MAMMOTH FINISHES JUST SHORT IN 2010 HOME OPENER

1/16/2010 – The Colorado Mammoth lost a heart-breaker 14-13 to the Edmonton rush in front of 15,178 Saturday night at Pepsi Center. It was the home-opener for the Mammoth, which falls to 0-2 with the loss. Edmonton improves to 1-1 on the young season.

With former Mammoth captain Gavin Prout on the opposing bench and running point for his new team, there was an extra sense of spirit and intensity in the arena on this night.

Brian Langtry got the contest off to a good start for Colorado just 56-seconds into the game with a nifty, unassisted, carry & score from behind the net. Edmonton answered with back-to-back goals during a two-minute span to take the lead 2-1 at the 10:07 mark of the first quarter. A Jamie Shewchuk goal tied the score at two before Ryan Powell drew rope to give the Rush a 3-2 lead. The Mammoth would tack on two more goals while the Rush added one more throughout the remainder of the quarter, and the period would end 4-4.

Edmonton opened the second frame with back-to-back goals from Ryan Ward and Andy Secore to push the visitors’ lead to 6-4. Langtry answered for the Mammoth at the 6:48 mark but two more Rush goals would stretch their lead to 8-5 with less than five minutes remaining in the first half. Langtry did his best to keep his team close – he netted his third goal of the half at the 3:46 mark to trim the lead – but Jimmy Quinlan answered the Langtry goal with one of his own for the Rush near the 2-minute mark. Edmonton would head into the locker room at halftime up 9-6.

Edmonton drew first blood in the second half on a Dean Hill goal, but the home team, feeling a sense of urgency and pressure from the home crowd, came out with a new attitude early in the second half. Rookie Ilija Gajic led the charge with a trio of goals in a four-minute span in the third quarter to get the Mammoth close at 10-9. He would also assist on his brother Alex Gajic’s goal that tied the game just 90-seconds later at 10-10. Cliff Smith would give Colorado the lead at 11-10 at the 9:32 mark of the third, but Edmonton answered with a Jimmy Quinlan goal and two more Andy Secore scores to regain a 13-11 edge after three.

Colorado would hold Edmonton to only one (power play) goal in the fourth period, and the home team made it interesting in the end. Shewchuk brought the Mammoth within one with 34-seconds remaining, but that’s as close as it would get. With 19-seconds left, Colorado had possession and called time out to set up one final play to hopefully tie the game. But Rush goalie Matt Disher stoned Cory Conway and the visitors would escape with the 14-13 victory.

Edmonton was led by Ryan Ward (4 goals, 3 assists) and hat tricks by Secore and Dean Hill. Gavin Prout chipped in with seven assists. Brodie Merrill vacuumed up 14 loose balls, scored a goal and assisted on five others in the victory.

For Colorado, Ilija Gajic finished with seven points in the loss (4 goals, 3 assists). Brian Langtry added a hat trick and four assists while Shewchuk tacked on two goals and five assists while scooping up 10 loose balls. Cory Conway finished with a goal, seven assists and seven loose balls. Alex Gajic tallied a pair of goals with four assists.

Colorado hits the road next weekend for a pair of games – at Minnesota on Friday, January 22 and at Philadelphia on Saturday, January 23. The next home game for Colorado is on Saturday, January 30th as the Washington Stealth visits on Heroes’ Night at Pepsi Center. Game time is 7pm and tickets are on sale now.