The #7 seed San Diego Seals and #2 seed Colorado Mammoth met at Ball Arena Saturday night in a playoff quarterfinal matchup. San Diego made the postseason after a doubleheader split with Las Vegas, coupled with Georgia’s sweep of Rochester. Colorado lost the inside track on the #1 seed after dropping a heartbreaker to Calgary in the final week of the regular season. These two teams would battle for just under 61 minutes, with the game ending on a controversial goal as San Diego took a 13-12 victory to advance to the semifinals, where they will meet the Toronto Rock in a best-of-three series.
San Diego trails after tightly contested first half
Dylan McIntosh opened the scoring for Colorado at 1:23. The Seals would respond with goals from Zach Currier (3:59) and Ben McIntosh (5:19) for a 2-1 lead. Will Malcom equalized for Colorado at 7:28, but Dylan Watson struck 20 seconds later to restore a lead for the Seals. Andrew Kew rounded out the first quarter scoring at 8:55 as the teams were tied 3-3 after one quarter of play. Currier (2:16 second quarter) netted his second for a 4-3 San Diego lead, but the Mammoth would go on a three-goal run. Jordan Gilles (2:29) and a pair from Kew (3:48; 14:51) put Colorado up 6-4. However, Eli Gobrecht’s buzzer beater (14:57) cut the lead to one just before halftime.
San Diego rallies in second half to force overtime, and drama ensues
Colorado extended their lead to 8-5 on goals from Braedon Saris (2:19) and Jack Hannah (4:01). Wes Berg (4:56) got one back for San Diego, but Dylan McIntosh netted his second (5:40) and Kew his fourth (8:11) for a 10-6 Mammoth lead. Currier’s hat trick goal (10:04) made it 10-7, but Will Malcom pushed the lead back to four with a power play marker (12:19). Two late goals from Watson (13:14) and Berg (13:29) pulled San Diego within two, 11-9, going into the fourth quarter.
The Seals continued their run into the fourth quarter, starting with a goal from Tre Leclaire (7:46). Watson (9:27) and Berg (10:20) followed, giving the Seals a 12-11 lead, their first since the start of the second quarter. Dylan McIntosh tied the game at 12-12 with his hat trick goal (11:05), sending the game to overtime. It took less than a minute (0:59 overtime) for Leclaire to call game, quick-sticking home a feed from Berg. The problem was, only moments before, Leclaire had stepped into the crease while attempting a shot on goal that was deflected in the corner by a Mammoth defender. As Berg picked up the loose ball in the corner, Leclaire re-established himself outside the crease. However, per Rule 67.3 and 17.81, he could not be the first Seals player to receive a pass after exiting the crease. The goal was still upheld following a lengthy review, awarding San Diego the win.
Other Stats Of Note
San Diego: Berg (3g, 4a); Currier (3g, 4a); Watson (3g, 1a); Leclaire (2g, 1a); Ben McIntosh (1g, 2a); Gobrecht (1g, 1a); Noah Armitage (3a)
Colorado: Kew (4g, 3a); Dylan McIntosh (3g, 1a); Malcom (2g, 7a); Hannah (1g, 3a); Saris (1g, 3a); Gilles (1g); Thomas Vela (2a)
Chris Origlieri (SD): 33 saves; Dillon Ward (COL): 55 saves
Power Play: SD 0 for 6; COL 1 for 3
Below is the league response to the overtime goal:
