As much as I wish I could say otherwise, there really isn’t much for me to say about this weekend. The same Mammoth offense showed up with the result being identical to every other game this season save one. Friday night, the Mammoth defense played on par with the offense and needless to say, the Washington Stealth made them pay.

But, when your defense spends the majority of the time on the floor, your goalies face a total of 64 shots and your defense is playing exhausted trying to stop some of the best offensive talent in the league, is it any surprise the Mammoth got their butts whooped?

No, it really isn’t.

I’ve said it elsewhere, but the Mammoth offense needs to get over themselves. I don’t care who you are, where you’ve played, what accolades you’ve received or what trophies you’ve won. If you’re not scoring, there are issues. If you can’t play hard for four quarters, or play as a team, or actually play intelligently, then sit your ass down.

Some people speculate we have too many egos on the team. Some think it’s a lack or issue of leadership. Fans are certainly calling for firings all the way from top with GM Steve Govett down to everyone on the bench and everywhere in between.

Maybe they’re right. Maybe they’re wrong.

What I see is an offense more interested in the name on their back than what’s on the front trying to be heroes and since everyone is trying to be an individual hero, no one is doing jack as a team.

On paper, we have one of the most talented teams in the league. Unfortunately, that’s not what wins games.

The Mammoth run the most stagnant predictable offense I think I have ever seen. Occasionally we get lucky and score, which probably reinforces this bad play.  But it’s no wonder we can’t score half the time when the goalie doesn’t have to work to block it and the defense doesn’t have to work to keep our guys away from the front of the net. If your fans, many of which have never played the game and are only slightly knowledgeable, know where and when you’re going to shoot, then the defenders with years of pro experience probably do too.

Usually teams get better as the season progresses, but this one seems to be getting worse. When a team is given multiple 5:3 opportunities and still can’t score, you really need to take a step back and ask yourself why. This is one issue I put squarely on the Mammoth; this is not a case of opponents doing that great of a job.

The Games

Friday vs the Washington Stealth

The Washington Stealth essentially put on a shooting clinic against the Mammoth with ten different players, three of them defenseman, scoring goals.  D man, Jeff Moleski had a hat trick along with Forwards, Rhys Duch, Joel Dalgarrno, and Lewis Ratcliff. Luke Wiles and Craig Conn each scored two with Paul Rabil, Mike Grimes, Eric Martin, and Cam Sedgwick each scoring one a piece.

For the Mammoth, John Grant Jr‘s 55 game scoring streak was finally broken. Alex Gajic scored three goals, Ilija Gajic two and Dan Carey and Mike McClellan each with one. Mammoth D man Mac Allen received a 2 minute Unsportsmanlike Conduct, a 10 minute Misconduct and a 10 minute Game Misconduct resulting in his ejection in the second quarter. Captain John Gallant received a 10 minute Game Misconduct in the third quarter resulting in his ejection. Unfortunately, the game feed had several visual issues and the Washington Stealth announcers are more interested in what’s happening on Facebook than what’s going on in the game so I really can’t tell you much more than that about what Allen or Gallent did to warrant ejections.

Final Score: Colorado Mammoth 7, Washington Stealth 20

MVP: Tyler Richards

Attendance: 3,160

Sunday vs the Minnesota Swarm

The first quarter, the Mammoth actually showed up and looked like they might have a strong showing with two goals from John Grant Jr. and one each for Jed Prossner and Connor Martin while Ryan Benesch was the only Swarm goal. Excitement was high and it was feeling a bit like the Pepsi Center of old heading into the second quarter, especially after Mac Allen scored 17 seconds in to give the Mammoth the lead, 5-1.

In the second, the Swarm showed they weren’t going to go down without a fight with Kevin Ross, Andrew Watt, Richard Morgan, and Matt Giles scoring before Brian Langtry was able to stop their run with his own goal that was quickly countered by Minnesota who pulled the goalie for the extra attacker. Benesch was able to capitalize and the half ended tied at 6.

And then things got crazy. Possibly stemming from an early cheap shot Brian Langtry gave to a Swarm player that may have been in retaliation for some in-net aggression by the Swarm…Pushing and shoving ensued and turned into punching and general chaos with all the players involved in one way or another. At one point it looked like there would be a rare goalie fight between Chris Levis and Nick Patterson. For the most part, none of the skirmishes got anywhere but Mac Allen and I believe Shane Bennet dropped their gear and went toe to toe. The refs finally got everything under control and the players went back to their dressing rooms.

The start of the third quarter brought out several penalty assessments.

For Minnesota, Travis Hill was given a 2 min Unsportsmanlike Conduct, a 10 minute Misconduct and a 10 minute Game Misconduct resulting in his ejection. Shane Bennett received a 5 minute Fighting and a 10 minute Misconduct. While Rory Smith only received a 10 minute Misconduct.

For Colorado, Mac Allen received a 5 minute Fighting and a 10 minute Misconduct. Brian Langtry was given a 2 minute Unsportsmanlike Conduct and a 10 minute Misconduct and finally, Cliff Smith received a 10 minute Misconduct. While I haven’t heard anything yet, I won’t be surprised if the league hands down additional penalties and/or fines.

The third quarter in comparison was quiet with the Mammoth once again being held scoreless for a quarter while Ryan Benesch notched two and Jamie Schewchuck notched oen for the Swarm. Andrew Watt continued the scoring streak into the fourth followed by one from Aaron Wilson before the Mammoth could finally stop their run. Cliff Smith scored followed by power play goals from Dan Carey and Alex Gajic. Ryan Benesch scored his fifth goal of the night with a minute and a half left. Carey scored again on an extra attacker play, but yet again, the effort was too little, too late.

Final Score: Colorado Mammoth 10, Minnesota Swarm 12

MVP: Nick Patterson

Attendance: 15,825

The Mammoth head into their first of two long breaks. The NLL All Star Game will be held Sunday. The Colorado Mammoth will be represented by John Grant Jr, Mac Allen, and Chris Levis. They will return home to face the Swarm again March 4.

Around the League

Friday

Rochester Knighthawks 5, Toronto Rock 10

Saturday

Philadelphia Wings 10, Buffalo Bandits 9

Toronto Rock 13, Rochester Knighthawks

Boston Blazers 14, Minnesota Swarm 11

Calgary Roughnecks 12, Edmonton Rush

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Image via Wikipedia

Outside of maybe Edmonton Rush fans, Colorado Mammoth fans are probably the most frustrated in the league right now.  Time and time again this season they see a win within their grasp only to leave without any satisfaction.

Emotions are running high with very few positive outlets.  A lot of people keep complaining that this Denver team sucks.  But while some will call me a homer, I just don’t believe that.  If this team truly sucked, I think it would be so much easier to accept our defeats, but there’s so much potential and there are improvements each game.

The Mammoth offense finally seems to understand that they need to expect a potential pass from John Grant Jr. at any time from any direction.  Now if only we could get them to understand the benefits of movement on the floor.

Both the Mammoth power play and penalty kill have improved.  They went 4 for 9 and kept the Stealth to 1 for 5, although they did allow a shorthanded goal.

Considering the offensive talent on this Stealth team, the Mammoth defense did a good job keeping any one player from running the board. Chris Levis did a good job in net, although he and the defense were unable to stop the tide when it counted most.

Mammoth have improved on getting to loose balls, but were unable to get some important rebounds that led to Stealth possessions and goals.  One thing is for sure though, Levis really needs to quit with the outlet passes.  While it can be very beneficial to transition as Gee Nash proved, when you pass it directly to your opponent, you’re not helping.

Some would argue luck just hasn’t been on the Mammoth’s side this season.

For one thing, there was a questionable penalty called with 7:30 left in the second quarter. JGJ scored, but the goal was called back for too many men. Even after watching the play several times, I could only count five.  Two men went off, two came on. When the camera panned the field to the other side to follow Toll’s pass to JGJ, and it appeared there were only five Mammoth players on the field. I can’t help but wonder if because of the way JGJ came on to the field at just the right time to catch the pass, the refs made an assumption.

Did the refs lose the Mammoth the game? NO. You have to factor in there’s always going to be some bad calls and some of them will have an impact on the game.  You have to step it up and the Mammoth didn’t do that.  I won’t deny it’s possible having three goals called back for various reasons impacted the Mammoth mentality, but I know a lot of fans are pulling the ref card and I don’t agree.

The Game

1^st Quarter

The first quarter proved to be a very defensive one with a lot of back and forth, some blocked shots, and a lot of penalties.  A total of 10 penalties for 20 minutes were given out across both teams. Nearly 9 minutes in, Rhys Duch notches the first goal on a power play but his would be the only goal.

Mammoth 0, Stealth 1

2^nd Quarter

A little over a minute and a half in, Brian Langtry scores his own power play goal to tie the game followed by one from Jamie Shewchuk several minutes later to take the lead.  Eric Martin scores with five minutes left to tie the game. John Grant Jr. scores his first of the game to take the lead back but it doesn’t last long as Lewis Ratcliff scores a short hander with 1:19 remaining in the half to tie the game again.

Mammoth 3, Stealth 3

3^rd Quarter

The third quarter saw quite a few lead changes.  JGJ scored a couple minutes in on a power play, the Mammoth’s third, to take the lead, but Luke Wiles is able to score a couple minutes later to tie it back up.  He’s quickly followed by Rhys Duch’s second goal to take the lead.  Tom Johnson scores on a pass from Duch to take the lead to two but Alex Gajic quickly scores followed by one from Cliff Smith to tie the game again.

Mammoth 6, Stealth 6

4^th Quarter

Brian Langtry scores his second goal of the night quickly followed by JGJ’s third goal.  Unfortunately for the Mammoth, the Stealth would go on a four goal run with three of them in the last three minutes of the game.  Wiles notched two more, along with Johnson’s second and one from Cam Sedgwick to take the lead.  The Mammoth scored as the clock ran out, but it was too little too late and was called back although most fans didn’t realize it at the time.

Final Score: Colorado Mammoth 8, Washington Stealth 10

MVP: Tyler Richards

Attendance: 14,091

Around the League:

Friday

Minnesota Swarm 12, Buffalo Bandits 15

Saturday

Philadelphia Wings 6, Rochester Knighthawks 11

Toronto Rock 7, Boston Blazers 9

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Although it was the first game of the season, the Colorado Mammoth had a lot of pressure on them.  Not only were they facing the defending NLL Champion Washington Stealth, they were facing a team that beat them all four times last season.  They were also trying to break their home-game losing streak.

The Mammoth haven’t won a home game since April 17th…. 2009.

I’m sure that at least some of the players remembered the 17-8 whooping the Washington Stealth gave the Mammoth last year in the season opener.

Thankfully, this game wasn’t anything like last year’s home opener.

The Good

• Mammoth didn’t give up despite trailing most of the game
• Despite coming back from a rolled ankle, Levis was fantastic in net
• The defense played hard and kept Lewis Ratcliff & Paul Rabil from scoring
• The Mammoth defense held Jeff Zywicki & Rhys “Sock Trick” Duch to three goals each
• Mammoth scored double digit goals!  (Something they only succeeded in doing nine times last year)
• The Mammoth held their opponent to 11 goals. (Something they were only able to do four times last year)
• John Grant Jr had a positive impact on the offense
• Overall, the Mammoth played better than last year.  Granted, that didn’t take much.

The Bad

• Passing was still an issue
• Penalty Kill was non-existent
• Special teams couldn’t convert on the Power Play
• STUPID penalties – Mammoth had at least two Too Many Men penalties, all of which the Stealth were able to score on
• Turnovers and lack of loosies
• The Mammoth offense was flat-footed
• The defense allowed too many one-on-one opportunities for the Stealth on Levis
• John Grant Jr only shined in front of the opposing net.  He negatively impacted transition and defense

The Game

First Quarter

I can only describe the opening minutes of the game as frenetic.  Both teams were making a lot of mistakes and the ball was all over the place without anything solid coming of it.  The Stealth settled down much quicker than the Mammoth and it showed on the scoreboard.

The first quarter remained scoreless until about 7 minutes in when Jeff Zywicki scored on a pass from Rhys Duch.  Several more minutes went by before Ben Davies was able to notch a goal for the Mammoth.  Unfortunately, two minutes later Cam Sedgwick was able to give the Stealth the lead again.  With about a minute left in the quarter, the Mammoth pulled goaltender Chris Levis for the extra attacker.  While a risky move by Coach Bob Hamley, with most of the game remaining, it had the potential to jump-start the Mammoth offense heading into the second quarter.

Unfortunately, it backfired.

Alex Gajic was near the crease with the ball fighting off double coverage.  He passes the ball to John Grant Jr. at the retention line, but either the pass is tipped or was simply a bad pass and falls short.  Grant  takes a step towards the ball but stops as a Stealth player grabs it.  He doesn’t make a move as Mike Grimes grabs the ball and heads down towards the empty net… where he scores.

The first quarter ends Mammoth 1, Stealth 3

Second Quarter

Thirty seconds in, Mac Allen gets called on a slashing penalty which the Stealth quickly capitalize on when Zywicki standing on the crease receives a pass from Duch and easily puts it into the net.  A couple minutes later, the Mammoth are slapped with a Too Many Men penalty which Kyle Hartzell is able to take advantage of for the Stealth.  With six minutes remaining, John Grant Jr scores his first goal of the night followed by his second goal a minute later.

With three minutes remaining in the quarter, rather than run and block Jeff Moleski, Grant pulls short and slashes at him causing Moleski to trip resulting in a 2 minute penalty against Grant for tripping.  Zywicki takes advantage of the extra player and puts another goal on net but is called for a crease violation.  Brian Langtry recovers the ball for the Mammoth, gets a breakaway and scores a short hander.  Unfortunately for the Stealth, they used their challenge flag earlier in the first quarter to challenge a shot clock violation goal – they lost – and so were unable to challenge either play.

The second quarter ends Mammoth 4, Stealth 5

Third Quarter

As much as I hate to admit it, Rhys Duch starts the third quarter off with a great falling side arm goal. He scores despite Mammoth Captain John Gallant blocking him at every move and knocking him off balance.  Gallant was doing such a good job blocking Duch it’s amazing he was even able to get the shot off, let alone score.

Despite scoring thirty seconds in to the third quarter, the Stealth would go scoreless for twelve minutes while the Mammoth went on a three-goal streak started by Cliff Smith and followed by two tallies from Grant, including the Mammoth’s only Power Play conversion.

Grant scored a highlight-reel goal with eight minutes left… one handed, behind the back.  Grant’s second goal of the quarter and fourth on the night was much more of a lucky break, aka a junk goal.  He shoots, hits Roik, it ricochets and bounces off Stealth D-man Mike Grimes’ helmet and into the net.

Tom Johnson and Jeff Zywicki notch two more goals for the Stealth bringing the score at the end of the third quarter Mammoth 7, Stealth 8.

Fourth Quarter

The fourth quarter started off much slower with the first goal scored just under nine and a half minutes in by Kyle  Hartzell.  It was quickly followed up by a goal by Mike McLellan for the Mammoth and another goal from Rhys Duch for the Stealth.  McLellan notches a second goal with four and a half minutes left followed by one from Cliff Smith to tie the game two minutes later.

The fourth quarter ends tied.  Mammoth 10, Stealth 10.

While complaining about the refs is a sport unto itself in sports, the reffing was really off.  Honestly, the best way I can describe it is rookie.  A lot of calls were missed, some were flubbed, some were just odd, and there was plenty of confusion and disagreement among the refs.  Unfortunately, the last half of the game and overtime were driven by decisions they made.

For example:

Rule 91: HELMET LOST DURING PLAY

When a player loses his helmet, the player must immediately either re-assemble his helmet while in the game or leave the floor.

When a player in possession of the ball loses his helmet he must immediately release the ball by passing or shooting.

91.1 MINOR PENALTY – Failure to immediately re-assemble the helmet or leave the floor shall result in a minor penalty to the offending player.

This is important because with eight minutes left in the fourth quarter, Paul Rabil lost his helmet and continued to play with the ball in his cross for at least five seconds with no penalty.

Towards the end of the fourth quarter and into overtime, Rabil was involved in another controversial call.  Due to a hit on Gallant where Rabil’s stick went under Gallant’s helmet, he was charged with a five minute major.  Rabil went in the penalty box with Johnson joining him as the releasable. The quarter ends and the penalty carries into overtime, but after three minutes despite zero goals being scored, Rabil is released.

Overtime

Sudden Death Overtime is often short, but neither team was able to convert until… the Mammoth made HUGE back-to-back mistakes.

First, Jarrett Park is sent to the penalty box for Checking From Behind. The Mammoth compound the issue when they send five players on the floor instead of four and get hit with yet another Too Many Men penalty, giving the Stealth a 5 on 3 opportunity.  Rhys Duch easily capitalizes on the error and the game ends Mammoth 10, Stealth 11.

Game Attendance: 17,029

Around the League

Saturday

Boston Blazers 10, Philadelphia Wings 6

Edmonton Rush 7, Toronto Rock 13

Rochester Knighthawks 11, Minnesota Swarm 10 OT

Buffalo Bandits 9, Calgary Roughnecks 10

Sunday

Calgary Roughnecks 13, Washington Stealth 10

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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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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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Although the Mammoth dropped to 2-3 on the season over the weekend, they didn’t give the Washington Stealth another easy win.

In the season opener the Stealth handed the Mammoth a 17-8 loss. Washington also steamrolled the Edmonton Rush in week 2, following that with close games over the Buffalo Bandits and the Calgary Roughnecks last week.

Many thought the Stealth would decimate the Mammoth again. However, Colorado put in a strong showing against a strong team. Some kinks still need to be worked out, but Saturday’s Mammoth team was a completely different team than the one the Stealth faced earlier in the year.

Jed Prossner scored the first goal of the game a minute in, putting the Mammoth up 1-0. But after a very defensive back and forth, the Stealth were able to tie it up half way through the 1^st quarter. With about three minutes left in the quarter, Cory Conway scored his first goal of the evening, giving the Mammoth the lead 2-1. Although Stealth Goalie Tyler Richards’ Goals Against Average of 10.11 compared favorably to Andrew Leyshon’s 13.32, it was Leyshon that had the stronger quarter. The Mammoth goaltender only let in 1 goal on 12 shots while Colorado went 2 for 9 against Richards.

The 2^nd quarter started off with a controversial goal by Jamie Shewchuck.

Initially it was ruled a crease violation negating the goal. New Mammoth head coach Steve Govett threw the challenge flag and upon review the goal was ruled good. Compared to the 1^st quarter, the 2^nd quarter was very high scoring with Tom Ethington, Prossner & Nick Carlson adding goals for the Mammoth. Meanwhile, Rhys Duch, Jeff Zywicki x 2, Tom Johnson & Luke Wiles notched scores for the Stealth, ending the half tied at 7.

The 2^nd half remained very defensive, but many of the Mammoth’s weaknesses became more evident as the game progressed. A lot of the Mammoth passes went wide, and so did a number of their shots. Ilija Gajic, who has been very strong on offense the past few games, went 0 for 12 with only 1 assist.

In the 4^th quarter, the Mammoth had 18 shots on goal compared to the Stealth’s 8, but both teams scored 3 each. The first couple of games, a lack of hustle and transition game seemed to be problematic for Colorado. That didn’t seem to be the case as the Mammoth played a very aggressive game, especially in the 4^th quarter. Some might say the Mammoth played too aggressively in the 4^th, failing to set up plays and forcing shots. Some might also try to pin the game on the inconsistent reffing. (While there were some questionable calls and inconsistencies, both teams were on the receiving end.)

In the end, the Power Play was the Mammoth’s killer.

Although they had five opportunities, the Mammoth’s Power Play definitely struggled against the Stealth, who are ranked number 1 in the league on the PK at 84%. The Mammoth’s Penalty Kill, ranked 9^th in the league, was able to kill 4 of the Stealth’s 6 power plays. Penalties really hurt the Mammoth in their first matchup against the Stealth, with four players being ejected for fighting. The Mammoth played a much cleaner game without their tempers besting them, keeping the game within reach to the end.

Friday, the 3-2 Orlando Titans come to Denver to face a Mammoth team that, despite their third loss, is starting to find their groove.

Attendance – 15,242

Around the League:

Rochester Knighthawks 8, Orlando Titans 13

Calgary Roughnecks 11, Edmonton Rush 14

Minnesota Swarm 7, Buffalo Bandits 11

Philadelphia Wings 9, Boston Blazers 11

Toronto Rock 8, Rochester Knighthawks 16

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