DENVER – The Colorado Mammoth of the National Lacrosse League (NLL) dropped a 10-5 decision to the Ottawa Black Bears Saturday night before 9,989 rowdy fans at Ball Arena.
Mammoth goaltender Dillon Ward surpassed legendary netminder Bob Watson (10,443 minutes played) with the fourth-most minutes played in NLL history, while defenseman Jordan Gilles surpassed forward Eli McLaughlin for the fifth-most games played in Mammoth history.
Ward stopped 41-of-50 shots faced on the night, while Andrew Kew (4g, 1a) and Dylan McIntosh (1g, 0a) were Colorado’s lone two scorers as the team dropped to 9-4 on the season and 5-2 at the LOUD HOUSE.
Six minutes into the contest, the Black Bears capitalized on an early power-play look to earn Ottawa a 1-0 advantage, as Larson Sundown got the road team on the board first.
But it wasn’t long before AK42 aka Andrew Kew earned the Burgundy Boys an equalizer. Skipping left before pulling up from long range, Kew extended his team-leading goal total to 32 on the season while remaining red-hot a mere 72 seconds later.
Two-straight for the good guys, Dylan McIntosh accepted a rebound shot attempt which bounced off Black Bears’ goaltender Zach Higgins and immediately fired the rock back on cage, finding twine this time while gifting his squad a 2-1 advantage midway through the period.
The scoreboard read that same 2-1 score following the opening 15 minutes of play.
Unfortunately for the home fans, it was the Black Bears who opened scoring efforts for a second-straight period, with forward Connor Kearnan completing a breakaway effort to notch the game at two per side just 37 seconds into the second.
Building some momentum, Ottawa struck in transition fashion once more, as Jake Stevens recorded his fourth goal of the season, beating Mammoth goaltender Dillon Ward to establish a one-goal lead for the road contingent.
Launching an overhanded strike from just outside the crease, Kew logged his second tally of the night while tying the game at 3-3. Beating Higgins via the five-hole, Kew continued his MVP-caliber campaign, now up to 33 markers on the year.
Starting up the evening’s hat trick club, No. 42 made the most of a man-up scenario. Accepting a dish from Braedon Saris while darting towards the net, the veteran wielded the rock before firing one past Higgins to ignite the LOUD HOUSE and put the Mammoth back in front by one with 4:08 to play in the half.
30 minutes in and the Mammoth were up 4-3 when the halftime pause approached. Enter corgi races, which won the hearts of home supporters during the break.
When action resumed, it was Colorado who lit the lamp first, as Mr. Kew was in the mood for his fourth of the night. Capitalizing on the power-play once more, he earned Colorado a two-goal lead.
Representing the game’s fourth-straight special teams conversion, Ottawa’s Sundown put the finishing touches on a hat trick of his own as the Black Bears were back within one midway through the third period.
In rapid-fire fashion, Jeff Teat made it two in a row for the bad guys a mere 10 seconds later, which would serve as the final conversion of the third quarter.
When the final 15 dawned, the low-scoring battle was tied at 5-5.
Re-establishing a one-goal lead for the away team 3:13 into the fourth, Reilly O’Connor made his way to the scoresheet as the drama intensified.
Making it four and five-straight for the Black Bears, respectively, Jeff Teat completed his hat trick with five minutes to play courtesy of a pair of late-game conversions as the Mammoth were down three late.
Ottawa wasn’t letting up, either, as the Black Bears made it a 9-5 game less than a minute later.
Notching an empty-netter with 2:16 to play, Ottawa solidified the 10-5 final.
Colorado now prepares to hit the road for an away contest against the Buffalo Bandits March 13 before returning to the LOUD HOUSE March 21 for a showdown against the Calgary Roughnecks.
Limited tickets remain for Colorado’s final two home contests at Ball Arena, so be sure to lock in your tickets and get ready to TUSK UP!
Mammoth fans can stay tuned to coloradomammoth.com and Colorado Mammoth social media channels throughout the season for the latest league updates, team transactions and beyond.
