Undefeated Mammoth Faces Road Test in Minnesota
The undefeated Colorado Mammoth (5-0) will face the Minnesota Swarm (3-2) on Saturday night at 6:00pm MT at Xcel Energy Center in St. Paul, Minn. in the teams’ second match-up of the season. Colorado, which owns a two-game lead in the West Division over Minnesota and the Calgary Roughnecks, tied a franchise record with 20 goals scored when the teams met on January 14 at Pepsi Center on Opening Night.
In the opener, Mammoth forward John Grant Jr. led all scorers with 11 points (4g, 7a) en route to being named the National Lacrosse League’s Offensive Player of the Week. Mammoth captain Gavin Prout recorded three goals and six assists, while Minnesota forward Callum Crawford matched Prout’s point total (4g, 5a).
The Mammoth, which leads the league in scoring at 14.2 goals per game, is coming off a bye week. The Swarm offense is second best in the NLL, averaging 13.2 scores per contest. Minnesota won both of its games a weekend ago, defeating the Edmonton Rush and Rochester Knighthawks. Friday’s overtime game was the second-longest in league history (72 minutes and 23 seconds), as the Swarm beat the Rush, 10-9. On Sunday, Minnesota defeated Rochester, 9-6.
“Obviously [Minnesota head coach] Mike [Lines] and the Swarm had an excellent weekend and we were able to watch both games,” said Mammoth head coach Bob Hamley. “They’re playing very well at home, so we’re excited about the opportunity and excited to get back at it.”
Swarm rookie goaltenders Tyler Carlson and Evan Kirk both won NLL Player of the Week honors for their performances this past weekend. Carlson, who held Edmonton to just nine goals in 72-plus minutes, earned the NLL Defensive Player of the Week award, while Kirk took home Rookie of the Week honors for holding Rochester to just six goals.
The Mammoth is no stranger to stand-out rookie performances this season. First-year defenseman Dan Coates was an integral part of Colorado’s home win over Edmonton two weeks ago, as the Mammoth yielded just seven goals to the Rush.
“He’s one of those guys who’s played at a high level throughout his life…” Hamley said of Coates. “He’s a very coachable kid and works very hard at his game.”
The eighth-overall selection in the 2011 NLL Entry Draft also tallied his first goal as a pro in the victory.
On Saturday night, Colorado looks to improve to 6-0 for the first time in franchise history.
