Colorado Continues Road Trip In Ottawa Sunday Afternoon

COLORADO MAMMOTH (8-5) VS. OTTAWA BLACK BEARS (5-8)
SUN. MARCH 23 | 1 P.M. MT | CANADIAN TIRE CENTRE
ALT TV | ESPN+ | NLL+

Pairing together consecutive wins for just the second time all season and the first since way back in December, the Colorado Mammoth secured a clutch 10-8 win over the Philadelphia Wings as the team began its three-game road trip in the win column Saturday. Previously earning an 11-8 win over the Calgary Roughnecks on March 1, the team has two-straight wins to their record after enduring quite the roller coaster of an opening 12 contests.

RELATED: Mammoth Rally Late, Begin Road Trip via 10-8 Victory Over Wings

It wasn’t a pretty win, per se. Not that anybody expected it to be with the team forced to operate without the likes of Zed Williams, Eli McLaughlin and Connor Kelly for the first time this season. Williams has been out for a few games now, but his physicality will never stopped being missed. “Liger” McLaughlin is away from the team for the first time, as he continues to take the next steps in his professional firefighting career. But it was a bit more of a surprise when fans learned the American box standout in Kelly was moved to the Injured Reserve List.

Which only meant guys like Thomas Vela, Ben McDonald, Tyson Gibson and company would need to step up if the team wanted to begin its time away from the LOUD HOUSE with a big win. Exactly the case, as Vela managed a pair of goals upon his three points (2g, 1a), while McDonald secured three points (1g, 2a) of his own during his season debut. And for as impactful as Gibson’s four points (0g, 4a) were in the showdown, it was Ryan Lee’s team-pacing six points (4g, 2a) which served as the ultimate difference-maker.

And BOY OH BOY, it was great to see Ryan Lee take yet another step toward feeling and looking like his old self. And trust us – If you saw his late-game dunk, it’s clear to see he’s trending in the right direction with a mere five games separating Colorado from a potential return to the postseason. The dunk was spectacular in all of its glory, no doubt. But it was potentially his long-range “shot clock reset” attempt that may served as the grandest dagger, as that shot shouldn’t have found its way in the net, but did so in deflating fashion. There were several waves of “Boos” being shed throughout the afternoon, but that may have been the loudest session of upset fans we can remember in a while.

Up to a squad-best 68 points (21g, 47a) on the year, Lee enters the weekend tied with Jonathan Donville for the 11th-most goals in the league as he continues to quarterback the team to success despite missing some of its key scorers. Just six points behind on the season, Will Malcom has been a menace just the same, tied with Connor Kelly for a team-leading 27 goals as he remains ever-shifty and successful. Most recently turning in four points (1g, 3a) during the win over Philadelphia, he’s over the 60-point mark for the fourth-straight season.

However, we can’t brag about the team’s 8-5 record without bringing up “The Wall” Dillon Ward, who just stopped 33-of-41 while limiting the Wings to a mere eight conversions despite the odd matinee matchup. Leading the league’s starting netminders in overall save percentage, having stopped 538 of 674 shots faced this season, he’s sporting a cool .798 stop rate during yet another season where it seems like a privilege to have the veteran holding down the net. Ranking fourth overall in saves, while sitting No. 2 amongst goalies who have only completed 13 contests, he’s up to a sincere 538 saves in 2025 as he continues to be the heart and soul of Colorado’s defensive unit. Rocking a 10.48 goals-against average very much suggests he’s been holding up his end of the deal this season – which ranks fourth outright and second among goalies to play 13 games. It’s no coincidence, either, that the Mammoth have been victorious while Ward has held Colorado’s past two opponents to an even eight goals.

With five games remaining throughout the dramatic March to May, Colorado’s schedule includes another pair of away contests to close out the lengthy road trip before returning to Ball Arena April 5 for a showdown with the Buffalo Bandits. Playing a second-straight inside the LOUD HOUSE, during the team’s home regular season finale, the Burgundy Boys will host the Saskatchewan Rush before closing out the campaign north of the border in Calgary.

Outside this weekend’s matchup with Ottawa, Colorado’s other remaining opponents are all currently etched into the league’s postseason picture, with the Buffalo Bandits remaining atop the standings and the Rush sitting just behind them in the No. 2 spot. Knowing three of the team’s final games are against Top 2-ranked squads suggests they’ll have their work cut out for them. And travelling to visit the Roughnecks this late in a season is rarely a pleasant trip, thus explaining how important this weekend’s game against the Black Bears really is.

Sitting at just 5-8 on the year, Ottawa hasn’t exactly enjoyed much of a home field advantage during their first season outside of New York, as the Black Bears are a mere 2-5 inside Canadian Tire Centre, also home to the Ottawa Senators. Figuring things out as the franchise’s inaugural season continues to unfold, they’ve been a bit hot and cold overall. Of the 13 games Ottawa has completed, the Black Bears have only managed to produce double-digit scoring figures in five contests, thus meeting said mark just over one-third of the time – meaning they’ve struggled as a collective offense on a consistent basis. If we throw out an 18-goal effort against the falling Albany FireWolves, they’ve only been above the 12-goal mark two times, during a 14-10 victory over the Georgia Swarm and during the team’s heartbreaking 17-16 loss to the Halifax Thunderbirds Friday night.

Exchanging blows throughout the contest, the two teams combined for a whopping 33 goals as they set the weekend’s offensive bar high for Week 17. And while forward Jeff Teat was able to bring the Black Bears within one late, the team wasn’t able to pull off the comeback, instead dropping the one-goal contest on the road to begin the team’s two-game slate.

Said contest featured a widespread contribution of Halifax finishers, with nine different players accumulating three or more points in the showcase. For Ottawa, however, Jeff Teat was very much the main attraction as one of the league’s top talents reminded fans what a star looks like. Ending the night with a game-high 10 points (6g, 4a), the kid netted a sock trick as he attempted to put the squad on his back. He’s been regarded as a generational talent since turning pro and lived up to the reputation during the close call.

Forwards Reilly O’Connor (3g, 3a), Travis Longboat (2g, 2a) and Larson Sundown (2g, 2a) paced Ottawa’s scoring efforts with Taggert Clark (1g, 2a), Matt Marinier (1g, 1a) and Jake Stevens (1g, 1a) rounding out goal-scorers in the tight contest. Despite making 58 saves on the night, stopping 58-of-75, Zach Higgins couldn’t will his team to victory but still turned in a very stellar performance.

While the Black Bears would likely need to win at least four of their final five opportunities to manage a spot in the postseason at this point, Colorado could earn an unofficial, yet extremely likely, spot in the Top 8 Sunday, as a win out east would serve as the team’s ninth of the season. Nine or ten is typically the mark teams need to be shooting for, with teams able to secure 11-12 nearly guaranteed at this point to host some first-round action. Which is what Colorado wants – To invite another 10k+ back to the LOUD HOSUE during the final week of April. And, re: the team’s remaining schedule, this rare 1 p.m. SUNDAY AFTERNOON faceoff suddenly takes center stage. Not just for Colorado, either – For each of the league’s other contenders who are battling for one of the same four or eight spots.

Tie-breakers will quickly enter the equation, just the same, thus re-iterating how important games against the three teams currently sitting ahead of Colorado (Buffalo Bandits, Saskatchewan Rush, Halifax Thunderbirds) and the tightly-contested pack of hopefuls just behind the Mammoth (including the Georgia Swarm, San Diego Seals, Rochester Knighthawks and Calgary Roughnecks) really are. While there are a variety of details and deciders that will factor into weighing Colorado against any of the other contenders come postseason seeding, knowing the Mammoth already own head-to-head advantages against both the Thunderbirds and Knighthawks, plus an early 1-0 series lead over Calgary suggests they have a fair shot at claiming some home field advantage if they can continue to take care of business. Having split the two-game series with the Swarm means there could be some extracurriculars there, so Georgia is a team Mammoth fans should keep an eye on down the stretch.

The biggest outlier for this weekend’s session of games? Both the Bandits and Black Bears will be participating in two games during the Week 17 slate, which means Colorado could be running into a rather wired or tired version of Ottawa when Sunday rolls around. After dropping the close 17-16 decision Friday night, the Black Bears will now be forced to rally for quite the literal “Win or Go Home” showcase on Sunday afternoon, as Ottawa would drop to a 5-9 record if they were to lose the approaching contest, thus pretty much falling out of the postseason push.

With both the (11-2) Bandits and (10-4) Rush clinching their playoff spots Friday night, a mere six spots remain to be claimed by the league’s other 12 units. If the Mammoth can pick up what would be a HUGE road win Sunday, they’d skyrocket themselves to the top of the “Who’s Next” list alongside Halifax as some of the league’s potential first-round hosts begin to reveal themselves. The Bandits can become the first of four teams to secure some home field advantage with a win Saturday – But would need both the San Diego Seals and Georgia Swarm to drop their respective Saturday night showdowns.

New Kids on the Block

Coming off a heartbreaking 17-16 loss to the Halifax Thunderbirds, whom the Mammoth defeated 19-14 earlier this season, the Ottawa Black Bears are in a bit of a rut, currently bringing a four-game losing streak into their approaching showdown against the Burgundy Boys, themselves. After beginning their season with a 2-1 record thanks to a pair of wins against an injured Toronto Rock squad, Ottawa has managed just a 3-7 record since. Recently opting into a few trades, sending Larson Sundown and Ron John packing while acquiring some future daft capital and other depth talents, it appears the team may be content settling for a favorable draft pick at this point of the season. But, knowing there are still several paths remaining to claim either the seven or eight seed, there’s a good chance the Black Bears bring their best effort Sunday and throughout the duration of their campaign.

For as much star power as Jeff Teat brings with him wherever he goes, the talent has recorded just 76 points (34g, 42a) this time around as his offense, and team overall, has been hit or miss. While this is the franchise’s first year in Ottawa, it’s far from Teat’s first time commanding the on-turf action, yet he’s only tied for the 10th-most points this season as of Saturday morning. Yet, after recording a 10-point performance on Friday, he seems to be heating up at the right time. Of course, it helps a bit when you have some other quality options to operate the O-zone with. Something the team just hasn’t quite assembled, or witnessed, so far. Connor Kearnan’s 43 points (12g, 31a) represent the second-highest total on the squad, with Jacob Dunbar (38 points: 23g, 15a) the only other man on the roster with more than 40 points to his name. The weird part with Dunbar is that he was deemed a healthy scratch Friday, something to keep an eye on. There’s plenty of talent and potential littered throughout the team’s personnel pool, just no true 1B threats to Teat’s 1A presence.

As far as goaltending goes, veteran Zach Higgins continues to hold down action between the pipes during another quality season. Again, when the two units in front of you aren’t the most productive, it’s going to be hard to shine amongst the league’s brightest stars. Through 13 games, he’s ranked No. 5 in overall saves, with 534 to his credit after stopping an insane 58 shots Friday. He also remains ranked amongst Top 10 talent when it comes to goals-against average (11.14, ranked No. 9 to Ward’s fourth-place efforts thus far) and save percentage (.790, ranked No. 6 to Ward’s No. 2 rank). He’s been considered one of the NLL’s netminding talents for a few seasons now and remains a threat capable of stifling a banged-up Mammoth offense Sunday.

Mammoth After Hours

Back for some more Wednesday night fun, Mammoth After Hours (continuing to take place Wednesday nights at 8 p.m. MT on Altitude Sports social media channels), hosted by Mammoth Play-by-Play Caller Andy Lindahl and Color Analyst Jamie Shewchuk, returns this Wednesday as the boys continue to break down the playoff picture and chat all things March to May!

RELATED: Mammoth After Hours Live on Altitude Sports Radio Social Channels Wednesdays at 8 p.m. MT

Get in the Game

Mammoth games can be viewed on Altitude TV and streamed live via ESPN+ and NLL+. Sunday’s March 23 showdown against the Ottawa Black Bears can be viewed locally via Altitude TV and streamed live on ESPN+ and NLL+. Mammoth fans can keep an eye on the team’s social media channels and coloradomammoth.com for the latest news, transactions and organizational updates throughout the 2024-25 NLL season.

Limited Tickets remain for Colorado’s April 5 Rumble at the LOUD HOUSE showcase against the Buffalo Bandits, so be sure to lock yours in and get ready to TUSK UP!