COLORADO MAMMOTH (4-2) VS. ALBANY FIREWOLVES (1-5)
SAT. JAN. 18 | 5 P.M. MT | MVP ARENA
ALTITUDE TV | ESPN+ | NLL+
Six games into the 2024-25 National Lacrosse League season, the Colorado Mammoth find themselves with a healthy 4-2 record as the team looks to close out its home and home series against the Albany FireWolves out east inside MVP Arena Saturday night.
Coming off an electric comeback which saw the burgundy boys erase a first-half, seven-goal deficit, en route to Colorado posting a 15-13 victory over the visiting FireWolves, the Mammoth have an opportunity to advance to 5-2 in Week 8 should they be able to take care of the same 1-5 team they conquered last weekend.
Connor Robinson may have started the contest’s scoring with a quick strike just two minutes into the contest. But after allowing Albany to go on an eight-goal run throughout the remainder of the first quarter and first five minutes of the second, the Mammoth knew they had some work to do. Able to pull back within three at the half, thanks to a pair of tallies to stop the run later followed up by a three-goal stretch to end the second, Colorado was down 10-7 at the break.
The FireWolves wouldn’t relinquish the lead quite yet, however, continuing to run up the score on their way to establishing a 13-10 advantage throughout the third period. But it was quite literally ALL Colorado from there, as the Mammoth ripped off a spicy five-goal run throughout the fourth while goaltender Dillon Ward allowed zero goals throughout the final 15 minutes of play. Eventually capturing the epic 15-13 comeback win, Colorado improved to 3-1 inside the LOUD HOUSE this season as it wrapped up its season-long three-game homestand.
RELATED: Mammoth Mount Monstrous Comeback Over FireWolves, Improve to 4-2 On Season
As far as scoring specifics are concerned, last weekend’s win was sincerely a group effort for Colorado, as 13 different players showed up on the scoresheet when all was said and done. Naturally, Connor Kelly continued to do the heaviest lifting during the team’s fourth win of the season, leading Colorado contributors with seven points (5g, 2a) and a squad-best five goals as he remains ranked amongst the league’s top-performing scorers this season. Connor Robinson stayed hot, chipping in six goals (4g, 2a) in the big win, while Eli McLaughlin (3g, 1a) added a third hat trick to the score-friendly contest. Team quarterback Ryan Lee (0g, 5a) stay involved on the helper end with a team-high five assists en route to passing both Chris Wardle and Jeremy Noble to rank No. 5 in Mammoth all-time history with 177 assists, while Zed Williams (1g, 4a) rounded out secondary scoring efforts amongst the forwards. Defenseman Damon Edwards (1g, 0a) and Conner Cook (1g, 0a) each also added stunning transition goals, which served as the game’s ultimate difference-makers when you consider Colorado won by two goals.
Head Coach Pat Coyle was rather complimentary of not only his two scoring defensemen during last weekend’s postgame press conference, but of the entire defensive unit for making some corrections and stepping up in the second half. Youngsters like Cook, Sean Kriwokon, Owen Down, Owen Rahn and company have made big impacts on the team’s defensive core through the first third of the season and will remain in the rotation as solid contributors. Reps for the young guys are ever-important in a season where the team seemingly opted into a younger, fresher approach on the back end. When guys like Brett Craig are fully healthy and ready to get back in on the fun, hopefully set to return from the team’s Injured Reserve List in the coming weeks, Coyle is going to have one hell of a personnel puzzle to solve on the defensive front. Which is a good problem to have for an NLL Hall of Fame talent who continues to work with Mammoth Defensive Coordinator Dan MacRae in heading up Colorado’s defensive approach.
All of that without mentioning Dillon Ward securing his fourth win of the season means there’s been A LOT going on in some of these back-and-forth games. But at the end of the day, we aren’t surprised the team with an All-World talent like Ward in net continues to sneak away with some close call victories. Officially stopping 40-of-52 on the evening, Wardo wasn’t perfect by any definition. But he was better than Albany’s Doug Jamieson, specifically in the second half. And in a league that continues to see forwards enter the spotlight while game scores continue to rise, Coyle and company are always going to feel good about their odds in any given contest as long as Ward is holding things down in net.
And when the Mammoth locker room festivities end with the “Player of the Game” belt being handed to faceoff expert and defenseman Tim Edwards, you know the guys were battling in all phases of the game. Winning 14-of-30 on the night, he held his own, specifically playing a huge role in the second half, helping to gas up the team’s motivational tank. Any time you’re going up against a standout faceoff talent like Joe Nardella, who won 18 of his 29 attempts, Timmy and the team are going to be happy about winning just under half of the opportunities at the dot.
Which brings us to an instant rematch this weekend between the now-familiar squads. Last weekend’s game at Ball Arena may have represented the FireWolves’ first trip to the LOUD HOUSE. But Colorado has travelled out east to MVP Arena before, albeit dropping a tight 13-11 contest to the new kids on the block. So, if the burgundy boys are able to capture the regular season series against Albany Saturday night, they’ll also officially own the all-time regular season advantage between the two units.
Of course, Albany is one of just four teams the Mammoth will face twice this season, alongside the Las Vegas Desert Dogs, Georgia Swarm and Saskatchewan Rush. These mini rivalries aren’t quite as passion-fueled as the league’s former division or conference-based rivalries – but any time you’ve got an immediate chance to get some payback against the guys who were just whacking you with sticks and producing a physical product, you’re going to get up for those games. Exactly what the Mammoth will be expecting from the FireWolves just seven days after seeing the team blow one of the biggest leads of the season.
All of that’s out the window when it comes to Saturday’s contest, though.
Just sixty minutes separate the Mammoth from starting its season with a 5-2 record. The same four-quarter session is the only thing in the way of Albany improving to 2-5 and attempting to kickstart some midseason momentum, which they’ll definitely need a shot of should they want to be one of eight teams qualifying for the chance to raise the hardware.
We’re still a good month or two from needing to discuss the playoff picture and specific seeding possibilities. But a glance at Albany’s 1-5 record suggests they’re going to need to get back into the win column here soon if they want to turn their season around and punch their ticket to the postseason. Which is a bit odd considering this was the team which faced off against the Buffalo Bandits during last year’s NLL Finals.
Thinking back to last season, the first campaign the NLL had adopted the new Unified Standings approach, teams are likely to going to need nine or ten wins at the end of the season if they want to feel good about making the postseason. And with just 12 games remaining on Albany’s regular season schedule, they’d be wise to soak up another eight or nine wins during said stretch should they want to keep their playoff hopes alive. Occupying the league’s No. 13 spot of 14 teams entering Week 8, the FireWolves can’t afford many more losses this season. Known to come out firing, Albany needs to clean up their second-half efforts, starting Saturday night, should they want to start up what would be a much-needed winning streak.
On the other end of the spectrum, Colorado is one of five teams up to the four-win mark so far, currently nestled into the No. 6 spot as one of the NLL’s two 4-2 teams (joining the Georgia Swarm, who the Mammoth are set to play again on Feb. 7). There are zero guarantees in this league, but if Colorado can pick up six more victories over the course of its final 10 games, the Mammoth should be positioning themselves to return to the postseason after missing the playoffs last season for the first time in more than a decade. It’s too early to begin counting projected wins and losses – and with the amount of parity rattling through this league, there aren’t any safe wins to be had. Each and every win around the league needs to and WILL be earned from here on out as teams prepare to buckle down for the March to May, which is already right around the corner!
If the Mammoth are to continue its spicy start and punch a postseason passport once more, it’ll likely involve the continued ascension of forward Connor Kelly. Leading the team with 20 goals and 37 points (20g, 17a), the former Albany FireWolves’ producer continues to be on pace to log career-best figures across the board while remaining ranked amongst the league’s leaders in both goals (first) and points (seventh). Yes, you read that correctly. Connor Kelly continues to LEAD THE LEAGUE in goals, with his 20 markers sitting atop the charts once more entering Week 8. Ryan Lee, who’s up to 26 points (7g, 19a) during his first season back from injury, remains the team’s assist leader with 19 in six games.
Mammoth captain Robert Hope continues to pace the team with 65 loose balls while remaining ranked No. 2 overall amongst all NLL players, trailing only Connor Fields of the Rochester Knighthawks, who’s recorded just two more (67) in seven games played (one more than Hope), meaning Hope is averaging more scoops per-game (10.83 to Fields’ 9.57). Hopey’s 10 caused turnovers (which rank T6th overall) and 11 blocked shots (which rank T2nd overall) are also good for squad-best totals as the heart and soul of the Mammoth defense continues to do it all.
While the same two teams are set to lace em’ up again Saturday night, rosters for each of the teams may differ a bit, as the FireWolves executed some personnel transactions ahead of the looming rematch. Initially sending forward Eric Fannell (who produced just two points last weekend and a mere 10 on the season) to the Ottawa Black Bears this week before signing former Mammoth draft selection in forward Carson Moyer to their squad, they continued to shuffle the deck, later signing goaltender Cameron Pilon to a contract after placing defenseman Colton Watkinson on the team’s Injured Reserve List.
Likewise for Colorado, as the team is expected to get rookie defenseman Owen Rahn back in the fold after placing him on the Physically Unable to Perform List due to a late-week illness. And with forward Tyson Gibson recently sent to the Active Roster, there’s a chance the right-handed scorer draws into his second contest of the season after serving as a healthy scratch in the team’s Week 7 victory. There’s a chance General Manager Brad Self and company leave things as they are, too, as Colorado’s trio of righties in Lee, Williams and Kelly have been holding down the fort just fine. Having dressed four lefties in each of the team’s first six games, it would likely be forward Thomas Vela who would swap out for Gibson, should the team opt to go heavier on the right side during the rematch.
As far as what Albany’s on-field presence will look like Saturday, all we can say is Tye Kurtz is likely to be involved. Exploding for a game-high nine points (7g, 2a) last weekend, he nearly had eight goals if not for an overturned scoring call (albeit an obvious no-goal call as he stepped foot in the crease during the play). Continuing to lead the FireWolves’ scoring attack with a team-high 14 goals, he’s up to 29 points (14g, 15a) on the season, trailing only Alex Simmons, who paces the team with 34 points (12g, 22a) in six games while ranking 8th overall in league scoring.
Most recently recording seven points (3g, 4a) en route to logging another hat trick effort, he’s clearly the 1A look for Albany’s offense and has worked well with Kurtz once again this season, the team’s typical 1B option. However, it was very much Kurtz who dominated the contest last weekend. Colorado will likely look to make some additional adjustments to make sure Kurtz and Simmons don’t get going so quickly on Saturday. At the same time, if they can limit the FireWolves’ offense to just two scorers, they should be alright in the long run, as Ethan Walker (0g, 7a) was the only other Albany player to record more than two points a week back. Walker’s 26 points (9g, 17a) to date round out the team’s top-scoring trio, with Dyson Williams (8g, 10a) and Sam Firth (7g, 7a) remain the only other double-digit contributors on the roster.
Once again getting the short end of the stick while putting forth a quality effort, netminder Doug Jamieson will look to earn his second win of the season after stopping 39-of-54 last weekend. Bringing a respectable 10.74 goals-against average and .801 save percentage into the contest, he hasn’t been the problem for Albany. If anything, he’s been the most consistent aspect of the FireWolves’ game so far, having made the second-most saves in the league with 261 to his name.
Representing Colorado’s third road contest of the season, the Mammoth have an opportunity to surpass last season’s away victory total (with the squad going just 1-8 away from Ball Arena in 2023-24) Saturday night inside MVP Arena during their first rematch of the season. If Dillon Ward can continue holding down the fort and limit Albany to another 12 or 13-goal performance, we’re counting on the electric Mammoth offense to fill the scoresheet and pick up what would be a HUGE fifth win of the season.
Get in the Game
Mammoth games can be viewed on Altitude TV and streamed live via ESPN+ and NLL+. Saturday’s Jan. 18 showdown against the Albany FireWolves can be viewed on 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 Colorado’s Y2K Night at the LOUD HOUSE showdown against the Toronto Rock Feb. 1, so be sure to lock yours in and get ready to TUSK UP!
