A successful marriage proposal and a fan’s ability to spell Saskatchewan drew most of the positive vibes Saturday night in arguably the worst performance in the Colorado Mammoth’s seven-year history.
Portland (1-2) stomped the Mammoth 14-5 in the lowest-scoring game in team history. The Mammoth’s lowlights included an 11-1 halftime deficit and a 37-minute, 18-second scoring drought before 16,987 at the Pepsi Center.
Those who love fights were rewarded when Portland’s Brodie Merrill took on Colorado’s Rich Catton in retaliation for Catton’s stick to the head of Ryan Powell, a shot that knocked off Powell’s helmet.
“Ryan’s our best offensive player and a big part of this team for many reasons, and when another team takes liberties and takes advantage of that you have to stand up for your teammates,” Merrill said.
Forty-one seconds later, Colorado’s Brian Langtry threw down Portland’s Matt Yager.
Portland coach Derek Keenan chalked it up to Colorado’s frustration, palpable throughout a game in which LumberJax goalie Matt Disher turned away 51 shots.
Mammoth goaltender Gee Nash, who had 37 saves in Friday’s season-opening win at Portland, struggled Saturday and was pulled with the Mammoth trailing 7-1.
“It was miserable,” Langtry said. “It started to snowball. Every team has a game like this every year, so we’ll get it over with now and won’t let it happen again.”
Footnote.
Jim Jennings resigned Saturday after eight years as the NLL commissioner, leaving a legacy of improved sponsorship, television and Internet exposure and expansion to new markets. Franchise values increased from $250,000 to $5.6 million during his tenure. Jennings said in an e-mail that he is a single father determined to spend more time with his teenage children. Deputy commissioner George Daniel was named interim commissioner.
