Vail Lacrosse Shootout - Elite Division

The Mammoth used smothering defense and sharp goaltending from Tournament MVP Erik Miller to hold off GMH 9-6 in the 2004 men’s elite championship game. GMH had their moments, but the Mammoth were simply too much in the settled situations and cleared the ball impeccably well throughout the game. GMH fell just short of the Vail title for the second year in a row.

In the first quarter, the Mammoth looked like they were going to run away with the game when they jumped out to an early 4-1 lead. The Mammoth looked like they could do pretty much whatever they wanted on the offensive half while GMH was not getting any good looks at the goal.

After the Mammoth staked to a 6-2 lead, GMH made a run of their own thanks to attackman Kyle Barrie, who took it upon himself to make a few great plays. Barrie combined with Mike Holloway to get some offense going and take the game tied late in the third. But with :33 left in the third quarter, Mammoth attackman Steve Govett buried a shot that ultimately gave his team a lead they would not relinquish. Govett was very good all tournament and was near the top of the leaderboard in scoring throughout.

In the fourth quarter, Erik Miller began to heat up, making several big saves. GMH tried their luck on the ground against the large goalkeeper, but Miller held strong with five saves in the final frame, most of which were hard bouncers. GMH was unable to score in the final frame while the Mammoth tacked on two of their own goals from Travis Taylor and Chase Martin.

Geoff Bieging led all scorers in the game with three goals for the Mammoth while Mike Holloway had one goal and three assists to tie for the game high three points. The Mammoth’s scoring was well balanced as eight players got on the scoresheet. TC Behm for GMH was solid in goal making 10 saves while Miller recorded 17 on the game.

In the end, it was the Mammoth’s ability to stop GMH’s settled offense that made the difference. Defenseman Dave Stilley was a force at close defense and made life miserable for any GMH attackman that dared to venture near the Mammoth goal. The Mammoth win their first elite title in their first year of existence.

Every summer, as June turns into July, a town deep in the Colorado Rocky Mountains becomes the focal point of the lacrosse universe. Players from around the country descend on the Vail Village in droves to participate in one of the most prestigious and competitive lacrosse tournaments in the world: The Vail Lacrosse Shootout.

Since its inception in 1973 (then held in Aspen before moving to its current home in 1979), the Vail Shootout has become somewhat of a lacrosse Mecca. The best players in the sport routinely make the winding and beautiful trek up I-70 to get in on the action, both on the field and off.

The Shootout means long days and even longer nights. It is an excuse to get outdoors and work on your tan, ride your bike up the Vail Valley, tackle the rapids of the Eagle River or watch the talent on the lacrosse fields. At night, Vail Village is famous (or infamous, depending on who you ask) for its never-ending supply of a good time and its own version of "talent."

But when Major League Lacrosse had its inaugural season in the summer of 2001, many feared that the drop in experienced lacrosse stars could potentially cripple the Shootout's proud lacrosse tradition. With obligations to their new professional teams, some of the game's best players were unable to make the yearly trek to Vail and the tournament looked to fill the void left by the MLL players.

Without missing a stride, many of the tournament's teams began finding new talent in the current crop of college stars. While some of the big names of the past are no longer available in the Shootout, the big names of the present and future are.

Take this year's field for example. The list of 2004 All-Americans from Divisions I, II, III and the USL-MDIA on the rosters of this year's teams is over 25 names long. And that list does not include All-Americans from previous years, of which there are still plenty.

Two DI All-Americans from Johns Hopkins, Kyle Harrison and Matt Rewkoski, will play for Velocity SP while GMH boasts two more in Kyle Barrie and Tom Garvey.

Tim McGinnis and Bill McGlone of Maryland will play for the Bullets and GMH respectively.

At the Division III level, first teamers Jeff Bigas (GMH) and Andy Murray (Rebel Lacrosse Jammin' Salmon) of Salisbury and Michael Saraceni and Eric Krieger, both Middlebury alums (Guttman), are in attendance as well.

After a few of what some may call "down years," the Shootout is back, and in 2004, it may be better than ever. Harrow Team Colorado hopes to defend its 2003 title, which they won courtesy of a 12-8 victory over GMH in the elite final last year. It was Team Colorado's first Vail championship since 1988 and the Harrow team will return many of its top stars that got them the trophy in 2003.

But this year's field is the most competitive in years, and any one of the top ten teams has a realistic shot of putting together a four day winning streak.

Last year's second place team, GMH, is looking for a Vail championship in their second year at the tournament while Lax.com hopes for a return to the glory days of 2001, when they won their only Vail title as Team Underarmour.

Rebel Lacrosse Jammin' Salmon expects to improve on a couple of close calls in recent years while Velocity SP and Merrill Lynch look to break through the tough elite bracket of 2004.

Guttman (Middlebury), Bullets (Gettysburg) and Rock-it Pocket (Colorado State) are three teams that use Vail as a reunion place for old friends and alumni. With the proud lacrosse tradition at these schools, expect all three Shootout teams to be competitive and even challenge the top squads throughout.

Newcomers to the usual suspects include the Mammoth, Tri-State and Colorado College teams. They add even more depth to a field that, top to bottom, is as good as it has been since before the MLL.

The teams are ready, the players are ready. We can only hope that the town of Vail is ready.

Championship Game #5 Mammoth 9, #2 GMH 6 (click for detailed game report)

Championship Game
#5 Mammoth 9, #2 GMH 6 (click for detailed game report)