The Colorado Mammoth were able to hold off a late fourth-quarter charge by the Las Vegas Desert Dogs to pick up a 13-12 road win on Friday night.
Colorado held a four-goal lead with just under nine minutes left to play, and an inconclusive review kept the potential tying goal off the scoresheet.
Las Vegas held a 7-5 lead at the half. However, Colorado outscored Vegas 8-5 in the second half.
Andrew Kew led the way for the Mammoth with five goals and six points, while Will Malcom had six assists.
Dillon Ward once again came up huge in goal, stopping 43 of 55 shots in the win.
Special teams were key for the Desert Dogs, as they went three-for-four with the man advantage, but they did give up a shorthanded goal.
Mitch Jones led the way for Vegas with three goals and six assists for nine points. Chris Cloutier had four goals and three assists, while Jonathan Donville had a goal and six assists.
A couple of milestones were achieved. Donville recorded his 300th career point, and Ward moved into fifth all-time with 10,248 career minutes played.
First Quarter
The first quarter was a back-and-forth battle.
Las Vegas opened the scoring 1:40 into the game, with Jones picking the top corner on the power play just inside the restraining line.
Colorado replied at 2:44, with Jack Hannah scoring against his former team with a shot around a defender.
The Mammoth then took the lead at 6:27 as Kew pulled up and drove to the net to make it 2-1.
Las Vegas tied it at 8:52, with Donville finding the top corner.
However, Ari Stevens scored in transition at 9:49 to give the Mammoth a 3-2 lead.
Dylan McIntosh put Colorado up by two on the power play, going far-side corner with 1:44 on the clock.
Only 29 seconds later, Kyle Killen’s long-distance bouncer made it 4-3 in favour of Colorado after the first quarter.
Second Quarter
The second quarter was scoreless for 6:10 until Cloutier scored on the power play after double-clutching and putting a bouncer past Ward. Donville picked up the assist for his 300th career point.
Cloutier scored again at 7:05 as he cut through the middle with the ball. He then completed the natural hat trick, converting off a flip pass from Jones with 4:02 left on the clock to give Vegas a 6-4 lead.
The Mammoth got back within one as Kew scored on a shot through traffic.
Vegas closed out the first-half scoring as Jackson Webster showed off some shifty footwork with 1:58 on the clock to make it 7-5 for the Desert Dogs at the half.
Third Quarter
Momentum began to swing Colorado’s way to open the second half.
Kew opened the scoring at 1:30, followed by Malcom finding Owen Rahn open at 4:44 for a shorthanded marker to tie the game 7-7.
Colorado regained the lead at 9:09 as Rahn scored on a quick stick. A skip shot by Kew with 3:16 left made it 9-7 for the Mammoth.
Off the ensuing draw, Donville picked up the loose ball and sent a one-handed pass to Tyrell Hamer-Jackson with 3:05 on the clock to make it 9-8 after three quarters.
Fourth Quarter
Las Vegas opened the fourth-quarter scoring at 2:17 on the power play. Cloutier pulled off a pair of fakes and scored on a twister to tie the game 9-9.
Colorado then went on a four-goal run and appeared to be pulling away late.
Hannah fed Kew at 3:05 to give the Mammoth a 10-9 lead. Rahn scored on the run 27 seconds later to make it 11-9.
The Mammoth went up by three at the 5:39 mark as Landon Kells got a piece of Hannah’s shot, but not enough as the ball trickled over the line.
McIntosh rounded out the run at 6:57, going short side to end Kells’ night, as Alex Buque finished the game in net.
Las Vegas scored three straight late to mount a comeback. Donville found Adam Poitras down low at 7:21 to make it a three-goal game.
Jones then slipped one past Ward with 4:44 left to make it 13-11.
Jones struck again with 2:51 remaining, shooting top corner between a pair of defenders, and the Desert Dogs were within one.
They nearly tied it. With 58 seconds on the clock, Jones fired a shot that went underneath Ward and potentially over the goal line. The review was deemed inconclusive, as the ball could not be seen under Ward on the replay, and the no-goal call stood.
The Mammoth then were able to hold off the late charge to secure the 13-12 win.
Top Scorers
Colorado Mammoth
- Andrew Kew, 5g 1a
- Will Malcom, 6a
- Jack Hannah, 2g 3a
- Dylan McIntosh, 2g 3a
Las Vegas Desert Dogs
- Mitch Jones, 3g 6a
- Chris Cloutier, 4g 3a
- Jonathan Donville, 1g 6a
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