In a battle for the West Division, the San Diego Seals defeated the Colorado Mammoth on Saturday night by a final score of 9-7 at Pechanga Arena San Diego. It was the West’s first-place Seals vs. the second-place Mammoth with the season series on the line.

“We were treating this game like a playoff game,” said general manager and head coach Patrick Merrill. “We knew how important the game was in the standings. In this league, it seems like things could change at any minute and this one was crucial going into the second half of the season.”

Another game, another standout performance from goaltender Frank Scigliano. The goalie-of-the-year contender stopped 42 shots on the night, making breakaway stops and defensive plays throughout the entire 60 minutes.

“Frankie has been the MVP for us so far,” continued Merrill. “He keeps us in games, he makes huge stops when we need it and is a leader on the back end.”

In an offense by committee, forward Austin Staats made an immediate impact being back in the line-up finishing with two goals, including the game-winning goal. Recently acquired forward Brett Hickey scored his first goal in the purple and gold, while forward Wesley Berg continued his MVP-caliber season adding a pair of goals.

“That’s the kind of offense we are,” continued Merrill. “When we’re swinging the ball, spreading out our game, have different guys scoring, that’s when we’re successful. We were getting good looks, [Colorado] came out hungry, but we were able to pull it together for a big win.”

The Seals will head to Vancouver next week to face the Warriors for the second of three meetings between the two clubs. Fans will be able to watch the game nationally on ESPNews.