Photo Credit: Di Miller
The Colorado Mammoth (5-7), head east for the first time this season to First Niagara Center in Buffalo on March 15, 2014 to face the Bandits who sit atop the NLL Eastern Division with a record of 7-2. During the last meeting of the two teams at The Pepsi Center on January 18, the Bandits beat the Mammoth by the score of 16-9. Will the Mammoth take their momentum from last weekend’s win to Buffalo for the final meeting of the two teams in the 2014 regular season and even the series? If the Mammoth play like they did against Calgary, they may very well give the Bandits their third loss of the season.
Buffalo had a rough start in last weekend’s game against the Minnesota Swarm (2-8). They had six goals scored against them in the first 18 minutes of the game, and didn’t take the lead until 4th quarter, and held onto that lead for the win. Could this be a sign that the Bandits armor make be weakening?
Colorado is coming off a spectacular OT win against Calgary 10-9. A new coaching staff, the return of Jamie Shewchuk, Casey Powell’s impact on the team, and a new overall outlook on the remainder of the 2014 season, the Mammoth are on a mission: win games.
Bandits players the Mammoth need to watch out for:
Ryan Benesch #17, forward: (13 G, 29 A, 4 PPG, 2 SHG, 56 SOG, 44 LB, 1 MVP)
Dhane Smith #92, transition: (13 G, 25 A, 2 PPG, 61 SOG, 40 LB)
Mark Steenhuis #9, forward: (20 G, 18 A, 2 PPG, 64 SOG, 52 LB, 2 MVP)
John Tavares #11, forward (16 G, 14 A, 3 PPG, 59 SOG, 35 LB, 1 MVP)
Mammoth players the Bandits need to keep an eye on:
John Grant Jr. #24, forward (24 G, 39 A, 43 LB, 6 PPG, 2 SHG, 123 SOG, 2 MVP)
Drew Westervelt #26, forward (24 G, 21 A, 25 LB, 5 PPG, 87 SOG)
Sean Pollock #17, forward (17 G, 15 A, 33 LB, 4 PPG, 1 SHG, 59 SOG)
Casey Powell #22, forward (8 G, 17 A, 14 LB, 3 PPG, 1 SHG, 42 SOG, 1 MVP)
According to NLL.com, between the two teams, there are 13 categories where players are in the top five, some holding multiple records. Mammoth players sitting in the top five are: Grant Jr. (first in SOG 123; third in points 63; tied for fourth in goals 24; and fourth in assists 39), Bob Snider #41, defenseman (second in FOW 185; and third in LB 117), Westervelt (tied for fourth in goals 24), Dillon Ward #45, goaltender (fifth in wins 5).
Bandits players who hold top five league leader records are: Anthony Cosmo #44, goaltender (second in wins 7; second in saves 383; and third in GAA 10.07), Jay Thorimbert #3, transition (third in FOW 137).
Net minder match-up between the two teams:
Colorado Mammoth–Dillon Ward: (5 W, 4 L, 106 GA, 11.607 GAA, 443 saves, .761 save percentage, 1 MVP)
Buffalo Bandits–Anthony Cosmo: (7 W, 1 L, 88 GA, 10.07 GAA, 383 saves, .813 save percentage, 2 MVP)
Face-off match-up between the two teams:
Colorado Mammoth–Bob Snider: (1 G, 4 A, 117 LB, 185 FOW, .564 FOW percentage)
Buffalo Bandits—Jay Thorimbert: (3 G, 3 A, 96 LB, 137 FOW, .588 FOW percentage)
All in all, the teams are fairly well matched up. The main difference is the win/loss records. In the Mammoth losses, they have had problems not playing a full 60 minutes of quality lacrosse, but have made some major changes all around. The question comes to mind, if the Mammoth had made a coaching change earlier in the season, would they be over 500 on the season? The talent is, and always has been there, and Mammoth fans are ecstatic that GM Steve Govett finally made that key move in replacing the coaching staff. Time will tell, but I see the Mammoth on an uphill path, winning games on the road, and at home.
