Colorado Set to Close Out Series with Georgia Swarm Friday
COLORADO MAMMOTH (5-4) VS. GEORGIA SWARM (5-4)
FRI. FEB. 7 | 5:30 P.M. MT | GAS SOUTH ARENA
ALT 2 | ESPN+ | NLL+
Spilt milk from last weekend may cause the Burgundy Boys to bring a little bit of extra motivation into the Week 11 slate as Colorado prepares to close out its regular season series against the Georgia Swarm. Recently dropping a dramatic overtime decision to the Toronto Rock inside the LOUD HOUSE just six days before embracing a cross-country road trip, Colorado fell to an unfamiliar 3-2 record at Ball Arena this season.
Owning momentum through the first half, the Mammoth had established a 6-3 advantage heading into the break. Outscored 5-2 throughout the final 30 minutes, however, it was Toronto who eventually sealed the deal during some free lacrosse courtesy of a 9-8 final.
RELATED: Colorado Drops Dramatic 9-8 Overtime Decision to Toronto Rock Saturday
Colorado’s defensive unit played a physical 60-plus minutes while Mammoth netminder Dillon Ward turned in one of his best outings of the year, stopping 57-of-66 outright. Ryan Lee took another step in returning to his high-flying act, leading the game’s scoresheet with six points (3g, 3a) and representing Colorado’s lone hat-trick act Saturday night. Connor Kelly (2g, 2a) and Connor Robinson (2g, 2a) each doubled down, while Eli McLaughlin (1g, 1a) served as the team’s only other finisher in the low-scoring, defensive battle.
But that’s all in the past at this point as the (5-4) Mammoth prepare to take on the (5-3) Swarm Friday night to kick off the league’s action-packed slate. Just a mere 57 days after dropping an equally frustrating 13-12 final to the Swarm inside the LOUD HOUSE in late December, Colorado will be combining some frustrations from that showdown alongside its most recent close call as Colorado heads east to Gas South Arena Friday night for a battle with the blue and yellow unit.
Add in the Mammoth’s close call victory against the Rochester Knighthawks a few weekends back and its clear Colorado hasn’t shied away from the tight contests lately. However, just 1-2 in said one-goal games, the squad needs to tighten things up and get the O-zone flowing a little more regularly when the circumstances are so dire.
Meanwhile for Georgia, who exited their win over Colorado with a perfect 4-0 record, the Swarm have endured quite a troubling stretch themselves, officially 1-3 since picking up the series-opening win against the Mammoth Dec. 29, which included three-straight losses immediately following said showdown. Getting back in the win column last weekend, albeit against the (2-6) Las Vegas Desert Dogs, the Swarm netted 16 markers in the high-scoring 16-14 affair, thus suggesting they may be evolving a bit in the O-zone after managing just 11, 10 and nine goals in their three previous games.
Yet, anytime two of the league’s Top 3 scorers in Connor Kelly (24 goals, ranked T1st) and Lyle Thompson (23 goals: ranked T3rd), we have to expect some nets to be filled. Which could be fun for fans planning to tune into Friday’s slate-opening game on Altitude TV 2 but a bit less entertaining for goaltenders Dillon Ward and Brett Dobson, both of whom happen to have strong ties to Team Canada’s international affairs.
Making his way to the scoresheet at least once in all nine of Colorado’s game and at least twice in eight of the nine, No. 40 has been showing off his finishing skills lately as quarterback Ryan Lee continues to embrace his helper-friendly role. At the same time, Flyin’ Ryan Lee has looked like his old self for the most part, which could bring Kelly’s overall scoring ceiling down for the duration of the season. But we have a feeling his fellow right-handed talent is just fine sharing the rock as long as these sets are leading to conversions. And more importantly, wins.
Bringing a league-leading 24 goals into Friday’s showcase, Kelly is nearly netting a hat trick effort per-game, officially averaging 2.67 conversions per contest throughout the first half of Colorado’s season. Call him option No. 1 or recognize him as one of the team’s Top 6, ever-interchangeable talents. All he’s concerned with is filling the nets of opponents as he continues to lead Colorado in overall scoring with 48 points (24g, 24a) to his name. With four hat tricks on his resume this season alone, he’s going to be on Georgia’s scouting report, 100%. Only time will tell if he will be able to keep up with Thompson, who’s up to 45 points (23g, 22a) of his own in nearly-mirroring fashion. Coming off a rare one-goal game last weekend as the Swarm handed Las Vegas a 16-14 loss, Thompson notched five points (1g, 4a) in a game where five other players had two-plus conversions. Which isn’t a great sign for Mammoth fans, as we very much expect No. 4 to bounce back from his helper-heavy outing. Thompson and Ward, the man he’ll be shooting on, have battled back and forth many times over the years, both indoors and outdoors, as well as on the international stage. Kelly vs. Thompson will be competing to see who can carry their team to the winner’s circle. But the true matchup revolves around Thompson and Ward, a pair of All-Pros, if not All-World talents.
And while we’re bragging on league-leading efforts, it’s hard not to involved Mammoth captain Robert Hope in the conversation, who continues to not only set the bar for Colorado in several statistical categories but remains ranked highly amongst all NLLers in several areas.
Leading the entire league with 96 loose balls, Hope just turned in a whopping 13 loose balls during the team’s loss to Toronto. Which is a lot, sure. But when you consider he’s scooped 13 loosies in three separate games, with a 12-LB effort and several 9+ outings sprinkled in there, his outstanding performances have simply become an expectation at this point as he continues to average an insane 10.67 loose balls per contest. Connor Fields, the only other man in the league above the 90-LB mark, has only logged 94 to Hope’s 96 and has done so in 10 contests to Hope’s nine. Remaining tied with several others for the sixth-most caused turnovers this season (13), he’s still every bit of a disrupting threat despite spending most of his time as an extension of Dillon Ward’s creasing-protecting aura. Which should be rather evident, as he’s soaked 14 blocked shots, which is good to keep him tied for the fourth-most ahead of Week 11.
Sitting at 5-4 halfway through the season is more than a stride or two ahead of where the team ended its previous campaign at: with a 5-13 record. If Colorado can copy paste that same 5-4 record over the course of its final nine games, the burgundy unit should find itself back in the postseason. But the team will likely need an 11th win if they want to host a Quarterfinal competition inside the LOUD HOUSE in late April. At the same time, the Mammoth made both of their recent trips to the NLL Finals as lower seeds who were forced to grind it out on the road, so there are plenty of scenarios that exist in which Colorado could be dancing once more. The most important part of said equation is taking care of business week-to-week. Beginning with Georgia Friday night.
Occupying the league’s No. 4 rank at 5-3, the Swarm are in the midst of quite the roller coaster. However, they also currently represent the fourth and final team which would be presented a home matchup in the postseason had the season ended last weekend. Averaging 11.6 goals per-game, while allowing 12.1 against, the formula suggests there’s plenty of room for the Swarm to fall out of playoff-lurking waters if the team continues to surrender 12-plus.
When it comes to Swarm’s offensive scoring power, Lyle Thompson has been the man once again as he continues to pace the Swarm pack with 45 points in eight appearances. He’s shifty. He’s creative and he knows how to score just as well as he knows how to position his teammates for quality looks. Between his work ethic and spiritual connection, he is the definition of why we honor The Creator’s Game and will 100% be a threat to find the scoreboard early and often despite the team bringing just a 2-2 home record into Friday’s matchup. From there, it appears Andrew Kew has lined himself up as the team’s No. 2 producer as he’s racked up 38 points (12g, 26a) to start the season. The only other man on the roster above the 30-point mark, he and Thompson have done a good job taking turns with the likes of Bryan Cole (26 points: 16g, 10a) and Shayne Jackson (24 points: 9g, 15a) in game-to-game fashion as far as who’s leading the scoring charge on any given night. Brendan Bomberry (28 points: 7g, 21a) has amassed 21 assists as he remains a consistent producer, albeit in helping fashion, with three assists to his name for each goal he’s converted thus far. Up to 10 points (5g, 5a) during his first three games competing for Georgia, forward Toron Eccleston has been making some noise and could serve as a bit of a wild card for the home team Friday night.
Dobson, as mentioned, has looked up to Ward since the two began sharing the international stage for Team Canada and will likely have his gloves full as Colorado’s offense remains one of the more powerful units out there despite the team’s offensive lull here lately. And while the Swarm are two games above .500 ahead of this weekend’s showdown, Dobson remains quite a ways under the .800 save percentage mark (currently .757). Surrendering roughly 12 goals per game this season (courtesy of an 11.84 goals-against average), he’s been a bright spot for the Swarm more nights than not. But after giving up 14 last weekend against Las Vegas, not to mention 12, 14 and 16 goals during the team’s three-game losing streak, there’s a chance Dobson allows more than 12 to squeak in with guys like Ryan Lee and company buzzing.
Mammoth After Hours
Be sure to check out this week’s #MammothAfterHours episode hosted by Mammoth Play-by-Play announcer Andy Lindahl and Color Commentator Jamie Shewchuk chatting with Mammoth defensemen Jordan Gilles and Owen Down as the boys discuss some recent close contests, working with goaltender Dillon Ward and all sorts of off-the-turf entertainment!
And be sure to tune in weekly to Andy’s Facebook, Twitter and YouTube channels at 8 p.m. on Wednesday nights for the latest from your favorite Mammoth players, coaches and beyond!
Get in the Game
Mammoth games can be viewed on Altitude TV and streamed live via ESPN+ and NLL+. Friday’s Feb. 7 showdown against the Georgia Swarm can be viewed locally via Altitude TV 2 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 the Mammoth’s Feb. 21 Marvel Super Hero Night showcase against the Las Vegas Desert Dogs, so be sure to lock yours in and get ready to TUSK UP!