Washington is coming off their lowest scoring game of the year. The Stealth were held to just 6 goals last weekend in a loss versus Rochester; look for them to explode on Saturday. Stealth leading scorer Rhys Duch was held to just a goal while Athan Iannucci while limited to 1 goal and 1 assist. Look for them to have huge games along with Cliff Smith and Lewis Ratcliff. Tyler Richards has been a wall in the Stealth net; his 48 saves kept the game close in Rochester.
Captain Kyle Sorensen and Mike Grimes both played great in the defensive zone. Sorensen picked up 7 loose balls while Grimes finished 11. Grimes also chipped in on the offensive zone with2 goals and 1 assist. They have a tough task ahead this weekend though as John Grant Jr. is not an easy man to cover. They will also have to keep their eye on Mammoth Captain Gavin Prout. He has 19 assists this season and can find his teammates anywhere on the floor.
Colorado looked impressed last weekend but what’s more important is Matt Roik looked like a number one goalie. The Mammoth released Chris Levis early last week which gave Roik the chance to prove himself against the Swarm. He certainly did that with some big stops early and ended the night with 36 saves. Grant led the charge with 5 goals and 6 assists, while Jamie Lincoln had a hat trick.
Ilija Gajic scooped up 11 loose balls and was huge factor in the victory.
The Mammoth looked like a different team Saturday than the one we saw in their week 4 loss to Calgary. They were moving the ball better and were tighter on their defense, an area that hurt them against the Roughnecks. Grant was firing on all cylinders and looked to be at the top of his game. If he stays hot, it could be trouble for the Washington Stealth.
Colorado will move into second place in the West with a victory on Saturday. A loss would move them a game and a half behind the Stealth. This should be one of the better games of the weekend as it features some of the most talented offensive players in the world. John Grant Jr. is arguably the best lacrosse player of all time and Athan Iannucci is quickly proving to be the next big thing. These two magicians are no strangers to each other; they met last summer in the Mann Cup finals.
Expect some highlight reel goals from these superstars in what promises to be a very excited game.
Saturday’s game is a 10pm start in Washington at the Comcast Center.
Watch all the action live at http://www.youtube.com/user/TheLacrosseNetwork/Schedule
