Making the move from all-star to superstar with the help of Hall of Fame player-turned-coach Gary Gait, Colorado’s Jay Jalbert scored three of his career-high five goals in the fourth quarter Sunday night to put away Arizona 16-11 before 16,435 fans at the Pepsi Center.
With three games remaining, Colorado (8-5) clinched a National Lacrosse League playoff berth.
With Gait counseling Jalbert to hide his stick better and use more deception, Jalbert has scored eight goals with nine assists in the past three games.
“He’ll pull me aside and tell me what I’m doing wrong shooting,” said Jalbert, who struggled to score in the morning walk-through. “It makes a world of difference. I mean he’s the greatest goal-scorer ever.”
Jalbert, who needed seven stitches to close a gash on his chin, scored on a whipping perimeter shot to give the Mammoth an 11-9 cushion at the start of the final quarter. Nick Carlson followed with a breakaway goal, and Jalbert added another, faking a low shot twice to bring goalkeeper Rob Blasdell to his knees, then using an underhand scoop to score high.
On his final goal, Jalbert made a swim move around Chris Seller, faked and shot over the far shoulder of relief goalkeeper Mike Miron.
Josh Sims and former University of Denver athlete Tom Ethington scored two goals each on a night when the Mammoth’s speed in transition was superior.
“They were so focused on going to the net and getting rebounds that if you come up with a loose ball and get up the field you get opportunities, and we capitalized on them,” Gait said.
Sims’ fourth-quarter goal came in a short-handed situation. At mid-floor, he broke free from Craig Conn’s check, then with Andrew Guindon pounding away at him, he fired a shot and scored.
Mammoth goaltender Gee Nash was hit in the head on a shot with 9:24 left in the second quarter. Tests at halftime revealed a concussion, and Chris Levis come on in relief.
Among the outstanding goals, Ethington stretched to catch a pass from Pat Coyle and buried the ball, and Gavin Prout sprinted toward the net with Arizona’s Scott Self leaning all over him and scored on a diving shot for one of his three goals.
Conn, who scored eight goals against Colorado earlier this season, served a 10-minute misconduct in the first half.
The Mammoth’s Dave Stilley served a one-game suspension for coming off the bench to join a fight against Edmonton last week.
Arizona 3 3 3 2 – 11
Colorado 5 2 3 6 – 16
Arizona – Dawson three goals-two assists-five points, Malawsky 3-1-4, Brown 2-1-3, Conn 2-1-3, Plunkett 1-2-3, Hinman 0-1-1, Halls 0-1-1, Seller 0-1-1, Lough 0-1-1, Veltman 0-1-1.
Colorado – Jalbert 5-0-5, Prout 3-4-7, Ethington 2-2-4, Sims 2-1-3, Carlson 1-2-3, Carey 1-2-3, Prepchuk 1-2-3, Gill 1-0-1, Coyle 0-2-2, Langtry 0-2-2, Burkholder 0-1-1, Hanford 0-1-1, Stroup 0-1-1.
Goalkeepers – Arizona, Blasdell 43 shots-30 saves; Miron 7-4; Colorado, Nash 27-21, Levis 37-32. A – 16,435.
