DENVER – The Colorado Mammoth secured a 10-8 victory over the Philadelphia Wings Saturday afternoon as the squad improved to 8-5 on the season via a tight defensive battle inside Wells Fargo Center.
Mammoth goaltender Dillon Ward stopped 33-of-41 in the contest, while Ryan Lee (4g, 2a), Tyson Gibson (0g, 4a) and Will Malcom (1g, 3a) paced the team in the O-zone as Colorado earned consecutive wins for the first time since December.
Just 16 seconds into the game, Philadelphia was called for a boarding penalty, which presented Colorado with an early power-play opportunity.
Rolling high over a pick, the Magic Man Connor Robinson went top ched a mere 53 seconds into the contest as the Mammoth were up 1-0 early. The conversion marked C-Rob’s 20th tally of the season as he stepped up for Colorado’s O-unit via the 5-on-4 look.
Scooping a loose ball rebound directly outside the crease, Wings forward Phil Caputo instantly threw a behind-the-back shot on net, which beat Mammoth goaltender Dillon Ward to tie the game at ones.
But a challenge from Mammoth Head Coach Pat Coyle revealed that forward Blaze Riorden, who crashed to the turf, had a glove in the crease when the ball entered the net, thus disqualifying the effort.
Sniping from afar, Mammoth forward Thomas Vela received a pass from a transitioning captain Robert Hope and leapt into a step-down saucer, which rang home to make it two-straight for Colorado midway through the opening session.
Wings’ veteran Mitch Jones cashed in a man-up opportunity from distance with 1:34 to play in the first quarter to get Philadelphia on the board.
Now two in a row for the home team, rookie forward Brennan O’Neil collected a loose ball and fired it on net immediately, beating Ward and tying the game at two per side just 23 seconds later.
Playing some offensive sets with a bit of a depleted forward group in play Saturday, defenseman Jalen Chaster slammed one past Wings’ goaltender Nick Damude after working the two-man game with Mammoth forward Will Malcom. His first of the season, No. 71 rose to the occasion to reinstate a one-goal lead for Colorado.
With Mammoth forward Eli McLaughlin moved to the Hold Out List earlier this week, forward Ryan Lee donned the “A” Saturday afternoon, set to serve as the team’s third alternate captain for the duration of the campaign.
Contributing his first point as a formal on-floor leader, he assisted Chaster’s conversion as Colorado was up 3-2 late in the first.
Following a scoreless 14 minutes and 56 seconds of second-period play, neither squad was getting many quality looks, as the goaltenders were standing tall during the rare matinee matchup.
Able to drum up a 6-on-5 look to close out the half, Colorado was granted a load of momentum and a 4-2 advantage heading into the break after Will Malcom cut inside, accepted a lob from Lee and blasted one past Damude with 3.1 seconds remaining in the opening 30.
Wasting little time getting the scoring started in the second half, Flyin’ Ryan Lee went soaring after scooping a loosie and flinging it past Damude to give Colorado its first three-goal lead of the afternoon two minutes and SIXTEEN seconds in.
Netting his first marker of the season, forward Ben McDonald made it a 6-2 ball game less than two minutes later after dodging around his defender and sending an overhand bid past Damude as the Mammoth were heating up.
Answering for the Wings while snapping a 21-minute scoring drought, former Mammoth draft selection Sam LeClair flashed his stick outside of the crease, received the rock and skirted around Ward to bring Philly back within three 67 seconds later.
Getting some momentum flowing for the home team as fans inside Wells Fargo Center came alive, Joe Resetarits fired a slick side-armed bid as two of the league’s leading scorers in Jones and Resetarits teamed up for the conversion less than a minute later as the scoring intensified.
A third-straight for Philadelphia, O’Neill navigated his way inside before shooting over his opposing defender and beating Ward with a bouncer that clipped the corner.
Just 24 seconds later, Resetarits made it four in a row as the veteran was allowed to operate with space, danced untouched towards the net and finished to log his second of the afternoon. Closing the four-goal gap, the Wings tied the game at sixes midway through the third.
Earning the home squad its first lead of the night, Caputo finished an isolation run by cutting inside and dancing along the crease with some stick fakes before finding twine and creating a 7-6 advantage for his unit.
Ending Colorado’s nine-minute scoreless run, a Leezer Lazer was registered to the scoresheet as the freshly anointed alternate captain delivered a huge goal for the Burgundy Boys, knotting the game at seven per side with a power-play conversion late in the third.
The scoreboard read an even 7-7 when the final quarter dawned.
And it remained that way until nearly 12 minutes into the final frame as the defensive battle raged on.
Breaking the tie late into the fourth, it was Vela who doubled down in HUGE fashion from the outside, beating Damude low to grant the Mammoth a one-goal lead with just over three to play.
Resetarits, however, completed his hat trick feat with an even 100 seconds remaining on the clock as the home team crowd exploded in approval. Launching an overhanded bid over the pack, he evened the game via bouncer.
Completing a hat trick of his own with just 1:14 to play, Lee sent a shot from the restraining line at Damude which happened to find its way past the netminder as Colorado climbed in front late. Lee may have been looking to simply reset the shot clock. But his third of the day would do, just the same!
Putting a stamp on both the game and scoresheet, Lee finished a backside dunk effort to net his fourth of the contest and seal the 10-8 victory for the road team.
Improving to 8-5 overall and a stunning 4-2 slate away from Ball Arena, the Burgundy Boys secured a huge road win to kick things off during their time outside the LOUD HOUSE.
Ryan Lee led the scoring charge with a team-high six points (4g, 2a), while Tyson Gibson (0g, 4a), Will Malcom (1g, 3a), Thomas Vela (2g, 1a), Connor Robinson (1g, 2a), Jalen Chaster (1g, 2a), and Ben McDonald (1g, 2a) rounded out offensive efforts.
Set to continue its three-game road trip, Colorado will now prepare to head east once again for a Sunday afternoon showdown with the Ottawa Black Bears March 23 before closing out the away stint March 29 against the Saskatchewan Rush.
Limited Tickets remain for the Mammoth’s April 5 Rumble at the Loud House matchup against the Buffalo Bandits, so be sure to lock yours in and get ready to TUSK UP!
