They vowed they would be better, and the Vancouver Stealth delivered, knocking off the previously-unbeaten Colorado Mammoth.
The Stealth shook off a slow start — they trailed 3-1 after one quarter — to hand the Mammoth a 16-13 loss in National Lacrosse League action at the Langley Events Centre on Saturday night.
Vancouver improved to 2-3 while the Mammoth lead the NLL West Division at 3-1.
The two teams had played the week before in Denver with the Mammoth winning 20-9.
“They worked hard all week,” said Stealth coach Dan Perreault. “You are embarrassed last week and I think the boys put in the time and the effort.
“We were pretty focused.”
The Mammoth entered the game leading the NLL with 57 goals in three games while Vancouver had allowed a league-high 58 goals in four games.
“We worked really hard in practice and identified some things we were doing wrong,” said Stealth goaltender Tyler Richards, who made 45 saves.
“The guys gave me a good opportunity to see the ball and this was the result.
“I give credit to the defence: they kept the ball to the outside and when that happens, it is easier for me.”
The Stealth seized control in the second quarter with five straight goals to open the period. The Mammoth did cut the lead to 6-5 at the half and after the teams traded goals to open the third, Vancouver went on another five-goal run to put the game out of reach. Colorado would get no closer than two goals the rest of the way.
Leading the way for the Stealth were Corey Small (two goals, six assists), Rhys Duch (two goals, five assists), Tyler Digby (one goal, six assists) and Johnny Powless (four goals, six points). Joel McCready had a hat trick and four points.
Justin Salt scored a pair, including one into the empty net, while Tyler Hass and Brandon Clelland had one apiece. Clelland’s goal was his first career NLL goal.
And on the defensive end, the Colorado duo of Adam Jones and John Grant Jr. were held to a single goal combined — the first time that has happened in their NLL career when both played in a game — and 10 points.
The week before, they had a combined six goals and 17 points.
“Our defence played phenomenal shutting down Jones and Junior,” Small said.
“And offensively, we were moving the ball like crazy.”
Colorado did control the majority of the face-offs, winning 22 of the 33 draws, but the Stealth won the loose ball battle 59-49 and had 10 less turnovers, 39-29.
Ilija Gajic led Vancouver with eight loose balls, while Tyler Burton and Chris O’Dougherty recovered six apiece.
Colorado coach Dan Stroup said the Stealth made adjustments from the week before with a lot more pressure on the defensive end and better ball movement at the other end.
“Multiple passes and they really swung the ball well, that was a big part,” he said.
“They pressured a lot more and we couldn’t handle it.”
The win was huge for the Stealth as they head into their bye week.
“You don’t want to say you are desperate at 1-3, but we knew the importance of this game,” Richards said. “We would have been in a tough spot going into the bye at 1-4.”
