The Colorado Mammoth improved to 9-7 on the season and punched their ticket to the NLL playoffs with an impressive 13-7 win over the Rochester Knighthawks.
The Mammoth’s high-octane offense, highlighted by a six-goal flurry in the second quarter, was enough cushion for the Mammoth to get past the Knighthawks. With the win, the Mammoth reach the NLL playoffs for the seventh-straight year and third-straight time under head coach Pat Coyle.
The Mammoth improved to 9-3 when scoring 10+ goals this year, a mark that Coyle shoots for every game and expects to reach it.
“We have an offense where, if we’re only scoring nine goals, we’re not doing what we can do offensively,” said Coyle. “We have a really explosive offense.”
An explosive offense paired with a hard-hitting defense has been the formula for notching a postseason spot; and midseason acquisition Stephen Keogh has given the Mammoth a little bit of both.
“We’ve never really had a guy who sticks his nose in things so much on the offensive end,” said Coyle. “That part. we really love about him. He’s looking to make contact. It’s not too often that offensive guys are actually wanting to initiate contact. That hardnose grit on that end, we really appreciate.” Keogh finished with two goals and two assists in the win over Rochester.
The key addition of Keogh this year, paired alongside Mammoth leading goal scorer Callum Crawford, has powered the Mammoth on offense and defense. Crawford has put together a stellar season, scoring 33 goals and netting 90 points this year, leading the Mammoth in both those statistics.
The Mammoth have won three of their last four to get into the postseason; and a big lift for the team in this span has been the return of fan favorite Jeremy Noble, who returned a month ago after sitting seven weeks due to injury. Mammoth coach Coyle has noticed the lift Noble brings.
“Jeremy’s just sort of hitting his stride,” coach Coyle said about former DU alumni Noble “It’s tough to have that many games off and just come in…If he’s going, he’s apart of that offense where if we’re going on all cylinders. We’re hard to stop.” Noble collected four assists and five points in the win.
The Colorado Mammoth will visit the Vancouver Stealth on Saturday, April 22 before coming home for their final home game of the year against the Saskatchewan Rush on April 28. After that, the Mammoth will await their postseason opponent.
Featured Image Credit: Colorado Mammoth, Twitter