To commence the 2015 NLL season home games, John Grant Jr., Athan Iannucci and Dillon Ward were the stars of the game. In front of a crowd of approximately 12,000 spectators, the Mammoth showed their offseason work. It paid off big time.
Let’s get to it. The Colorado Mammoth came out on top of the Calgary Roughnecks following a sudden death overtime. 17-16 was the final score, the game winning goal came from John Grant Jr.
In the first period, Colorado scored seven times and Calgary four. By the end of the night, Dillon Ward had taken about 60-70 shots but made tremendous saves and played consistently. On the other side of the box, Calgary pulled Mike Poulin from goal halfway through the first period and replaced him with Frankie Scigliano. Having been at the game, I’m not sure if Poulin reentered or not.
The second quarter was a tighter, more back and forth style. Both teams scored three goals, bringing the jumbo-tron display to 10-7 Colorado. Excitement didn’t cease, and the Mammoth fans made sure to support their team. Every offensive opportunity for the Mammoth was full with deafening cheers from spectators. Calgary’s defense had no chance at hearing one another.
Calgary gave Colorado concerns in the third period. The Roughnecks were able to tally up five goals compared to the Mammoth’s two. End of third: 12-12.
The Mammoth picked up their third period slack in the fourth as both teams scored four goals. This pushed the game into overtime; what an exciting way to end their home opener. John Grant Jr. saved the day.
Iannucci and JGJ were the momentum behind the offense. They moved the ball, made high quality shots and found passing lanes.
Other strong contenders included Cam Holding, Bob Snider, Eli McLaughlin and Joey Cupido.
