Brian Langtry promised that once the Colorado Mammoth starts winning, fans will forget fan favorite and franchise scoring leader Gavin Prout, who was traded away on Halloween in a youth movement.
At least for now, Prout is far from forgotten. A Pepsi Center crowd of 15,178 cheered his return Saturday night.
As a member of the Edmonton Rush, Prout made seven assists to help hand Colorado a 14-13 loss in its eighth National Lacrosse League home opener.
Prout was especially well-received amid a video tribute during the game’s first timeout. His hard hits, diving goals and celebrations with fans on the dasher boards culminated with the greatest moment in Mammoth history: Prout holding the Champion’s Cup, representing the team’s lone title.
“Coming in here was a little bit of an emotional roller coaster,” Prout said. “The fans had the opportunity to boo me, and they didn’t. They accepted me almost as one of their own even though I’m wearing another jersey. I guess it is a case of respect: I respect them and I get respect back.”
Of near equal length to the Prout tribute was an electrifying display by the rookie Colorado gained in the Prout trade: Ilija Gajic. In a 105-second, third-quarter span, Gajic scored a natural hat trick, showing accuracy, a quick release and a cannon-powered shot. The left-handed rookie from the University of Denver buried the first shot on a sprint to the net, the second with a low, hard shot, and the third one with a spin move and aim over the far shoulder of Rush goal-tender Matt Disher.
“My shooting was getting better in the second half,” Gajic said. “And I was getting a little lucky, and my teammates were spreading the floor for me.”
A few minutes later, Gajic fired a pass to his younger brother Alex, who was cutting to the slot. Alex faked and buried the ball, tying it at 10-10.
“The crowd was unbelievable, and I felt like then we would win it,” Ilija said. “But a couple bad bounces came here and there.”
The Mammoth (0-2) hurt itself with a penalty for having too many men on the floor, leading to a power-play goal by the Rush (1-1).
“I don’t know how that happened,” coach Bob McMahon said. “It is just unacceptable.”
Edmonton 4 5 4 1 — 14
Colorado 4 2 5 2 — 13
Edmonton — Ward (4 goals-3 assists-7 points), Hill 3-0-3, Prout 0-7-7, Merrill 1-5-6, Powell 1-4-5, Secore 3-0-3, Quinlan 2-0-2, Mydske 0-2-2, Jones 0-1-1, Alexander 0-1-1, Suddons 0-1-1. Colorado — Langtry 3-4-7, I. Gajic 4-3-7, Shewchuk 2-5-7, A. Gajic 2-4-6, Conway 1-7-8, Smith 1-0-1, Culp 0-2-2, Ethington 0-1-1. Goalkeepers — Edmonton: Disher, 41 saves; Colorado: Leyshon, 23 saves.
