VAIL LACROSSE SHOOTOUT 2006 DAY 11: July 4, 2006

VAIL LACROSSE SHOOTOUT 2006
DAY 11: July 4, 2006
Contact: Alex Smith – alex@rock-itpocket.com

Vail, CO – After 11 long days, the Vail Lacrosse Shootout finally concluded on Tuesday with Team Mammoth and the reLAXers winning the Men’s and Women’s Elite Divisions fairly handily. Team Mammoth quickly emerged as favorites on Day 1 after they announced a roster full of players that will compete for Team Canada in the upcoming World Lacrosse Games.

With NLL and MLL stars such as John Grant Jr. (Delaware), Brodie Merrill (Georgetown), Gary Gait (Syracuse), Gavin Prout (Loyola) and Jeff Zywicki (UMass), Team Mammoth was able to use Vail as a tune-up for the World Games. MLL players usually not allowed to participate in Vail were given an exemption since Team Canada was calling the Shootout their exhibition schedule.

Rolling through the tournament, Team Mammoth’s only challenge came in the semifinals against defending tournament champion GMH. GMH’s only loss in three previous years was to Team Mammoth in the finals of the 2004 tournament and they played the Canadian boys tough for most of the day before falling 10-7 on Monday.

On Tuesday, Team Mammoth had their way with Go Fast, playing a physical and intimidating brand of lacrosse on their way to an 18-6 victory. Team Canada had competed in Vail before, but this year marks the first time they have won the tournament. A full game summary of the finals by John Schuett is below.

You can find full statistics and game reports on www.vaillacrosse.com.

Men’s Elite Championship
Team Mammoth 18, Go Fast 6
It all came down to this. Go Fast returned to their second consecutive championship game with wins over the Generals, Merrill Lynch, and Jammin' Salmon. They would face a powerhouse Mammoth team, which consists mainly of Team Canada players from the upcoming World Championships. Mammoth eliminated the A-Team, Team 21, and defending champion GMH on their way to the finals.

The field was all dried up from yesterday's rain and the Mammoth were in control of the play right out of the gate. Andrew Turner (Lakehead,'00) started the scoring on a pass from John Grant Jr. less than three minutes into the game. The Mammoth would add goals from Gavin Prout (Loyola, '98) and Jeff Zywicki (UMass, '05) to bring the lead to 3-0. The rest of the first quarter brought seven more goals from the teams, as the scoring was running wild. Mammoth led 7-3 after one.

Michael Donegar (Johns Hopkins, '08) opened the scoring in the 2nd for Go Fast with a man-up tally by rocketing a shot over the right shoulder of goalie Chris Sanderson (Virginia, '98). Evan Kay added to the effort by scoring less tan two minutes later to bring Go Fast within two goals. Lewis Ratcliff would answer for the Mammoth on a pass from Zywicki. The clouds started to roll in near the middle of the second quarter and the defenses started to shine, allowing no goals the rest of the way. Go Fast goalie Jesse Schwartzman (Johns Hopkins, '07) finished the half with seven saves. Sanderson recorded four for the Mammoth.

It was all Mammoth in the third quarter, as they started to pull away by scoring six goals and firing several other point blank shots that were stopped by Schwartzman. Grant Jr. recorded two goals and two assists and Ryan Ward had a pair of goals. The lone tally for Go Fast in the third came from Donegar.

The fourth quarter was much of the same as the Mammoth picked up three goals in the first three minute to force running time. Gary Gait (Syracuse, '92), Geoffrey Snider (Denver, '06), and Steve Govett finished the tune-up for Mammoth, many of whom were getting ready for the World Championships. Go Fast failed to convert on a three-man advantage (for a full minute) late in the quarter.

Final Score: Mammoth 18, Go Fast 6.

Congratulations to Team Mammoth for winning the 2006 Vail Shootout Men's Elite Championship!

3rd Place Game
Jammin' Salmon 6, GMH 5

Consolation Championship (9th Place Game)
A-Team 8, City Grille/Flying Dog 4