Sunday, February 18 at Mohegan Sun Arena, the Colorado Mammoth (4-3) face off against the New England Black Wolves (4-3) in their first East Division road matchup of the season. A win against the Black Wolves would be the Mammoth’s second East Division win of the season – their first was against the Swarm in their December 23 home opener.
If you look at their 4-3 win-loss records alone, the Mammoth and Black Wolves look evenly matched, but their other statistics are far from even.
The Mammoth have allowed 18 fewer goals than the Black Wolves this season. The Mammoth have 82 goals against compared to the Black Wolves who have 100 goals against.
The Mammoth’s average margin of victory is 3.75 while their average margin of defeat is four points. The Black Wolves’ average margin of victory is 2.25 while their average margin of defeat is 10 points.
Perhaps the most important statistic to note is that in five games over three seasons, the Colorado Mammoth have never lost a game to the New England Black Wolves. Besides a 14-9 win last February though, the Mammoth have won each matchup by only one or two points.
To continue their New England winning streak, the Mammoth will have to bring their best game to the Black Wolves’ turf.
“Teams are too good in this league to take anyone lightly,” team captain Robert Hope said. “Every week we have to be prepared for the next team.”
Assistant captain Joey Cupido added, “New England is a dangerous opponent that has a lot of talented players on their roster. It is going to be important that we get out to fast start against them, stick to the game plan and make sure that we dictate how they play from start to finish.”
The Mammoth travel to New England coming off a 13-9 loss on the road against Calgary. By all accounts, the loss was a wake-up call for the Mammoth. To be the best, the Mammoth must play their best.
Hope said, “We didn’t have our best game against Calgary and they capitalized on their opportunities. Their goalie played well and they battled hard as a team. Hopefully we can learn from our mistakes and be better as a unit.”
Who to Watch on Offense: Ryan Benesch is three assists away from reaching 500 assists. Jacob Ruest scored his first hat trick of the season against the Roughnecks last Saturday. As he has scored four or more points in each game this season, watch for Ruest to contribute to the scoreboard on Sunday with both goals and assists.
Who to Watch on Defense: To reach 100 caused turnovers, Robert Hope needs to force three against New England. So far this season, four caused turnovers is his single-game record. Joey Cupido is four points away from 100 points. Four points is Cupido’s single-game record, which he accomplished only once in 2015.
On March 3, the Mammoth returns home for its “Colorado Pride” game, facing off against the Buffalo Bandits at 7:00 PM. To find seats visit AltitudeTickets.com.
