The Vancouver Stealth (4-5) were back in action Saturday night as they hosted the Colorado Mammoth (5-5). One week ago the Stealth were playing for first in the West and entering the game they were in sole possession of third place. Would they be able to come out and take over the second slot from Colorado, or fall even further back from the top seeded Edmonton Rush.
Rhys Duch got things going for the home team, as the Stealth would take the 1-0 lead. Nearly five minutes later Joey Cupido would score a beauty of a shorthanded goal to tie things up for Colorado. Duch would score his second a few minutes later off an assist from Tyler Digby and Johnny Powless. John Grant Jr. who would go on to become the second All Time Leading Scorer in the NLL would score his lone goal of the evening to tie things up at 2 at the end of one quarter.
The second quarter would belong to the visiting Mammoth, as they would out score the Stealth 4-2 and take a 6-4 halftime lead. Justin Salt would put the Stealth ahead by one, but in his second game Jeremy Noble would answer right back for Colorado.
Jackson Decker would follow to take the lead for Colorado, but Tyler Digby would once again tie things up in the back and forth action. Cupido and Noble would score the final goals of the half, as they both would go into the locker room with two apiece on the night.
Noble would start the third with a hat trick followed by goals from Adam Jones, and Drew Westervelt as Colorado seemed to be pulling away. Vancouver would get a great run to pull back within one. Rhys Duch’s hat trick would start the scoring, followed by Tyler Hass, Johnny Powless, and Brandon Clelland. Adam Jones would score again in the quarter to go back up two. Chris O’Dougherty had an athletic crease diving goal to put the Stealth back within one entering the fourth.
Corey Small would score the first goal of the final frame for Vancouver to tie things up early. Cupido would get his hat trick and Noble his fourth on the night to put Colorado back in control up by two. Tyler Digby would once again show that the Stealth had some fight left. All of that would fall to the waist side as Alex Turner and Drew Westervelt would finish off the Stealth on their home floor for the 14-11 win, and stay within striking distance of first place in the West.
Next week Colorado will host Vancouver in a rematch, can the Stealth rebound after last night’s loss? You can catch the game live from the Pepsi Center, through WatchESPN, or TSN GO, faceoff is scheduled for 8 pm.
