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Breaking: League Adopts Unified Standings Format & Updated Playoff Structure for 2023-24 Season

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WK
1
Fri, Dec 1
19:00:00
Saskatchewan
Halifax
Fri, Dec 1
22:00:00
Albany
Las Vegas
Fri, Dec 1
22:00:00
Panther City
Vancouver
Sat, Dec 2
19:00:00
Calgary
Rochester
Sat, Dec 2
19:30:00
Philadelphia
New York
WK
2
Sat, Dec 9
19:00:00
Philadelphia
Toronto
Sat, Dec 9
19:00:00
Buffalo
Albany
Sat, Dec 9
19:30:00
Colorado
Georgia
Sat, Dec 9
20:00:00
Rochester
Saskatchewan
Sat, Dec 9
22:00:00
Calgary
San Diego
Sun, Dec 10
16:00:00
Las Vegas
Panther City
WK
3
Fri, Dec 15
22:00:00
Saskatchewan
Las Vegas
Sat, Dec 16
13:00:00
Albany
Philadelphia
Sat, Dec 16
19:30:00
Halifax
New York
Sat, Dec 16
19:30:00
San Diego
Buffalo
Sat, Dec 16
22:00:00
Georgia
Vancouver
WK
4
Fri, Dec 22
20:00:00
Toronto
Panther City
Fri, Dec 22
21:00:00
Georgia
Colorado
Sat, Dec 23
19:00:00
Vancouver
Rochester
WK
5
Fri, Dec 29
18:30:00
Philadelphia
Halifax
Fri, Dec 29
19:30:00
Georgia
Buffalo
Fri, Dec 29
22:00:00
Rochester
San Diego
Sat, Dec 30
16:00:00
New York
Toronto
Sat, Dec 30
21:00:00
Las Vegas
Calgary
Sat, Dec 30
21:00:00
Vancouver
Colorado
Sun, Dec 31
20:00:00
Albany
Saskatchewan
WK
6
Sat, Jan 6
19:00:00
Halifax
Albany
Sat, Jan 6
19:30:00
Panther City
Georgia
Sat, Jan 6
19:30:00
Colorado
Buffalo
Sun, Jan 7
15:00:00
New York
Philadelphia
WK
7
Fri, Jan 12
18:30:00
Toronto
Halifax
Fri, Jan 12
22:00:00
San Diego
Las Vegas
Sat, Jan 13
19:00:00
Buffalo
Rochester
Sat, Jan 13
19:00:00
Saskatchewan
Philadelphia
Sat, Jan 13
19:30:00
Panther City
New York
Sat, Jan 13
19:30:00
Albany
Georgia
Sat, Jan 13
21:00:00
San Diego
Colorado
Sat, Jan 13
22:00:00
Calgary
Vancouver
WK
8
Fri, Jan 19
19:30:00
New York
Buffalo
Sat, Jan 20
19:00:00
Georgia
Toronto
Sat, Jan 20
19:00:00
San Diego
Albany
Sat, Jan 20
20:00:00
Vancouver
Saskatchewan
Sat, Jan 20
21:00:00
Calgary
Colorado
WK
9
Fri, Jan 26
22:00:00
Colorado
Vancouver
Sat, Jan 27
18:00:00
Rochester
Halifax
Sat, Jan 27
19:00:00
Buffalo
Toronto
Sat, Jan 27
19:30:00
Georgia
New York
Sat, Jan 27
19:30:00
San Diego
Philadelphia
Sat, Jan 27
22:00:00
Panther City
Las Vegas
WK
10
Fri, Feb 2
19:00:00
Halifax
Philadelphia
Fri, Feb 2
19:30:00
Vancouver
Georgia
Fri, Feb 2
21:00:00
New York
Calgary
Sat, Feb 3
19:00:00
Las Vegas
Albany
Sat, Feb 3
19:30:00
Rochester
Buffalo
Sat, Feb 3
20:00:00
Panther City
Saskatchewan
Sat, Feb 3
21:00:00
Toronto
Calgary
Sun, Feb 4
18:00:00
Colorado
San Diego
WK
11
Fri, Feb 9
18:30:00
Las Vegas
Halifax
Fri, Feb 9
20:00:00
Colorado
Panther City
Sat, Feb 10
19:00:00
Georgia
Rochester
Sat, Feb 10
19:00:00
Calgary
Toronto
Sat, Feb 10
19:30:00
San Diego
New York
Sat, Feb 10
22:00:00
Saskatchewan
Vancouver
WK
12
Fri, Feb 16
18:30:00
Buffalo
Halifax
Fri, Feb 16
22:00:00
Philadelphia
Las Vegas
Sat, Feb 17
19:00:00
Colorado
Albany
Sun, Feb 18
19:00:00
Halifax
Calgary
WK
13
Fri, Feb 23
21:00:00
New York
Colorado
Fri, Feb 23
22:00:00
Georgia
San Diego
Sat, Feb 24
19:00:00
Las Vegas
Rochester
Sat, Feb 24
19:00:00
Vancouver
Toronto
Sat, Feb 24
19:30:00
Albany
Buffalo
Sat, Feb 24
20:00:00
Halifax
Saskatchewan
Sat, Feb 24
21:00:00
Philadelphia
Calgary
Sun, Feb 25
16:00:00
Georgia
Panther City
WK
14
Fri, Mar 1
19:00:00
Georgia
Halifax
Fri, Mar 1
20:00:00
San Diego
Panther City
Fri, Mar 1
22:00:00
Toronto
Las Vegas
Fri, Mar 1
22:00:00
Buffalo
Vancouver
Sat, Mar 2
13:00:00
Calgary
Philadelphia
Sat, Mar 2
19:00:00
New York
Albany
Sat, Mar 2
21:00:00
Saskatchewan
Colorado
Sat, Mar 2
22:00:00
Toronto
San Diego
Sun, Mar 3
16:00:00
Rochester
Panther City
WK
15
Fri, Mar 8
19:00:00
Vancouver
Albany
Fri, Mar 8
19:30:00
Calgary
Georgia
Fri, Mar 8
19:30:00
Saskatchewan
Buffalo
Sat, Mar 9
17:00:00
Colorado
Toronto
Sat, Mar 9
19:00:00
Albany
Rochester
Sat, Mar 9
19:30:00
Las Vegas
New York
Sat, Mar 9
22:00:00
Halifax
San Diego
Sun, Mar 10
15:00:00
Panther City
Philadelphia
WK
16
Fri, Mar 15
18:30:00
Panther City
Halifax
Fri, Mar 15
21:00:00
San Diego
Calgary
Fri, Mar 15
22:00:00
Las Vegas
Vancouver
Sat, Mar 16
19:00:00
Rochester
Albany
Sat, Mar 16
19:00:00
Toronto
Buffalo
Sat, Mar 16
19:30:00
Philadelphia
Georgia
Sat, Mar 16
20:30:00
New York
Saskatchewan
WK
17
Fri, Mar 22
20:00:00
Buffalo
Panther City
Fri, Mar 22
21:00:00
Albany
Calgary
Sat, Mar 23
19:00:00
Halifax
Toronto
Sat, Mar 23
19:00:00
Vancouver
Philadelphia
Sat, Mar 23
19:30:00
Saskatchewan
New York
Sat, Mar 23
21:00:00
Rochester
Colorado
Sat, Mar 23
22:00:00
Las Vegas
San Diego
Sun, Mar 24
17:30:00
Saskatchewan
Georgia
WK
18
Sat, Mar 30
13:00:00
Buffalo
Philadelphia
Sat, Mar 30
19:00:00
Halifax
Rochester
Sat, Mar 30
19:30:00
Toronto
New York
Sat, Mar 30
22:00:00
Vancouver
Las Vegas
WK
19
Fri, Apr 5
21:00:00
Saskatchewan
Calgary
Fri, Apr 5
21:00:00
Buffalo
Colorado
Fri, Apr 5
22:00:00
Panther City
San Diego
Fri, Apr 5
22:00:00
Halifax
Vancouver
Sat, Apr 6
19:00:00
New York
Rochester
Sat, Apr 6
19:00:00
Toronto
Albany
Sat, Apr 6
19:30:00
Las Vegas
Georgia
Sat, Apr 6
20:00:00
Calgary
Saskatchewan
Sun, Apr 7
16:00:00
Philadelphia
Panther City
WK
20
Fri, Apr 12
21:00:00
Philadelphia
Colorado
Sat, Apr 13
19:00:00
Rochester
Toronto
Sat, Apr 13
19:30:00
Calgary
Buffalo
Sat, Apr 13
20:00:00
San Diego
Saskatchewan
Sat, Apr 13
22:00:00
Colorado
Las Vegas
Sat, Apr 13
22:00:00
New York
Vancouver
Sun, Apr 14
16:00:00
Albany
Panther City
WK
21
Fri, Apr 19
19:30:00
Rochester
Georgia
Fri, Apr 19
22:00:00
Vancouver
San Diego
Sat, Apr 20
18:00:00
Colorado
Halifax
Sat, Apr 20
19:30:00
Albany
New York
Sat, Apr 20
20:00:00
Toronto
Saskatchewan
Sat, Apr 20
21:00:00
Panther City
Calgary
Sat, Apr 20
22:00:00
Buffalo
Las Vegas
Sun, Apr 21
15:00:00
Philadelphia
Rochester
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Stories/Op-Ed

Mammoth’s Busy March Could Decide Playoff Fate

The Colorado Mammoth are about to experience their most grueling month of regular season games in their team’s history. By the end of March, the lacrosse world should not only learn the identity of this 2018 Mammoth team, but they should also have an idea what playoff seed the Colorado franchise will have… if they have one at all.

 

This March, the Mammoth will play seven regular season games. They have never played more than six non-playoff games in any month over the club’s 16-year existence – they have played seven total games before in April 2011 but one of the match-ups was a playoff duel.

 

Having played just eight games over the first three months of the season, this year’s team has not had many opportunities to mesh in real game situations. Their eight games played in 2018 are the fewest in the NLL, and, of particular importance, they have played at least two games less than any of their Western Conference opponents and have even played three games fewer than both the Vancouver Stealth and the Saskatchewan Rush.

 

While the Mammoth’s schedule has not been the most conducive to creating player familiarity and on-the-turf chemistry, the team will now face seven opponents – twice playing back-to-back games – in a 29-day span, something Mammoth head coach Pat Coyle says should show what this team is made of.

 

“It’s hard not to be a little frustrated with this schedule,” an eager Coyle said a few days before their first back-to-back game weekend. “We had these bye weeks where we easily could’ve had one game. But, the schedule is what the schedule is. I believe that steel is forged through fire. This is an opportunity this weekend to really forge who we are as a team.”

 

The team will have plenty of time to find its identity during their league-most games this month during actual contests, but they will also have ample to blend as a finely-tuned unit through their many practices and their flights to and from Georgia, to Vancouver, to Toronto, and a bus ride from Toronto to Rochester.

 

With such a busy schedule ahead of them, staying healthy and fit will be essential if the team wants to play at its best. Joel Raether is Head of Sports Performance for the Mammoth. He and the rest of the training staff have been working the players tirelessly to prepare them for months just like this one.

 

“A lot of what it takes leading up to this coming month is what we’ve done over the last couple of months,” Joel said. “As I look at the schedule at the beginning of the year, it’s making sure that we’re forecasting what will be the most critical times of the year and how we are going to plan and prepare for that.”

 

In preparation for their hectic March, the training staff has taken advantage of the many bye weeks, trying to fit in practices where they can to keep the guys in simulated game situations. Joel and his team take the responsibility to stay in touch with the players via phone calls even while they’re spread across North America.

 

“The hope is,” Joel says of the plan to get the Mammoth ready for the seven game stretch this month, April, and the potential playoffs, “After this week with having back-to-back games, travel included, we’ll be trying to get back to neutral in terms of our recovery… We’ll be preaching to the guys in terms of sleep, hydration, nutrition and do every in our control to put those guys on the right path. Everything little thing is going to matter over the next four weeks.”

 

If the team can stay healthy – remembering that Zack Greer, Scott Carnegie, and Chris Wardle are all newly returned from injuries – the Mammoth will have 420 minutes of minimum game time to play all seven matches with a full unit. It will also give Mammoth GM Dan Carey more than enough time to see each of these players show why they deserve to be on the team’s roster.

 

With all the trades that have taken place in the last week alone – the New England Black Wolves/Buffalo Bandits swap of Shawn Evans for Callum Crawford and the Rush getting Dan Dawson from the Rochester Knighthawks – it is clear that other teams are trying to make a serious push to not only prepare their respective organization’s for a playoff run, but a Champion’s Cup run.

 

While Carey stated that this month will not be a time for player evaluation, he did not rule out the possibility that the team would make any deals before the March 19th trade deadline. “The more you talk, the more things come up,” Carey admitted. “If you’re struggling a bit in the win column, making those phone calls is a little bit easier. Sometimes it’s just a matter of getting in those conversations and sometimes things can come out of nothing.”

 

Now that the team is healthy, Carey wants to see what a full lineup has to give because he believes that there are better things to come from this unit when all the pieces are working together on a regular basis.

 

The Mammoth will need to give it all they’ve got if they want to come out of March with a record still above .500. With games against the Bandits who have won four of their last five, a Georgia Swarm team that is looking more and more like their 2017 Champion’s Cup-winning squad every week, a massively consequential conference match-up with the Calgary Roughnecks, a game on the road against the Toronto Rock and their impeccable forwards, a battle against a Knighthawks team that has shown they can compete with Champion’s Cup quality, and two games with the Stealth who are beginning to look much better than their 1-10 record suggests, this month could make or break the Mammoth’s playoff hopes.

 

In a worst-case scenario, the Mammoth could fall behind the Stealth in the Western Conference, and thus, out of a playoff spot. Their best case scenario would see them challenging the Rush for the Western Conference title.

 

Heading into their first two games of the month, the team’s confidence is at one of its highest points all season. Coming off a “near-complete game” victory by Coyle’s standards against the Black Wolves a couple of weeks ago, this team is ready to show who they are. There’s a clear difference, the Mammoth’s head coach says now that Greer, Carnegie, and Wardle are back in the lineup. “With three veterans out of our lineup and getting them back,” Coyle explained. “You can see the difference that it makes with our confidence and adds a bit of swagger.”

 

Confidence is fragile, though, and must be maintained, especially in a league where week in and week out any team has a fighting chance to pull out a win. The ever-steady focus and persistence from Coyle and his Assistant Coach’s Dan Stroup and Chris Gill will be necessary to lead their warriors to more wins than losses this coming month.

 

The players are there, the conditioning is there, now all the Colorado Mammoth have to do is put everything they’ve trained for together over the last several months in order to place themselves in a comfortable spot in the Western Conference standings before they play their final three games of the regular season versus the Rush, Black Wolves, and Rock respectively. If all goes according to plan, those games season-ending games will have little to no factor on where this team sits heading into what would be the Mammoth’s eighth-consecutive NLL Playoffs.

 

 

 

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