On Friday night the Colorado Mammoth (5-10) hosted the undefeated Edmonton Rush (14-0). The Mammoth came into this game in possession of the final playoff spot in the west and were looking to put an end to Edmonton’s streak.
The Mammoth came out firing in this game as Cameron Holding score just three minutes into the game to give the Mammoth a 1-0 lead. The Mammoth would continue to roll in the first as Adam Jones n John Grant would score to go ahead 3-0. The Rush would respond with a goal from Zack Greer in order to cut the lead to two. With the score now 3-1 the Mammoth would once again go ahead by three as Creighton Reid scored to put the Mammoth ahead 4-1 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter Robert Church would score early for the Rush to try and get them back in the game as the score was now 4-2. The Mammoth would not let their foot off the pedal as John Grant Jr scored a pair of goals putting the Mammoth in front 6-2. The Rush would not give up as Cory Conway scored to spark the Rush offense making the score 6-3. The Rush quickly capitalized on the change in momentum as Brett Mydske and Mark Matthews scored to make this a one goal game as the half ended with Colorado leading 6-5.
In the third quarter the Rush quickly tied the game as Curtis Knight score just 58 seconds into the period to tie this game at 6-6. The Mammoth would quickly regain their lead as Drew Westervelt scored to put the Mammoth in front 7-6. The Rush continued to battle as Zack Greer would score to once again tie this game. With the score 7-7 both teams were pressuring to gain an advantage before the third quarter ended. Cameron Holding would score to put the Mammoth in front 8-7 as the third quarter ended.
The Mammoth would build on their momentum from the third quarter as John Grant Jr scored early in the fourth to extend the Mammoth’s lea to two as they now led 9-7. The Mammoth continued to pressure the Rush as Adam Jones would score just minutes later giving the Mammoth a 10-7 lead. The Rush would continue to fight as the seconds on the clock ticked away. The Rush would get a goal from Cory Conway in order to cut the lead to two. The Rush continued to fight but clock continued to count down to their first defeat of the season as the Mammoth held on for the massive upset.
The Mammoth handed the Rush their first loss by a score of 10-8. The Mammoth were able to upset the Rush thanks to John Grant Jr’s five point night as he powered the Mammoth’s offense on this night. The Rush will need to forget this loss as they head into the playoffs. While the Mammoth will want to ride this wave of momentum into the playoffs and hopefully a first round upset.
