By: Lindsey McGuire | Photo Credit: Jack Dempsey
Denver – Colorado (3-3) ended its two-game losing streak with a mammoth win over the previously undefeated Georgia Swarm (4-1). Faceoff was at 7 PM MST (9 PM EST) at Pepsi Center.
The first quarter was a battle of the goaltenders. Coates won the faceoff, but an immediate Mammoth turnover gave the Swarm a chance to score almost immediately (14:23). Colorado Goaltender Dillon “The Wall” Ward stayed true to his nickname and blocked the shot. After a fast-paced start, the Mammoth would be the first to strike. Callum Crawford snagged his 11th goal of the season at 11:03. The Swarm did not echo that goal until Lyle Thompson found the back of the net with just 32 seconds left in the quarter.
The second quarter started much like the first – with a quick shot. But this time the shooter was Colorado’s Eli McLaughlin and this time it went in. Georgia’s Randy Staats scored right after (13:10), but McLaughlin wouldn’t be outdone. He scored once again at 11:45 off of a quick assist from Ilija Gajic. Gajic was back on the turf tonight after missing the past two games. Half of the quarter was a back-and-forth game with one team scoring right after the other, keeping the score tight. Mammoth Forwards Crawford and Greer broke the trend by scoring three in a row for the home team, giving them a 3 goal lead (6-3). Joey Cupido jumped on the train with an edge-of-your-seat unassisted breakaway goal with 7:26 left on the clock. A couple Georgia goals from the Thompson brothers and another successful shot for Colorado’s Zack Greer wrapped up the second quarter with the Mammoth up 8-5.
The third quarter was a quiet one with only one goal scored by each team. The undefeated Swarm were down by three moving into the fourth. Zack Greer sealed the deal on a hat trick (13:52) widening the Mammoth’s lead to four. Lyle Thompson echoed Greer’s success and fired one past Ward to snag a hat trick of his own (10:41). Ruest answered back for the Mammoth and went back-to-back with two goals in under 30 seconds. Georgia’s Shayne Jackson would score once more and Lyle Thompson raked in his 5th goal of the night, but it wasn’t enough to rally. The final score proved the Mammoth victorious 14-10.
The Mammoth will be on the road for the remainder of the month of February. They will be returning to Langley Events Centre next Sunday, February 12 to seek revenge on the Vancouver Stealth after falling to them earlier in the season. Faceoff is set for 8 PM MST (10 PM EST).
1st Star: Zack Greer (Colorado)
2nd Star: Callulm Crawford (Colorado)
3rd Star: Lyle Thompson (Georgia)
