Washington Power

On 9 July 2002, the Washington Power was sold to a group led by Denver sports mogul Stan Kroenke. The team will be moved to the Pepsi Center in Denver. The team will be known as the Colorado Mammoth, with colors of burgundy, silver, black and white. As more details are announced about the Colorado Mammoth, this page will be phased out in favor of a new one with Colorado-specific information.

After a disappointing season in Pittsburgh followed a hasty relocation from Baltimore, the NLL's transient franchise finally appeared to be settling down in 2001. With twin legends Gary and Paul Gait leading the offense for a full season, Devin Dalep entering his second season respected as one the league's top young netminders, Darris Kilgour behind the bench, and fresh blood in the owner's box, the Washington Power had visions of rising from playoff non-qualifier in 2000 to title contender in 2001.

Following the season opener -- a Saturday matinee, one of four afternoon matches on a brutally-constructed seven-game home slate -- the dream had been dealt a setback. A 20-19 loss to the Buffalo Bandits demonstrated that while the Power's offense was running on all cylinders, its defense was still questionable. Were the twenty goals allowed the product of a run-and-gun game plan neglecting a decent defense or a sign of trouble to come? The answer would come joltingly soon against the Toronto Rock, a team built to feature a scientific defense and a generally unspectacular but very opportunistic offense. Rallying from a big fourth-quarter deficit just a day after the Buffalo loss, the Power stormed to a last-second, 13-12 home win, evening the season record at 1-1.

Over the next two weekends, the Power ran its record to 4-1, with home wins over Rochester (18-16) and Ottawa (18-14) sandwiching a 19-11 victory at Columbus. Had Washington won its season opener, it would've held a commanding three-game lead in the standings in mid-January; at 4-1, though, third place would have to do, although the Power, by a statistical anomaly, actually stood a half-game ahead of the league leaders (Philadelphia and Buffalo were 2-0). It all became academic when the Landsharks paid a visit to the District of Columbia, though. The 19-11 thrashing fresh in their minds, the 'Sharks jumped ahead of the lethargic Power and held on for a 9-7 upset.

Again, the Power would need to rebound from a loss by facing the Rock, this time in Toronto, where visitors rarely have even threatened the two-time defending champions. On this night, though, the hosts were the ones who got rocked, 16-13, in a game notable for the unanticipated crackdown on Toronto's notorious rough play. The Power made the most of their twelve man-up chances, scoring six times on the power play. A bye preceded road victories at Buffalo (21-17) and Albany (18-15), putting the Power in first place at the end of February, with a 7-2 mark.

As good as February was for the Washington Power, March was almost as bad. On a Saturday afternoon early in the month, the Power let a late lead evaporate against the New York Saints and lost, 18-16. A week off couldn't reverse the trend, as the Power picked up in Rochester pretty much where it had left off a fortnight earlier in DC. Although a late rally brought the score to a more respectable 13-11 final, Washington had been stumbling all night, victim to a red-hot opposing goaltender and a bad night for the special teams. The next afternoon, fighting off fatigue, the Power got back on the winning track, taking a 17-13 decision over the hapless (and then-winless) Ottawa Rebel at Corel Centre.

A home-and-home series against a long-time rival, the Philadelphia Wings, stood as the final two games of the regular season -- and with the games right at the start of April, the Power's campaign would be over five days ahead of anyone else's and almost two weeks prior to the league's final regular-season game. With both teams fighting for their playoff lives (a sweep clinching a postseason berth, while getting swept pretty much would rule it out), the games were contested as if they actually were playoff games. The opener in Philadelphia went to overtime -- where the Wings won, 14-13 -- while the "nightcap" a day later at MCI Center did likewise (where the Power won a good, old-fashioned shootout, 20-19).

After two anxious, idle weekends, the Power had qualified for the playoffs, coming in with a solid 9-5 record. Washington's semifinal opponent -- the Toronto Rock, wielding home floor advantage in the playoffs for the third straight season. A repeat of January's 16-13 magic would not come on this mid-April evening, though, as the Power played catch-up for three quarters and couldn't quite push past the Rock, losing by a 10-9 count.

DATE         OPPONENT              WAS-OPP   W/L  REC  POS
----------------------------------------------------------
  Nov 15-18  -open date-                          0-0  t-1
Sat Nov 24   at Buffalo       8:00  15-17     L   0-1  t-3 #
Sat Dec  1   ROCHESTER        7:00  13-12 OT  W   1-1  2nd #
  Dec  3- 6  -open date-                               t-2
Sat Dec 15   NEW JERSEY       7:00  21- 9     W   2-1  2nd #
  Dec 20-23  -open date-                               1st
  Dec 27-30  -open date-                               1st
Sat Jan  5   TORONTO          7:30  12-11     W   3-1  1st #
Sun Jan 13   at Columbus      5:00  15-19     L   3-2  2nd #
Sat Jan 19   at Vancouver     3:30  17-12     W   4-2  1st #
Fri Jan 25   at New York      8:00  17-12     W   5-2  1st #
Sat Jan 26   NEW YORK         7:00  23-15     W   6-2  1st #
Sat Feb  2   CALGARY          7:00  19-15     W   7-2  1st #
Sun Feb 10   at Toronto      12:30  14-17     L   7-3  1st #
Fri Feb 15   at New Jersey    7:30   8-15     L   7-4  1st #
Sat Feb 16   ALBANY           7:00   9-17     L   7-5  1st #
  Feb 21-24  -open date-                               1st
  F/M 28- 3  -open date-                               1st
Thu Mar  7   at Ottawa        7:30  18-15     W   8-5  1st #
Sat Mar  9   PHILADELPHIA     8:00  19-12     W   9-5  1st #
Sat Mar 16   at Philadelphia  8:00  12-11     L   9-6  1st #
Sat Mar 23   BUFFALO          7:00  22-23     L   9-7  1st #
----------------------------------------------------------
Sat Mar 30   at Philadelphia  8:00  12-11     W  10-7      #
Fri Apr  5   at Toronto       7:30  11-12 2OT L  10-8      #
----------------------------------------------------------
Ottawa game (22 Feb) rescheduled due to Rebel change
  of home arena, now 7 March
Quarterfinal game at Phila. because Wash. renounced
  home rights

Power record breakdown:
  vs Eastern   5-2        Monday       0-0
  vs NJ        1-1        Tuesday      0-0
  vs NY        2-0        Wednesday    0-0
  vs PHI       2-1        Thursday     1-0
  vs WAS        --        Friday       1-1
  vs Central   1-4        Saturday     8-5
  vs ALB       0-1        Sunday       0-2
  vs BUF       0-2        November     0-1
  vs COL       0-1        December     2-0
  vs MON       0-0        January      4-1
  vs ROC       1-0        February     1-3
  vs Northern  4-2        March        3-2
  vs CAL       1-0        April        0-1
  vs OTT       1-0        After win    6-4
  vs TOR       1-0        After loss   4-3
  vs VAN       1-2        After bye    3-1
  Home         6-2        2nd game     2-1
  Road         4-6        One goal     3-4
  Overtime     1-1        Two goals    3-4
  Day          1-2        Night        9-6
  
* Second game refers to a multi-game weekend.
* Day games are games beginning at or before 
    5:00 PM local time.

Washington Power
601 F Street NW
Washington, DC 20004
443.255.7073 (voice)
609.371.4779 (fax)

Official Washington Power site
Washington Post sports
Washington Times sports
ArenaMedia's MCI Center page
Map of the area, courtesy of Mapblast.
Alter characteristics of Mapblast map above.