Andrew Burkholder became an answer to a trivia question the first time he donned a Colorado Mammoth jersey.
With four goals in a 15-11 victory over Arizona on Saturday, Burkholder tied Ted Dowling for most goals in a Mammoth debut.
“I had no idea,” Burkholder said from St. Catharines, Ontario, where he spends his weekdays as an electrician’s apprentice.
The left-handed forward, acquired at the March 14 trade deadline, already has more goals than the players he replaced – Steve Voituk and Gewas Schindler, who combined for three goals in seven games.
The 22-year-old was raring to go after appearing in only one game this season for Rochester. A 2005 all-rookie selection for Philadelphia, Burkholder was traded to the Knighthawks, where he couldn’t break into a lineup featuring all-star left-handers John Grant Jr. and Shawn Williams.
“Everybody needs to find the right fit, and Colorado might be the right fit for me,” Burkholder said. “To come in and help put Colorado back in the playoff race is certainly a great feeling.”
Mammoth goaltender Gee Nash wasn’t completely surprised by the newcomer’s four-goal, one-assist performance.
“You don’t want to say you expect it,” he said. “But he’s a great player, and great players do great things.”
Footnotes
Defenseman Jay Jalbert, who had four goals and three assists Saturday for a single-game career high of seven points, was honored by the NLL as overall player of the week and defensive player of the week. “I think Jay has really focused on his shooting,” Mammoth coach Gary Gait said. “And it was one of those days when you take the right shot every time.” …
Nash had three assists against the Sting, the fourth time in Mammoth history a goalkeeper has made more than two assists. Nash and Erik Miller share the franchise record of four assists. “The guys did a great job of breaking early and making the chances count,” Nash said. …
With five games left, Colorado is tied for first with San Jose (5-4) and Calgary (6-5). Arizona (5-5) and Portland (5-5) are a half-game back. The Mammoth (6-5) plays at expansion Edmonton (1-11) on Saturday at Rexall Place. …
Fourteen of the 17 Colorado players who saw action against the Sting produced an assist or a goal.
