The Colorado Mammoth took their NLL title defense as far as they could.

But with the NLL championship on the line in a winner-take-all Game 3 in Buffalo on Saturday night, the Mammoth didn’t have the offense to finish the job.

Buffalo goaltender Adam Vinc and the Bandits defense shut down a red-hot Mammoth attack that burned them for 16 goals in a series-extending Game 2 win at Ball Arena, and the Bandits ran away with a decisive 13-4 victory to avenge last year’s NLL Finals loss to Colorado.

Josh Byrne netted a hat trick less than four minutes into the third quarter to give the Bandits a 6-2 lead, which was plenty of cushion for the disciplined Buffalo defense.

Buffalo outshot Colorado by a 60-50 margin, with Mammoth goalkeeper Dillon Ward (47 saves) unable to withstand the onslaught as the Bandits netted nine goals in the second half. Vinc finished the game with 46 saves, as the Mammoth were limited to just one power play opportunity the entire game.

Colorado managed just one even-strength goal through the game’s first two quarters, and didn’t get their second until Eli McLaughlin fired off a shot from the left side to pull with 6-3 with 4:27 left in the third quarter.

That was immediately answered by Byrne’s fourth goal of the game a mere 29 seconds later. Dhane Smith tacked on another Bandits tally before the end of the third quarter and the rout was on.

The loss ended an incredible underdog run through the playoffs for the Mammoth, who finished the regular season 9-9 and fourth in their division but scored upsets of San Diego and Calgary to reach the NLL Finals for the second straight year.

This time, however, they couldn’t win Game 3 in Buffalo as they did the year before.

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