Familiarity breeds contempt for longtime rivals
Roughnecks, Mammoth renew playoff hostilities in West Division semifinal
This is a rivalry that never fails to thrill.
Since 2004, the Calgary Roughnecks and Colorado Mammoth have met nine times in the National Lacrosse League postseason. Calgary holds a daunting 8-1 edge, with four of those wins coming in the rowdy Pepsi Center.
So it’s into the hornet’s nest the Roughnecks go once again on Saturday night (7 p.m.) for the West Division semifinal, and to all concerned parties, that stat is just a number on paper and one that means next to nothing.
“Everyone wants to bring that up,” said Mammoth head coach Pat Coyle. “But no one wants to bring up that Calgary didn’t make the playoffs last year. I don’t mean that in a bad way. If we’re going into the past, let’s just go on the recent past.
“There’s very few guys on our teams that have been part of those games.”
The Riggers aren’t caught up in nostalgia. But the notion of playing in a crazy venue many players are very familiar with is something they’re looking forward to.
“When you go on the road, it’s really important to control the momentum of the game,” said Calgary sniper Dane Dobbie. “If they get a goal, don’t let them go on a three- or four- or five-goal run, because that’s when the crowd starts taking over. It’s an awesome place to play, the guys love playing there. Nothing’s better than going there and listening to a quiet crowd. Hopefully we can do that this weekend.”
“I don’t know if you want to say you like playing when there’s 16,000 people screaming down your throat,” said a chuckling captain Dan MacRae. “I don’t know how much may lie in the stats going back to 2005 or 2006. But to have a core group of guys like Dane, Mike Carnegie and (Curtis) Dickson, some of the guys who have been around the Roughnecks for a while, for those guys to go into an arena where we’ve had some success, especially in the playoffs, for them to carry the confidence and show it to the younger guys, I think that’s probably the biggest take-away for this group.”
“Denver is such a great city,” said Calgary head coach Curt Malawsky. “They have a first-class organization. You’re treated very well when you go down there. You play so many times over the last few years and you kind of get comfortable with the environment. It’s a great rink. It’s not like you’re going into an old barn with bad lighting.”
On the flip side, Coyle is just as happy to be hosting.
“I think it’s huge,” he said. “It’s huge for what you said about us being in the Pepsi Center, but it’s also huge us not being in the Saddledome. That can also be a really loud place, where the fans become part of their team.”
One individual who has viewed the rivalry from both sides is Calgary defender Creighton Reid.
“The intensity always kicks up in the playoffs, no matter what, and Calgary and Colorado have had a rivalry for years, at least since I’ve been involved,” said Reid, a member of the Mammoth for six seasons. “I’m sure this week will only add to it. There’s going to be lots of people yelling and screaming. We’re definitely going into a hostile environment, but that’s fine.”
The Mammoth, who finished the regular season 11-7, lost four of five late in the season before turning things around in the finale with a 19-15 win over Toronto.
“I think our last game helped us feel better about ourselves, for sure,” said Coyle, whose club took two of three from Calgary. “I think we had a tough March there, we had seven games in the month, and I think it took its toll on us and we had a bit of a lapse near the end. But I feel we’re through that and really looking forward to this Saturday.
“I don’t think the beginning of their (Calgary) season is really indicative of the type of team they are,” he continued. “I know how good a team they are. They’re a balanced team from front to back.
“Obviously you have to pay special attention to Curtis Dickson and Dane Dobbie, Wes Berg, very explosive guys who can score on the front, and they also have a real dynamic transition team that, if we’re slow getting off the floor, they’re going to push the ball on us and really get good opportunities from the back end.”