COLORADO MAMMOTH (6-4) VS. LAS VEGAS DESER DOGS (2-8)
FRI. FEB. 21 | 7 P.M. MT | BALL ARENA
ALT TV | ESPN+ | NLL+
Coming out of a mid-season bye week, it seems like it was a long time ago when Colorado last hit the turf. Thankfully the team was able to complete a dramatic 13-12 thrilling win over the Georgia Swarm out east before taking a solid 10 days off to rest and relax. Mirroring the exact same score from the last time the two squads met, it was a 13-12 final which solidified the Mammoth’s sixth win of the season, now sitting at 6-4 this season ahead of their approaching battle with the Las Vegas Desert Dogs.
RELATED: Mammoth Split Series with Swarm, Advance to 6-4 via Win in Georgia
Knowing the teams combined for 25 goals when they originally met back in December suggested the rematch and series finale would likely be just as close. Having played Georgia twice both last and again this season meant there was definitely a rivalrous feel on the turf when the contest began. Thanks to an epic behind-the-back conversion from Zed Williams, who posted the tying goal against his former team, the final minutes of the matchup were about as dramatic as they come. And when Flyin’ Ryan Lee stepped up in the final minute to get Colorado its 13th and final goal of the night, he solidified the epic decision as the Mammoth moved two games above the .500 mark.
Ryan Lee paced the entire scoresheet with eight points (2g, 6a) as he continued to quarterback Colorado to success, while Connor Robinson (2g, 4a) and Will Malcom (2g, 4a) each netted six points in the win. Zed Williams (3g, 2a), Connor Kelly (2g, 2a) and Eli McLaughlin (2g, 0a) rounded out primary contributors.
Enduring a week off as the NLL enjoyed quite the action-packed slate in Week 12, Colorado returns to competition Friday night inside the LOUD HOUSE during a Marvel Super Hero Night ranked No. 4 in the league standings. Tied with the 6-4 Calgary Roughnecks, who recently put a 21-8 whopping on the Desert Dogs Sunday afternoon, the Mammoth are very much in control of their destiny with eight regular season matchups remaining.
The Buffalo Bandits, who picked up their first loss of the year last weekend, continue to sit atop the standings, now 7-1 on the season. But it’s the Saskatchewan Rush that teams around the league are keeping an eye on lately, now 8-2 through their first 10 after doubling down in Week 12, securing victories over the Calgary Roughnecks and Rochester Knighthawks. With Calgary in the three spot and Colorado at four, they represent the four teams who are currently positioned to host a playoff game if the season were to end today. That’s far from the reality, as teams are going to need to grind out wins over the next two months.
The pandemonium lies in the idea that teams ranked No. 5 through No. 10 all bring five wins into the Week 13 slate, which means a win or two for any of these teams this weekend and a loss for either Calgary or Colorado could have some things shifting very quickly. Two loses for either of the former Western rivals would likely force either team out of contention for the time being, so the pressure is very much on if the Mammoth want to spend the opening round of postseason fun inside the LOUD HOUSE.
Two teams unlikely to spring into the picture include the (2-8) Albany FireWolves and (2-8) Las Vegas Desert Dogs, the second of which are set to travel to Ball Arena Friday night. Having dropped a 13-10 decision to the FireWolves earlier this season, Colorado is already responsible for gifting one of the league’s bottom-dwelling units a win. The last thing they want to do, or can afford to do, is drop another contest to a fellow Bottom 2 unit in Las Vegas.
Coming off a pair of losses last weekend, including the 21-8 thromping from Calgary and a closer 12-8 battle against Vancouver, the league’s newest team just hasn’t found its stride in 2025. Continuing to battle a bit of an internal personnel carousel, with several guys released or retiring throughout the season, it hasn’t been an ideal go so far for the black and white-dressed squad. At the same time, despite their unideal overall franchise record through the team’s first few seasons, the Desert Dogs and Mammoth remain tied at 2-2 in the series all-time, so Friday’s game will serve as a bit of a tiebreaker between the two familiar franchises.
Looking at Colorado’s season-long statistics through games 1 through 10, the Mammoth are now 4-1 when scoring first after seeing Connor Kelly open up the scoring two weeks back in Duluth, Georgia. Featuring one of the most stacked offensive personnel groupings in the league, Colorado has had a bit more firepower in 2025 than past seasons, and it’s showing with the likes of Kelly, Lee, Williams, McLaughlin, Robinson, Malcom and company.
Officially 4-0 on the season when the Burgundy Boys produce 13 or more goals, the team may not be targeting a specific number in any given game. But we sure know what the magic number has been this season. On the other end of the turf, the Mammoth have pieced together a 4-1 record when limiting opposing teams to 12 or fewer goals. That’s partially thanks to the team’s stalwart defensive unit but even more a credit to goaltender Dillon Ward, who continues to rank amongst league-leading talents once more. Knowing Las Vegas has averaged just 10.3 goals per-game so far this season suggests Ward and company may be in a favorable position to keep them under said 12-goal mark. In fact, the Desert Dogs have only surpassed the 12-goal mark once this season. And with the Mammoth securing a 15-9 win in Sin City earlier this year, we know what this one could look like come Friday night.
That said, Colorado will need to remain resilient. And while we aren’t sure the team will be trailing too much in the second half, we know the team is 4-1 this season when TRAILING entering the fourth quarter. That screams RESILIENCE, which makes sense considering the squad is full of veterans who have won on many levels. But the only goal is to win on this level – specifically during this spring’s NLL Finals.
It’s easy to nitpick whatever stats you want out of the team’s first ten games. There are plenty of stories to be told from the big picture perspective. At the end of the day, the only numbers that matter in the locker room right now are six, four and eight: The team’s won six, lost four and has eight remaining regular season showdowns before the postseason begins.
Should Colorado want to return to the playoffs after missing the exclusive session last season, they’ll need to win at least four or five of these last eight. With only four games slated inside Ball Arena, including Friday night’s showdown against Las Vegas, that means the Mammoth will be away from the LOUD HOUSE for the other four. In past seasons, that may bring some concern, as the team hasn’t been very successful on the road lately. That narrative has changed in 2025, as the organization is 3-2 outside of Denver this year after recording 2-7 and 1-8 records away from the LOUD HOUSE the past two seasons.
Come Friday, the only thing that matters is taking care of a team which is likely going to bring one of its fiercest efforts of the season after quite an embarrassing result Sunday afternoon north of the border. And when we consider Colorado’s past three games have been decided by a mere goal, not to mention the team’s past six all being within three goals, we have a feeling Friday’s final may be closer than needed. The one thing we can guarantee: it’ll be dramatic!
Set to be dressed to the nines in Captain America-inspired uniforms, Marvel Super Hero Night vibes will take the matchup to new heights as the Mammoth don custom uniforms reflective of the Marvel franchise’s latest release – Captain America: Brave New World. Dressing a bunch of Canadians up in Captain America one day after U.S.A and Canada go head-to-head in Thursday night’s Four Nations finale could be quite the comical approach, they’d better hope Nathan McKinnon and company step up!
Regardless, custom Marvel x Mammoth comic books will once again be up for grabs at Ball Arena entrances Friday night, available to the first 3,000 fans through the doors. And when the contest is over, the game-worn jerseys will be available for auction, marking the first time on-floor jerseys will be available in the past few seasons! So, fans should be sure to keep an eye out on coloradomammoth.com and Colorado Mammoth social media channels for updates regarding said uniform auction!
With all sorts of heroic in-game activations and contests planned, there’s never been a better time to wear your favorite Marvel swag and get ready to TUSK UP for a theme night to remember!
Set to operate in the hero role for Colorado once more, goaltender Dillon Ward will look to guide his team to a potential seventh win on the season while improving already standout figures. Ranked No. 2 overall with 423 saves to his name, it’s apparent the All-World talent is healthy and feeling himself in 2025. Flanking only Zach Higgins of the Ottawa Black Bears (amongst starting goaltenders), Ward’s .795 save percentage ranks second-best in the NLL, while his 10.85 GAA remains in the No. 5 spot (with a little bit of extra wiggle room there, as he paces the league with 602:41 minutes played). With a career-high from 2022 weighing in at 688 saves, he’s potentially capable of surpassing a new campaign-best later this year if he keeps bringing his A-game and stays healthy for what should be a competitive contingent down the stretch.
Connor Kelly remains ranked third in the league with 26 goals, while Ryan Lee’s 38 helpers are good enough to occupy the No. 9 spot across all league scorers. His team-best 53 points (15g, 38a) also rank within the Top 15, officially weighing in at No. 13. And, naturally, captain Robert Hope remains amongst league-leading company when it comes to loose balls, up to 101 on the season, which is fourth-most ahead of Week 13.
The Other Guys
Las Vegas now prepares to endure the LOUD HOUSE in the midst of a three-game losing streak after suffering a pair of losses this past weekend. The second of which included a 13-goal deficit as the Desert Dogs dropped a 21-8 final to the Calgary Roughnecks Sunday afternoon. And there’s really nothing pretty about settling for a four-goal deficit, 12-8, to a (5-5) Vancouver Warriors team who’s dealt with their own growing pains over the past few seasons.
Tied with Leezer at 53 points (25g, 28a), Las Vegas’ Jack Hannah continues to remind folks that he’s one of the most talented American scorers in the game right now. Just one goal behind Kelly, 25 to Kelly’s 26 goals, it’s clear No. 33 has the finishing skills to keep his team competitive. Coming off a four-goal (4g, 0a) effort, he operates as a bit of a wild card and needs to be involved as a bit more of a distraction in sets if the team wants to open up quality looks for other forwards. At the same time, they’ve been better off letting the kid use his wheels and navigate around opposing defensemen, as he’s scored literally one quarter of the team’s goals to date this season.
He just needs another guy or two to step up in equal fashion if the Desert Dogs want to truly be considered a contender. That man, in theory, comes in the form of Jonathan Donville, who’s up to 42 points (10g, 32a) on the season. And while the talent has been known to be more of an assist man in the past, he’s managed to get his stick and legs moving a bit more than usual, up to 10 goals on the season. They need that figure to climb a bit if he’s to be considered the next-best-thing to Hannah. The duo, themselves, are a very talented and ever-youthful duo to build a franchise around, no doubt. But with veteran Casey Jackson the only other man above the 30-point mark through 10 contests (set to bring 32 points: 17g, 15a into Friday night’s showdown), it’s clear Las Vegas hasn’t exactly solved things in the O-zone just yet, despite this year being the team’s third trip around the professional circuit. Former Mammoth draftee Kyle Killen (26 points: 12g, 14a), standout rookie forward Adam Poitras (23 points: 11g, 12a) and Jackson Webster (21 points: 9g, 12a) round out the team’s Top 5 scorers and only other guys above the 20-point mark 10 games into the campaign.
They’ve got a few names, who are more names than defensive stalwarts these days, on the back end. But in a league where most teams have several lock down defenders, the Las Vegas D-group sure could use some sort of leadership when it comes to above-average play. The same could be said for their ever-developing goaltender situation. Seeing both Justin Geddie (1-3) and Landon Kells (1-5) suit up at various times last weekend and throughout the season, the Desert Dogs don’t have a “go-to” option, which continues to be an area circled in scouting reports. Kells stopped 34-of-46 during the team’s loss to Vancouver, which is a decent showing all things considered. Getting the tap on Sunday, Geddie started in net, stopping 26-of-40 throughout the night as the two netminder switched in and out after Geddie was initially chased. Kells stopped 4-of-11, so neither goalie was on their game Sunday. Neither of the talents are above a .750 save percentage mark, an area Colorado will look to exploit come Friday.
Get in the Game
Mammoth games can be viewed on Altitude TV and streamed live via ESPN+ and NLL+. Friday’s Feb. 21 showdown against the Las Vegas Desert Dogs 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 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!
