Colorado (2-3) could move into the National Lacrosse League West Division race Friday with a road victory over division leader Arizona (3-0).
“It’s a key game for us,” coach Gary Gait said.
The Mammoth has not played since Jan. 21, falling 12-11 at the expansion Portland Lumberjax.
“We’re 2-3, but everyone in the locker room knows we’re a good team,” transition player Jay Jalbert said. “We’ve had some tough losses and we need to keep our heads straight. We’re getting close to putting it all together – the offense firing, the defense doing its job, winning faceoffs, getting loose balls, staying out of the penalty box. If we can do all that at the same time, we’ll be a tough team to beat.”
Concerned by the lack of production from the left forward spot, general manager Steve Govett released rookie Steve Voituk, who scored one goal in three games, and replaced him with Gewas Schindler, whose last NLL game was for Arizona on Feb. 13, 2005, against the Mammoth. The Sting released him March 24; he wasn’t allowed to play for another team because the trading deadline had passed.
The expectation is that Schindler, 29, retains the touch that produced 81 goals in his past 45 NLL games.
“We need goals right off the bat, especially on the left side to fill in with Chris Gill and Dan Carey and take the offense to the next level, where we’re scoring consistently,” Gait said.
The Mammoth averages 10 goals and ranks sixth in the NLL in shooting percentage at .753.
The power play ranks fourth at 41.86, penalty killing ranks second at 70.73, and faceoff percentage is second at .634, thanks to defender Jamie Hanford’s dominance.
Footnote
Matt Brown, a rookie from the University of Denver, gained increased playing time Friday for Arizona and made three assists in a win over Calgary. “He played very well, making direct passes to Pat Maddalena,” Arizona coach Bob Hamley said.
