Mammoth Look to Turn the Tide Against Defending NLL Champion Bandits

COLORADO MAMMOTH (8-7) VS. BUFFALO BANDITS (11-4)
SAT. APRIL 5 | 7 P.M. MT | BALL ARENA
ALT 2 | ESPN+ | NLL+

DENVER – It’s been quite the roller-coaster of a season for the Burgundy Boys this time around. After being ranked as high as the No. 3 seed a few weeks back, Colorado finds itself occupying the league’s No. 6 spot after dropping a 17-12 shootout to the Saskatchewan Rush in Week 18. Wrapping up the team’s three-game road trip, with previous stops in Philadelphia and Ottawa, Colorado could’ve taken another step toward clinching both an outright playoff berth and some possible home field advantage with a win, thus concluding the stint away from Ball Arena with a 2-1 record. However, the team was met with a high-scoring Rush opponent Saturday night, instead forcing the team to settle for a 1-2 trip.

The Rush were rather rested and coming off a bye week, so it makes sense they came out firing right away. Establishing a 13-5 lead at the break, it was clear it was Saskatchewan’s night. But that wouldn’t stop Dillon Ward from standing tall in the second half, allowing just four shots during the final 30 minutes of play. Ryan Lee did his all in attempting to quarterback the team out of such a massive deficit – And while he ended the night with his career-first hat trick, it wasn’t enough, as the Mammoth needed quite a few more conversions to make it close.

With the already-absent likes of Eli McLaughlin, Zed Williams, Connor Kelly and company, the team also lost one of its top defensemen in Owen Down to the Injured Reserve List last week, so it was very much another banged-up version of the roster on the turf Saturday. However, after claiming 28 of the game’s 34 available faceoff opportunities, it was easy to see why the Rush were setting themselves up for success again and again.

RELATED: Colorado Falls to 8-7 via 17-12 final in Saskatchewan

Ryan Lee paced the squad with six points (6g, 0a), while Tyson Gibson (3g, 1a), Ben McDonald (2g, 1a) and Connor Robinson (1g, 2a) rounded out scoring headliners, while netminder Dillon Ward stopped 50-of-66 on the night.

With just weeks remaining in the regular season slate, Colorado needs to take advantage of its final three opportunities. Unfortunately, the Mammoth have one of the toughest schedules remaining to close out the campaign, with this weekend’s looming matchup against the (11-4) Buffalo Bandits flanked by a series-closing home game against the (11-4) Saskatchewan Rush. Set to close out the 18-game run during a road trip to Calgary against the (7-8) Roughnecks, Colorado could very much be fighting for its playoff berth during the Week 21 finale up north.

Likely needing at least nine wins to secure a spot in general, it’s the tenth victory that could also potentially lock up a bit of home field advantage for Colorado – At least in the first round. But a quick glance at the league standings ahead of this week’s set of games shows quite the traffic jam between squads ranked No. 3 to No. 10, as each of the eight squads have somewhere between seven and nine wins to their names already. With Colorado entering the weekend at 8-7, they’ll need to win at least one of these final three contests if they want to return to the postseason. Fans will of course need to keep an eye on each of those Top 10 squads in regards to home field advantage and which teams are exiting their head-to-head matchups with respective wins. Teams like the Halifax Thunderbirds and San Diego Seals are duking it out this weekend – So the rankings could look a bit different following this weekend’s seven games. The Ottawa Black Bears and Rochester Knighthawks are the only other teams within that 3-10 mix playing an opponent in said range, but there’s a big showdown taking place between the Rush and Roughnecks Friday night which could have some serious implications on Calgary’s potential return to the picture. And anytime a team jumps in, one team is pushed out. Colorado’s goal needs to be taking care of business at home during this two-game stint inside the LOUD HOUSE before seeing where the cards fall during its finale against the Roughnecks April 19.

And for all that is potentially stacked against Colorado during the final weeks of the March to May, the Mammoth locker room is full of resilient competitors, with plenty of youngsters who have soaked up some meaningful playoff experience over the past few years. Plus, when you think about the Mammoth squads that qualified for consecutive NLL Finals a few years back, neither were 100% healthy or hitting their stride at the right time. They took their best veteran-led effort on the road and shocked the world despite just nine and ten-win regular season showings. So, things could be going exactly according to plan in an alternate universe or two.

Typically teams want to be playing their best ball down the home stretch. And with just three or four games remaining for teams around the league, that stint is now as the March to May prepares to embrace the April stretch, the most dramatic of them all.

For as much of a home field advantage regularly having 16 thousand plus fans inside KeyBank Center can be, the Bandits are just 5-3 at home this year, which includes last weekend’s 13-12 loss to the Vancouver Warriors before a sold-out house.

The unfortunate part about that record as it pertains to Mammoth fans is that the Bandits are a whopping 6-1 on the road as they’ve enjoyed running up the score in away games this season (averaging almost 13 goals per-game on the road in 2025). Knowing Colorado has averaged almost 12 goals per-contest within the comfortable confines of the LOUD HOUSE means fans could very much be treated to yet another dramatic affair between the noted foes.

Also, the Bandits haven’t lost two games in a row all season before recently stringing together a pair of consecutive losses. Three-straight in the loss column doesn’t happen very often for Buffalo, but they did technically drop three in a row last season from Feb. 16 through March 1, so it’s a possibility. There’s never a good time to face the defending back-to-back NLL Champions. Specifically not after Buffalo dropped a one-goal game last weekend to the Vancouver Warriors. So, if the orange contingent wasn’t already getting amped up to reignite its rivalry with Colorado, they sure will be bringing their A-game Saturday night as they look to hunt down the overall No. 1 postseason seed. With several tie-breakers out there, and the Rush noted as Buffalo’s most direct threat to stealing the No. 1 seed, the Bandits will want this win over Colorado badly, as records against similar opponents comes into the mix sooner than later when it comes to postseason seeding.

At the same time, the version of the Bandits that show up to Ball Arena seem a bit perplexed from the Buffalo unit the league witnessed during the first half of the season. Beginning the season with a perfect 7-0 record, Buffalo is just 4-4 during their last eight outings. Which means the Mammoth should get an opportunity to right the ship in front of 10k+ fans of their own. Whether the hot and cold Mammoth offense can rise to the occasion remains to be seen.

There will be plenty of quality matchups throughout Saturday’s contest. With two of the league’s most storied goaltenders in play, we don’t expect this one to surpass a combined 30-goal total. But with the firing power Buffalo typically brings to town and knowing how excited Colorado is to be back at home, playing in front of their rowdy fans, we could totally see a 14-13 showdown, or some sort of close call to that extent. The true battle will be between faceoff specialists Tim Edwards and Connor Farrell. Entering the showcase ranked No. 4 in faceoffs won, the “Milk Man” will be thirsty at the dot. And while Edwards has typically held his own in the faceoff circle, he’s ranked No. 9 in faceoff wins, so the team will either need Timmy Secrets to step up or get ready to play some high-quality defense, as the likes of Dhane Smith, Josh Byrne and friends will NOT be holding back.

Bluffalo Wild Kings

Hell, the Bandits could’ve already pulled off what would’ve been an historic three-peat had the Mammoth not knocked them out of the best-of-three 2022 NLL Finals. And while Buffalo has gotten the better of Colorado in both the regular season and playoffs, both historically and lately, we can throw all of the past out the window, as Buffalo isn’t bringing the same pound-for-pound unit as they have in seasons past. If anything, they’ve technically gotten deeper overall as a unit following some mid-season trade acquisitions. Yet, the team hasn’t put together a perfect game in a while as they continue to work out some of the welcoming kinks.

Mammoth fans shouldn’t be surprised to see a fair amount of orange inside the LOUD HOUSE Saturday, as the team’s fanbase has been known to travel well. However, it depends how well the Mammoth defense can limit the star-studded duo of Dhane Smith and Josh Byrne. Leading both the league and Bandits in overall scoring with 111 points (27g, 84a), Smith continues to be one of the game’s fiercest weapons, able to score at a moment’s notice while remaining completely in sync with his fellow forwards. He won’t be stopped but can be slowed – How Colorado opts into attempting to do that won’t be revealed until Saturday. And the approach may need to change a few times, as he’s literally lethal. Not much changes when we look at the team’s No. 2 scorer, albeit the squad’s goal-scoring leader in Josh Byrne. Bringing a massive 108 points (37g, 71a) into the Week 20 slate, he’s ranked No. 6 in the NLL with his 37 goals as he continues to excel out east. He’s the top scoring option on any other team in the league, yet remains an insane 1B option working with Smith and friends. But it’s very much been the Dhane and Josh show, as no other member of the team has more than 44 points to their name, with Ian McKay meeting the mark (30g, 14a). Kyle Buchanan (27g, 16a) and Chase Fraser (21, 22a) round out secondary scoring roles with an even 43 points per, while Tehoka Nanticoke’s 32 points (18g, 14a) represent the final 30-plus-point totals with Chris Cloutier recently being moved to the team’s Injured Reserve List. Between veterans like Paul Dawson, Steve Priolo and folks, Buffalo’s defensive unit remains one of the top-tier back-end groups in the game.

Of course, they wouldn’t look nearly as good if they didn’t have the league’s GOAT in Matt Vinc between the pipes. Becoming the first netminder in NLL history to record 300 games played last weekend, he continues to serve as one of the game’s most efficient goaltenders this season, sporting a 10.46 goals-against average (ranked third), a .792 save percentage (ranked sixth) and 597 saves (ranked fourth) as the only man with 11 wins to his name so far this year.

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 Radio social media channels), hosted by Mammoth Play-by-Play Caller Andy Lindahl and Color Analyst Jamie Shewchuk, returns this Wednesday as the boys welcome Mammoth Offensive Coordinator Jason Bishop and Colorado lacrosse pioneer Eric Law (who’s also on this week’s broadcast call) to break down the playoff picture, the team’s recent stretch and 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+. Saturday’s April 5 showdown against the Buffalo Bandits 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 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!