The Colorado Mammoth (5-8) went up against the Philadelphia Wings (4-9) at The Pepsi Center the first time this season on “Western Night” Saturday March 29, 2014. They donned the first time in franchise history Colorado State Flag jerseys in front of a crowd of 16,322, the highest fan attendance this weekend, and the team with the highest attendance in 2014 with 124,247 fans. But even with all the hype, and the return of forward Adam Jones #16 who had been out since February 1, when he suffered a separated shoulder against the Minnesota Swarm, they could not overtake the Wings with the final score 14-12.
The Wings would put the first goal on the board at 1:15 of the first quarter, when forward Jordan Hall #44 would score, assisted by forward’s Kevin Crowley #21, and Kyle Buchanan #91. Mammoth forward Athan Iannucci #23 would score at 3:06, assists to forward John Grant, Jr., #24, and transition Cameron Holding #19.
Philadelphia would go ahead at 4:55 when Hall would score his second goal of the game, assists to transition players Kyle Sweeney #17, and Brodie Merrill #17. It took almost seven minutes before there would be another goal. Mammoth forward Drew Westervelt #26, and former Wings player put the ball in net at 11:17, assists to forward’s Sean Pollock #17, and Grant Jr. At the end of the first quarter, the game was tied 2-2.
Again, the Wings would be the first to score in the second quarter of play when forward Pat Saunders #14 hit net, assisted by rookie forward Garrett Thul #99, and Merrill. Thul would score his first goal of the game at 4:00, another assist going to Sweeney, and forward Tracey Kelusky #63. But the Mammoth would waste no time answering back. At 4:53 Westervelt scored his second goal of the game, assisted by Pollock, and forward Adam Jones #16 (his first assist since coming back from a separated shoulder in February).
Thul would score again at 6:42, assisted by Crowley, and Kelusky. Iannucci would score his second goal of the game at 8:45, assists to Pollock, and Jones. At 11:05 of the second quarter, Pollock would score, with assists by Grant Jr., and Jones. This would again tie the game, and at the end of the first half the score was 5-5.
At the start of the third quarter, Iannucci would get a hat-trick at 1:25, giving the Mammoth their first lead of the game, assists going to Grant Jr., and defensemen Creighton Reid #62. Westervelt would score at 3:21 giving him a hat-trick, another assist to Grant Jr. But the Wings answered with back-to-back goals: defensemen John Ranagan #31 would score, assist to defensemen Stephen Hoar #16; and at 6:41 defensemen Brett Manney #13, assist Merrill. The game was tied 7-7.
But the Mammoth would take back the lead when Grant Jr., hit net at 7:53, assisted by goalie Dillon Ward #45, and Reid. The Wings would tie it up again at 9:02 when forward Ryan Ward #4 scored, assisted by Hall, and Crowley. They took the lead at 13:20 when Saunders put the ball in net, assisted by Crowley, and Merrill. But the Mammoth would answer back when Jones would score his first goal of the game at 14:04, assisted by Reid, and transition Joey Cupido #82. Again, the game was tied 9-9.
The Mammoth would start the scoring off quickly in the fourth quarter when Jones scored his second goal of the game at 0:51, assists to Grant Jr., and forward Joel Dalgarno #96. The lead didn’t last long. Wings rookie Thul would get the first hat-trick goal of his career at 1:50, with the assist going to Buchanan. Four minutes later at 5:15, Iannucci would score his fourth goal of the game, and another assist to Dalgarno. Wings Captain Brodie Merrill would score his first goal of the game at 10:08, assist to transition Kyle Belton #12. Less than a minute later at 11:02, Crowley would score, assisted by Saunders, and forward Jordan Hall #44.
Grant Jr. tied the game 12-12 at 12:51 of the fourth quarter, assist to Westervelt. But the final two goals of the games would go to the Wings. Kelusky would score at 14:00 assist to Hall, and Merrill; and an empty netter at 14:58 by transition Joel White #11, assisted by Merrill.
Both teams had stellar performances. The Mammoth started out quickly, and played quality lacrosse throughout the game, but the last 60 seconds of the game the Mammoth lost their momentum, and couldn’t overcome the Wings. Both teams now share the record of 5-9. The Mammoth are only one game ahead of their Western Division rivals the Vancouver Stealth. If the Mammoth want to clinch a play-off spot, they need to stay ahead of the Stealth since only the top three teams in each division will head to the playoffs the beginning of May.
Team Statistics:
Mammoth: 22 assists; 34 points; 48 SOG; 77% SOG; 60 LB; 17 FOW; 4 PPG; 5 PPA; 3 PK; 80% PP; 48 saves; 6 FTO; 26 TO; .774 Save Percentage.
Wings: 23 assists; 37 points; 62 SOG; 76% SOG; 65 LB; 12 FOW; 2 PPG; 3 PPA; 5 PK; 67% PP; 26 saves; 16 FTO; 11 TO; .750 Save Percentage.
Players of the game:
Mammoth:
John Grant Jr. #24—2 G; 7 A
Drew Westervelt #26—3 G; 1 A
Athan Iannucci #23—4 G
Wings:
Garrett Thul #99—3 G; 1 A
Brodie Merrill #17—1 G; 6 A
On Saturday April 5th, the Mammoth head to Rexall Place in Edmonton to play the undefeated Edmonton Rush for the third meeting of the two teams this season. Can the Mammoth give the Rush their first loss of the 2014 season, or will Edmonton go 13-0?
