of difference in this game.

The first half was a very close back-and-forth game with Toronto having a one-goal lead at the end of the first quarter and Orlando a one-goal lead at the end of the second quarter. Kasey Beirnes started off the scoring midway into the opening quarter, putting Toronto on the board first. Pat Maddalena tied it up, notching his first goal of the night for the Titans.

The Titan defense did a good job in the first half keeping Colin Doyle scoreless and rookie phenom Stephan Leblanc to one goal in each half. Last week against the Buffalo Bandits, Leblanc scored five goals and was the game MVP.

While the first half was close, the third quarter was anything but.

The Toronto Rock opened a flood gate of goals with seven different players each notching a goal while Orlando Titan Mike McClellan scored the only Titan goal of the quarter. McClellan scored twice more in the fourth, but the damage done in the third proved to be too much for the Titans.

Titan star Casey Powell was held to one goal on eleven shots. And although the fourth quarter was close, with each team scoring four goals, the Rock never gave up their lead.

Toronto Rock 15, Orlando Titans 10
MVP: Kasey Beirnes
Attendance: 4,651

West Division Final

Edmonton Rush at Washington Stealth

The Washington Stealth came out strong in the first quarter, and it took the Edmonton Rush until the closing minutes to catch up.

Paul Rabil, Luke Wiles (x2) and Jeff Zywicki each scored for Washington. Dean Hill notched Edmonton’s only goal of the first, scoring on the power play.

Edmonton seemed to have knocked off the rust midway through the second quarter, showing they weren’t going to give up without a fight. Gavin Prout scored twice and Ryan Ward once for the Rush, but each goal was matched by the Stealth with Cam Sedgwick, Paul Rabil and Rhys Duch each scoring. The half ended with the Stealth up by three.

The third quarter proved to be very defensive with Matt Disher and Tyler Richards both making phenomenal save after save for their teams. Jeff Zywicki and Rhys Duch each got a goal past Disher for the Stealth while Ryan Powel and Scott Stewart each got a goal past Richards for the Rush.

The fourth goal was the turning point for the Edmonton Rush, though.

Jeff Zywicki scored early in the quarter for the Stealth, followed by Luke Wiles halfway through. However, Disher and the Rush defense kept the Stealth scoreless for the rest of the quarter while the Rush offense launched their own battle to stay in the game.

Ryan Ward and Dean Hill each notched goals early in the fourth, but it wasn’t until close to the end of the game that the Rush were able to bring the game within reach. Brodie Merrill scored with under four minutes left to bring the score within two. In the final minute, the Rush pulled Disher for the extra attacker, scoring twice, sending the game in to overtime.

Overtime was short-lived, however, with the Stealth winning the face off and Paul Rabil scoring an unassisted goal to send the Rush home while the Stealth prepare for the Champions Cup Final.

Edmonton Rush 11, Washington Stealth 12
MVP: Paul Rabil
Attendance: 4,242

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Edmonton Rush at Calgary Roughnecks

Although the Edmonton Rush made their first playoff appearance ever in team history, it didn’t show in their play. Veteran goalie, Matt Disher ,was a strong asset for the Rush as he made 60 saves on 67 shots whereas Mike Poulin made 23 saves on 33 shots. Disher and the Edmonton Defense shut down many of the Roughneck stars including Josh Sanderson who went 0/13 and Tracey Kelusky who went 1/11. It certainly didn’t help Calgary that while the Roughnecks went 0/4 on the power play, the Rush went 3/3.

Proving how dangerous their offense can be, the Rush had goals from six different players with Gavin Prout, Andy Secore, and Corey Small each with two, Dean Hill had three, Ryan Ward and Jim Quinlan each notched one. Dane Dobbie was the only Roughneck able to notch more than one goal and he got three.

A definite rivalry has been developing between the Edmonton Rush and the Calgary Roughnecks because of their proximity to one another, but this game definitely added fuel to the fire. Edmonton has been playing very well the second half of the season and their momentum has carried them forward to the semi-finals next week.

Edmonton Rush 11, Calgary Roughnecks 7

MVP: Matt Disher

Attendance: 10,388

Minnesota Swarm at Washington Stealth

The Minnesota Swarm showed the Washington Stealth why in the NLL, no lead is safe, despite how large it is.

The Washington Stealth went in to the second quarter with a commanding five goal lead over the Swarm and it appeared the Stealth were going to notch an easy win over the Swarm who have been struggling the past few weeks. The Swarm on the other hand weren’t going to give up without a fight. The change in both teams was so dramatic in the second quarter, it was hard to believe it was the same teams. The Stealth were kept scoreless after the first couple of minutes in the second whereas the Swarm went on a run of their own to bring the lead within two ending the half Swarm 6, Stealth 8.

The Swarm struggled on the power play, going 1/5 while the Stealth went 2/4 plus notched two shorthanded goals.

Minnesota had a revolving door with their net minders. Goalies Nick Patterson and Kevin Croswell, swapped duties four times with Patterson finishing off the game.

Rhys Duch proved why he should be the game MVP notching six goals on ten shots and five assists for the Stealth while teammate Jeff Zywicki scored five goals on ten shots.

Minnesota Swarm 10 ,Washington Stealth 14

MVP: Rhys Duch

Attendance:3,268

Buffalo Bandits at Toronto Rock

It looked like the Buffalo Bandits were going to run away with this game, especially with Mike Accursi scoring six goals nearly in a row. But whereas the Rock’s momentum continued to build until it peaked in the 4^th quarter, the Bandits seemed to peak early and just couldn’t get back into the game once they relinquished the lead.

While Mike Accursi was on fire only missing four shots, All Star Forward Mark Steenhuis only scored twice on ten shots and, future Hall of Famer, John Tavares went zero for eight. Colin Doyle and Stephan Leblanc led scoring for the Rock with Doyle notching 4/8 and Leblanc 5/11.

Looking at the shots on goal can be slightly misleading. The Rock finished with 46 and the Bandits 37. However, showing how much stronger the Rock played towards the end, 31 of those 46 shots were in the second half whereas the Bandits only had 15.

Buffalo Bandits 11, Toronto Rock 13

MVP: Stephan Leblanc

Attendance: 9,367

Boston Blazers at Orlando Titans

To say this was a close game is a bit of an understatement. These two teams were so well matched that as the clock wound down, you half expected it to come down to the wire in overtime. It didn’t go into extra quarters, but it was still a close contest.

Shots on goal were only separated by three with Titans on top, but Blazers led in the other important areas such as looseballs and faceoffs. All of the penalties were in the first half, with Orlando only capitalizing on one, and Boston on zero although the Blazers did have two shorthanded goals in the first quarter.

In the end, it came down to a battle of the goalies with neither team scoring in the final four minutes.

Boston Blazers 11, Orlando Titans 12

MVP: Casey Powell

Attendance: 4,205

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