It was a tense situation as Colorado’s Pat Coyle sat in the penalty box, willing his teammates to prevent Edmonton from drawing within a goal late in the fourth quarter.
As two minutes ticked down to single digits, Mammoth goalkeeper Gee Nash snagged the ball, then launched it 180 feet as Coyle emerged from the box and pocketed it in the netting of his stick.
Aiming true at a spot above goaltender Curtis Palidwor’s shoulder, Coyle ended the Rush threat in a 14-11 victory Saturday night before 17,520 at the Pepsi Center.
Mere moments separated Coyle’s stint as ill-timed enforcer to celebrated goal-scorer. Although the 12th-year defenseman’s checking-from-behind penalty moved him into second on the National Lacrosse League’s career list of penalty leaders with 365 minutes, his long stretches in the sin bin are behind him.
“As I got older, I got smarter,” said Coyle, who had 60-plus penalty minutes in 2001 and 2002, compared to just four minutes last season as Colorado’s co-captain.
His teammates are hopeful that experience will increase their overall brain power as well.
After scoring five consecutive goals for a 7-3 lead, the Mammoth (2-0) allowed the third-year expansion Rush to tie it 7-7 at halftime.
“We have to identify the situations a little better,” Coyle said. “When you’re up 7-3, there’s not an urgency to shoot in a one-on-three setup. You can’t sit back, but you have to be smart. I like this team, as long as we keep learning.”
First-year coach Bob McMahon echoed those thoughts while noting that a higher rate of transition conversions like Coyle’s would have demoralized the Rush.
Early in the final quarter, Josh Sims put the Mammoth ahead 11-9. On Colorado’s next possession, Nick Carlson scooped up a rebound and buried the ball for a 12-9 lead. Ex-Mammoth forward Ben Prepchuk scored from the crease to cut the lead to 12-10 as Coyle headed to the penalty box. After Coyle’s goal, Edmonton scored its last, and Sims followed with an empty-netter.
Dan Carey led Colorado with three goals. Gavin Prout made six assists and new Mammoth forward Jason Wulder, a 14-year veteran, notched two assists for his 500th point, becoming the 20th player in the 22-year history of the league to reach that milestone.
Edmonton 3 4 1 3 — 11
Colorado 3 4 2 5 — 14
Ed — Shannon 3-2-5 (goals-assists-total), Prepchuk 2-3-5, Quinlan 2-1-3, Accursi 1-4-5, Goundrey 1-1-2, McElroy 1-0-1, Gill 1-0-1, Palidwor 0-2-2, Stroup 0-1-1, Daly 0-1-1, Grimes 0-1-1, Seller 0-1-1.
CM — Carey 3-3-6, Gajic 2-1-3, Sims 2-0-2, Prout 1-6-7, Shewchuk 1-2-3, Langtry 1-2-3, Prossner 1-1-2, Carlson 1-1-2, Coyle 1-0-1, Cornfield 1-0-1, Wulder 0-2-2, Nash 0-1-1, Gallant 0-1-1, Catton 0-1-1, Moss 0-1-1.
Goalkeepers — Ed: Palidwor 41 saves; CM: Nash 31 saves. A — 17,520.
