The Colorado Mammoth had a big second half, outscoring the Las Vegas Desert Dogs 10-5 to secure a 15-9 win on Friday night.
The game began as a back-and-forth battle with six lead changes before Colorado found another gear.
Connor Kelly had a breakout game for the Mammoth, tallying two goals and six assists for eight points. Will Malcom scored his first goal since returning to Colorado in a four-point performance. Any questions about Ryan Lee’s health were answered as he notched a hat trick and added four assists.
https://twitter.com/NLL/status/1865273969806385404
On the other end of the floor, Jack Hannah continued to show he’s adapted to the box game as he picked up seven points. Highly-touted prospect Adam Poitras also scored his first NLL goal.
Dillon Ward turned back the clock and looked like his old self, stopping 46 of 55 shots for the win.
First Quarter
Las Vegas struck first in the game, with Casey Jackson scoring on the power play just 1:32 in.
Lee tied the game at 3:11, followed by Kelly scoring at 5:15 to give the Mammoth a 2-1 lead.
The Desert Dogs responded with a two-goal run of their own. Hannah scored at 7:09, followed by Kyle Killen on the power play at 8:08, giving Vegas a 3-2 advantage.
Thomas Vela scored with 59 seconds left in the first, and Eli McLaughlin added another, making it 4-3 Mammoth after one quarter.
Second Quarter
Both defenses and goaltenders settled in during the second period, with each team scoring only once.
Shane Simpson tallied his first goal in a Vegas uniform, scoring shorthanded in transition at 2:20.
McLaughlin responded with 2:49 left on the clock, giving Colorado a 5-4 lead at halftime.
Third Quarter
Hannah opened the second half by scoring 46 seconds into the third quarter, tying the game at 5-5.
Jackson added his second power-play goal at 4:29, putting Vegas ahead 6-5.
From there, the Desert Dogs went on a scoring drought while Colorado went on a 7-0 run.
Kelly tied the game at 6:25, and Zed Williams gave the Mammoth a 7-6 lead with 2:41 left in the quarter.
Lee closed the third-quarter scoring with 1:47 left, giving Colorado an 8-6 lead heading into the fourth.
Fourth Quarter
Colorado continued their second half dominance in the fourth quarter. Lee scored 3:43 into the period, followed by Connor Robinson at 7:02, extending the lead to 10-6.
McLaughlin scored 29 seconds later, and Malcom rounded out the seven-goal run with his first goal since returning to Colorado via the Panther City dispersal draft. His goal at 9:10 made it 12-6 in favor of the Mammoth.
Las Vegas finally ended their drought when Poitras scored his first career NLL goal at 10:26. Hannah added another just 20 seconds later, making it 12-8.
The Desert Dogs’ comeback hopes were short-lived, as Malcom scored his second of the game with 3:28 remaining. Malcom’s goal ended the night for Desert Dogs’ goaltender Landon Kells as he was pulled in favour of Nate Faccin.
Hannah scored with 2:45 left, but Williams potted two more goals in the final two minutes, sealing a 15-9 victory for the Mammoth.
https://twitter.com/NLL/status/1865273857222865024
Top Scorers
Colorado Mammoth
- Connor Kelly: 2g, 6a
- Ryan Lee: 3g, 4a
- Eli McLaughlin: 3g, 3a
Las Vegas Desert Dogs
- Jack Hannah: 4g, 3a
- Jonathan Donville: 4a
- Casey Jackson: 2g, 1a
- Adam Poitras: 1g, 2a
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