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It was a great game for the entire Mammoth forward group. It exhibited some good depth while also showcasing, once again, the great and timely production that this team can have. It was another good game for the forwards. A sentence that many have been saying for the past couple of weeks about the Mammoth. Seven in a Row Is Good, but Back-To-Back Wins Are Just as Good The win streak has now grown to seven games. It’s pretty good. However, I think what is just as impressive is the fact that the Mammoth went into Minnesota on Saturday and won, and then went into Winnipeg the very next day and beat the defending Presidents’ Trophy winners. That’s not easy to do at all. As mentioned, it’s the very first time the Mammoth have won at Canada Life Centre. I’m sure Brandon Tanev, Nate Schmidt, and Kevin Stenlund are especially happy, considering they all used to play for the Jets. Speaking of Tanev, the forward took a pretty hard shot to the leg area and limped to the bench afterwards. He didn’t take another shift in the game. It’s something to keep an eye on, especially because this is at least the second time this season that he’s blocked a shot and appeared injured afterwards. Something that was different from most of the Mammoth’s recent victories is that neither team really dominated a period. It was a pretty even game throughout. The Mammoth were certainly better in the second period, but throughout the game, both teams had good chances. It does say quite a bit about the Mammoth and how good they are right now. This Jets team is coming off a fantastic season and haven’t been slouches this season. When the Mammoth can keep up to a team like that and pull off a convincing win, that’s a great sign. The fact that the Mammoth did it while coming off a game just 24 hours prior is even more impressive. There’s a reason why teams complain about back-to-back games. They’re exhausting, especially when you’re traveling between the games. Yet, the Mammoth didn’t look tired at all. In fact, they looked like they were having fun. “Winning is fun,” Guenther said. “We’re playing like a lot of games, too. I think we’ve got to continue to keep it rolling and just enjoy the fun for a bit.” It’s a big win, but head coach André Tourigny doesn’t see it as a more valuable win than any other win. While the Jets are a tougher team than most, Tourigny wants consistency more than anything. He doesn’t want the Mammoth to play worse than they did on Sunday when they face a team like the San Jose Sharks. He wants the best every night. “We want consistency,” Tourigny said. “We don’t want to level ourselves to our opponent. We want to be the best version of ourselves every night, knowing full well we played a good team like Winnipeg that is tough to play against. We don’t change our approach.” It seems like that’s the mindset the Mammoth have right now. Dominate their opponents and stick to their game no matter who they play. It seems to have worked in the past seven games, including against a team like the Jets. Like Tourigny said, there’s no need to change and play a different style of hockey just because of the opponent. The Mammoth are now number one in the Central Division. While it’s still early, it’s a great place to be. The win streak has to end at some point, but when it does, this will be a memorable stretch of games for all the fans of the team out there. One that we could potentially look back at and say this is the stretch of games that got the Mammoth into the playoffs. The Mammoth will conclude their road trip on Tuesday in Northern Alberta against the Edmonton Oilers. This season, the Oilers are 4-4-2 and are coming off a 4-3 overtime loss to the Vancouver Canucks. Last season, the two teams played each other three times. The Mammoth lost all three times, including most recently in March by a score of 7-1.
