It’s official. The Denver Nuggets and Colorado Avalanche have been eliminated from the playoffs, but the Pepsi Center won’t be completely silent this spring.
COLUMN: An end of an era at Pepsi Center
Friday’s 9-8 overtime win by the Colorado Mammoth over the rivaling Calgary Roughnecks ensures that Pepsi Center, dubbed “The Loudest House in Lacrosse” will be just that. The win helped clinch a playoff spot for the Mammoth, who have appeared in the postseason every season except one (2010) since the team moved to Denver in 2003.
“At the beginning of the year, you’re trying to get to the playoffs; you’re trying to win the Champion’s Cup, but that’s not what we’re saying before each game,” Mammoth defensive coach Pat Coyle said following Friday’s game. “We’re not saying ‘We need to get into the playoffs’. We’re actually talking about winning each individual shift, so that’s not going to change no matter whether it’s the first game, 18th game, playoff game. We believe that if we win that shift, we increase the chances of winning the game, which, the rest follows.”
Colorado currently sits as the No. 2 seed in the Western Division, 1.5 games back of top seeded Edmonton, although Colorado will have a chance to make up ground with a home and home series against the Rush to close out the season.
As the current playoff seedings stand, the Mammoth would host a home playoff game against No. 3 seeded Vancouver, which Colorado has defeated in three of four games during the regular season series.
So if you’re bummed by the lack of playoff basketball and hockey, still waiting for Broncos OTAs to start, or for the Rapids to win their first game, then maybe you should give indoor lacrosse a try (it’s kind of like all your favorite sports + pregame fireworks).
Marco Cummings is a staff writer for Mile High Sports. He can be reached via email at marco@milehighsports.com or on Twitter @Marco_Cummings. For more Colorado Mammoth news visit ColoradoMammoth.com
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