MAMMOTH FALLS TO 2-3 IN HOME LOSS TO STEALTH

1/30/2010 – The Colorado Mammoth suffered its second home loss of the season, falling to the league-leading Washington Stealth, 12-11, Saturday night in front of a crowd of 15,242. The Mammoth looked to extend its winning streak to three following a successful road trip last weekend with overtime wins over Minnesota and Philadelphia.

The consistent play of the Washington Stealth proved to be too much for the Mammoth, despite a balanced Colorado offense.

In a low-scoring first quarter, the Mammoth got things started with an early goal from Jed Prossner. Prossner received a pass from Ilija Gajic at the top of the offensive zone, then shook his defender to create space for an overhand ripper past Stealth goalie Tyler Richards. The Stealth matched with a two-on-one fast break goal by Cam Sedgwick, assisted by former Mammoth player Jason Bloom. The Mammoth were unable to capitalize on two Stealth penalties, but regained the lead when Cory Conway was able to drive home a diving bounce shot, despite ending up below a dog-pile of defenders with 2:06 left to play in the quarter.

Things really heated up in the second quarter. The Mammoth relied on a gutsy call by head coach Steve Govett to score its first goal 42 seconds into the seconds frame. Govett chose to throw the challenge flag on a goal scored by Jamie Shewchuk, which was originally waived off by the official for a crease violation. Video review, however, showed that Shewchuk’s foot touched in the crease after the ball crossed the goal line, thus overturning the penalty and allowing the goal. The Stealth matched with a goal less than three minutes later as Rhys Duch shot coming off a high screen, beating Mammoth goalie Andrew Leyshon five-hole. Tom Ethington then scored his second goal of the season on a fast break. Jed Prossner got his second goal of the night off a strong bounce shot from nearly the restraining line. The Stealth brought the lead to within one when Luke Wiles collected a fortunate bounce off the back boards then flung an underhand bounce shot past Mammoth goalie Andrew Leyshon followed by a Jeff Zywicki goal with 4:58 left in the quarter.

The Mammoth was the next recipient of a lucky bounce as Nick Carlson scooped up a rebound off the back boards, then carried the ball the length of the floor for a fast break goal extending the lead to two. The Stealth fought back to finish the half scoring two goals in the final 80 seconds to tie the game 6-6 at the half.

The Mammoth started the second half with a goal from Cory Conway. Conway received a pass from Jed Prossner, threw a ball fake, and then shot a laser into the back of the net. The Mammoth spent five minutes shorthanded after a goalie interference penalty on forward Cliff Smith. The Stealth was able to capitalize with a power play, quick-stick goal from Lewis Ratcliff. Jeff Zywicki scored another easy one-timer with just over seven minutes left in the quarter as the Mammoth went two men down following a cross-checking penalty on defenseman Bruce Murray. The Mammoth worked to tie the game as Jamie Shewchuk threaded a cross-crease pass to forward Alex Gajic with 32 seconds left in the quarter. The Stealth made the most of its final possession of the quarter as Rhys Duch slipped one past Leyshon as time expired to regain the lead going into the final quarter.

A dramatic fourth quarter opened with the Stealth scoring two goals within the first 2:46. A goal by Lewis Ratcliff just 1:44 after the faceoff and another by Luke Wiles brought the Stealth lead to three. The Mammoth fought back with a pair of its own goals. Cory Conway answered first, netting his third goal of the night at the 12:03 mark. Jamie Shewchuk appeared to steal the momentum as he caught the Stealth goalie sleeping on a behind-the-back shot to bring the game to within one with 3:46 left in the game. The Stealth barely flinched as Cam Sedgwick beat Leyshon at the 13:32 mark to bring the lead back to two. The Mammoth made things interesting in the final minute as Jed Prossner finished a hat-trick with 10 seconds left in regulation, but Washington maintained the one-goal lead winning the final faceoff and running off the clock.

Head coach Steve Govett, who tallies his first loss at the Mammoth reigns, expressed a sense of urgency following the close loss, saying, “We’ll be right back at it. We don’t have time to waste.” The Mammoth offense has shown strong improvements since Govett took over, but as Mammoth forward Brian Langtry pointed out after the game, “We just didn’t bury the ball enough.”

Colorado is home next Friday night at Pepsi Center as it hosts Orlando at 7pm. The game will be the first of three Party Pack games this season. Fans can get four tickets, four beers/sodas and four hot dogs for just $39. Tickets are on sale now.