Match date: 6 November 2026.
Final score: Canadiens 5, Mammoth 4.
The Canadiens recovered from two goals down and a deficit after two periods to beat the Mammoth 5-4 in overtime on 6 November, with C. Caufield scoring just 30 seconds into the extra session. It was a remarkable finish to a game in which L. Cooley produced a hat-trick and four points for the Mammoth, yet still saw Montreal claim the final swing.
Game Story
The Mammoth made the sharper start. L. Cooley opened the scoring at 1:42 of the first period, assisted by N. Schmidt and V. Trocheck, then struck again at 9:24 from N. Schmaltz and M. Sergachev to establish a 2-0 lead.
Montreal responded before the interval. N. Suzuki got the Canadiens on the board at 15:25, with J. Slafkovský and N. Dobson assisting, and A. Xhekaj levelled 1:45 later after work from K. Dach and A. Newhook. The first period had gone from Mammoth control to a 2-2 reset.
Cooley completed his hat-trick at 11:05 of the second, converting assists from Schmaltz and C. Keller to restore the visitors’ advantage. That goal separated the teams through the second intermission, with the Mammoth leading 3-2.
The Canadiens found another answer early in the third. Dach tied it at 1:09, assisted by Suzuki and L. Hutson, but the Mammoth again went ahead when Schmaltz scored at 7:14 from Cooley and D. Guenther. Montreal had to chase once more.
A. Engstrom supplied the equaliser at 14:54, with J. Evans and Dobson setting up the 4-4 scoreline. Neither side found a winner in the remainder of regulation, despite a game that had already changed direction several times.
Overtime lasted only 30 seconds. Caufield finished from Hutson and Suzuki, completing the Canadiens’ comeback and ending a nine-goal contest that never settled into a comfortable pattern for either club.
Turning Point
Engstrom’s goal at 14:54 of the third period was the decisive rescue. The Mammoth had led 4-3 since Schmaltz’s seventh-minute strike, but Montreal forced overtime with just over five minutes left before Caufield settled it almost immediately in the extra period.
Standout Performers
Cooley was exceptional in defeat, recording three goals and an assist. He scored twice in the opening 9:24, completed his hat-trick in the second period and assisted on Schmaltz’s third-period goal.
Suzuki drove Montreal’s response with a goal and two assists. He began the Canadiens’ first-period recovery, assisted Dach’s early third-period equaliser and set up Caufield’s overtime winner. Hutson added two assists, including on the decisive goal, while Dobson also contributed two assists.
Caufield’s lone goal was the one that mattered most. His finish at 0:30 of overtime turned a hard-earned comeback into a Canadiens victory.
Tactical Observations
Montreal overcame a significant shot deficit in their favour, putting 35 shots on S. Cossa while the Mammoth managed 20 against J. Dobes. Cossa made 30 saves, but the Canadiens repeatedly found a response after falling behind, tying the game at 2-2, 3-3 and 4-4.
The match was decided less by sustained separation than by how each side handled the changing score. The Mammoth built leads three times, while Montreal’s late equaliser ensured that the first Canadiens lead arrived only with Caufield’s overtime goal. Dobes made 16 saves in the win.
Coach Mark Comment
Cooley’s four-point night is the awkward human detail in this one. A hat-trick normally gives a player a clear place in the story, but hockey does not always arrange its rewards neatly when the other side scores 30 seconds into overtime. The Mammoth can still take something useful from the way their leading scorer kept producing at every stage of the game, from the early 2-0 lead to the assist on their final go-ahead goal. For the Canadiens, the response was not one dramatic rescue but three separate answers. That is a demanding way to win, and it made Caufield’s finish feel like the release of a very long evening.
What It Means
The Canadiens showed they could recover from a two-goal first-period deficit and a one-goal deficit after 40 minutes, then convert the game’s first opportunity in overtime. For the Mammoth, Cooley’s hat-trick and four-point performance stood as the outstanding individual display in a losing effort.
What Comes Next
The immediate question for the Mammoth is how they turn three separate leads into a completed result. Montreal, meanwhile, will look to carry the confidence of repeated in-game responses into their next outing.