The Colorado Mammoth are set to take on the Vancouver Stealth at The Pepsi Center Saturday night. This is the season opener for the Stealth and game number two for the Mammoth. With the Mammoth coming off an exciting but disappointing season-opening loss to the Edmonton Rush on December 28, 2013 by a score of 13-10, what types of changes will the Mammoth have in store to be more productive in all areas?
During the NLL Radio Coaches Media call on Monday December 30, 2013, which included Mammoth Head Coach Bob Hamley, John Orsen, defenseman for the Mammoth, Stealth Head Coach Chris Hall, and Lewis Ratcliff, forward for the Stealth, Doug Fritts, the VP of Broadcast Services and Communications for the NLL asked Coach Hamley to talk about the home opener 13-10 loss to Edmonton and a chance to quickly rebound here with Vancouver coming in this weekend.
Coach Hamley said, “Absolutely we’re looking at it, Doug. We’re very disappointed that we didn’t come up with a win Saturday, but the good news for us is we get to get right back at it and we’re looking forward to playing at home again on Saturday.”
From a Mammoth player perspective Fritts then asked Orsen, with so much talk going into the season about the shorter rosters, how players would stay fresh, and how is that all going to feel different for him playing in the game there this past weekend.
Orsen said, “I thought it was great. You get more, obviously as a player you always look to get more minutes and obviously with fewer bodies you’re on the floor more. I think there were some times where it was up and down, and it seemed like there was fewer stoppages in play. I don’t know if that had to do with the fewer bodies or just the game aspect, but I think there were some stretches where it affected players, but certainly these days you gotta be in shape, and I think everyone pretty much on both squads we were in good shape. And the fourth quarter you saw some guys kind of tire out, but it was fun. I think it’s great, short rosters, I like it a lot!”
Fritts then asked Orsen about the new players out there in the team and if he felt that it started to maybe gel a little bit further as the game went along. Orsen said, “Absolutely, I think in the second quarter especially, we had a little bit of a lull, but in the fourth quarter I think at least for the Mammoth things really started to click a little bit more on the defensive end especially, but it’s a long season and it does take some time but I certainly saw that on the defensive end that there really was a difference from the first quarter to the fourth quarter.”
I asked Coach Hamley what kinds of adjustments he thought the Mammoth would make on transition and defense to keep the Stealth out of goal. Coach Hamley replied, “Well I think John Orsen touched on it a little bit, I think we’re kinda finding our way. I think for both teams it was a little scrambly at times Saturday night, and we seemed to make some adjustments in the third quarter to our benefit and played a little better. I think our fitness is good, I think our game plan was good, it’s just about gelling and getting comfortable with each other, and it’s nice to have one under your belt. But it would have been nice to have a win obviously, but we got one under our belt. We know what we have to get better at and we’ll focus on that at practice Friday.”
I then asked Coach Hamley if there were any players in particular from the Stealth that they are going to keep an eye on to keep them from scoring. Coach Hamley said, “Well, Rhys Duch and Lewis Ratcliff come to mind right away. They’re two elite players in our league and have been for a while, and obviously they have an outstanding young goaltender that’s been great for them for the last few years.
So those three guys are guys that come up to the forefront right away. But their defense is very good, and I know they’ve added some young legs to their offense, so we’re expecting nothing but the best from them Saturday night.”
With the players mentioned by Coach Hamley, Vancouver Stealth player Rhys Duch #10, forward, has appeared in 78 regular season games since being drafted by the Stealth 3rd overall in the 2009 NLL Entry Draft, and has 440 points (188 G, 252 A) and 387 loose balls in his regular season career. Then there’s Stealth forward Lewis Ratcliff #42, with 11 years experience in the NLL, including a 104 point season in 2007. The Stealth goaltender, Tyler Richards #00, appeared in 15 regular season games last season, picking up 8 wins and a 10.92 GAA.
The Mammoth are going to need to play a tight game on defense, paying close attention to the 2-on-1 and 3-on-2 defense, make good passes, and allow their top forwards the chance to score. This could also mean great opportunities for the younger players because the Stealth will be concentrating on the high stats guys, and that might just allow those other players to sneak in that goal out of the blue.
One thing to note, however, is that the Stealth haven’t locked in on the draw position. They have been working on draws with three or four different guys, but really haven’t determined who will be in draw. This will be key for the Mammoth who acquired outstanding FO guy/defenseman Bob Snider #41, who is second best in the league with FO wins. The Mammoth should be extremely strong in that area, and hopefully those FO wins will lead to goals scored by the Mammoth.
The Mammoth need to work on loose balls and rebounds, find more ways to get the ball to forward John Grant Jr. #24, forward Drew Westervelt #26, and of course forward Adam Jones #16, who was the Mammoth’s leading scorer against the Rush with 4 goals, while John Grant Jr. and Drew Westervelt scored 3 goals each.
Several factors weigh in favor of the Mammoth for Saturday night’s game; they are determined to bring home their first win of the regular season, they have already played one regular season game at home, they are familiar with the shorter rosters and how the players are affected, and the changes the Mammoth will be making this week to work on the problem areas from last week’s loss. I would have to say the Mammoth definitely have the advantage over the Stealth with Saturday night’s game at The Pepsi Center being the first regular season game for Vancouver, not to mention they’re playing away from their home field crowd.
Again, I see a high scoring game with strong offensive players on both sides of the floor, and there will be many shots on goal. The question is which goalie will come out on top with saves. Belanger from the Mammoth or Richards from the Stealth?
