A National Lacrosse League team has not lost the first game of a best-of-three series and still won the series since 2015. The San Diego Seals (1-1) look to do exactly that Saturday at Pechanga Arena when they take on the Colorado Mammoth (1-1) in an advance-to-the-finals-or-go-home game 3 of the Western Conference Finals.

The series began in San Diego where the Seals took a three-goal lead into halftime and scored nine goals in the first two quarters. But a 5-1 quarter in advantage of Colorado saw the game quickly take a turn and the Seals could not overcome the Mammoth’s late surge.

Forward Austin Staats scored five of San Diego’s 11 goals in an overtime thriller in Denver in Game 2 that needed that type of performance from the first overall draft pick in the 2018 NLL Entry Draft and the 2018-19 NLL Rookie of the Year.

The Seals will need a stellar outing from goaltender Frank Scigliano, who made 577 saves in 16 regular-season games. He averages 38 saves per game in three playoff games.

Dane Dobbie leads the squad with nine goals and 17 points in the 2022 postseason, but Staats sits right behind him in both categories with eight goals and 15 points. Jeremy Noble’s 12 assists is four more than any other Seals player.

Colorado forward Eli McLaughlin leads the offense with 12 goals and 21 points while being tied with forward Chris Wardle for the team lead in assists with nine each. If the Seals’ defense can contain McLaughlin and limit his scores, San Diego will have a good shot at advancing to the NLL Finals for the first time in the franchise’s third season.

One team’s season will end tonight when they battle it out for the Western Conference title at 7 p.m. at Pechanga Arena and can be watched on The CW San Diego or ESPN+.