The Colorado Mammoth is like the college kid who has aced virtually every test but has yet to clinch an "A" for the semester.

By Saturday night, when the Mammoth has completed a set of games on successive nights against the Arizona Sting and Minnesota Storm, the "A" designation might well belong to Colorado - in the form of a West Division championship.

If things don't go so well, the Mammoth might have some makeup work to do.

Colorado's unimpeded march to the division crown hit a speed bump Saturday in Buffalo with a 19-15 loss to the Bandits, but the Mammoth still boasts a 10-2 record and a 2 1/2-game cushion over Arizona (7-4).

The Sting, though, could trim the gap to one-half game if it wins both its games this weekend and Colorado loses both.

The Sting takes on the Mammoth tonight at the Pepsi Center (7, Altitude2) before returning home to face San Jose on Saturday.

"I don't think we're concerned with that," Mammoth general manager Steve Govett said. "We're concerned with our own team right now, and I mean that in a good way."

With a win against the Sting and another Saturday in Minnesota, the Mammoth would clinch the West Division title with two games to play.

Colorado also has its sights on East Division leader Rochester, which has equaled the Mammoth's 10-2 record and is challenging for home-field advantage throughout the postseason.

Colorado has a tiebreaker edge over the Knighthawks, however, after beating them 20-15 in the opener.

"We'd love to be fortunate enough to host a championship, but there are two teams (in the postseason) you have to get past before you get there," Govett said. "If it doesn't happen, we'll just try to do it like we did last year."

Last season, the Mammoth won two home playoff games before traveling to Buffalo and knocking off the Bandits to capture the Champion's Cup.

Saturday's performance in Buffalo wasn't as championship-like.

"Anytime you drop a game, you want to refocus," Govett said. "The thing that has benefited us all season is our defense and goaltending, and we might have let one slip away. . . .

"Obviously, we can still improve."

ETC.: Saturday's game at the Xcel Energy Center will mark the National Lacrosse League's 1,000th game. The league was founded in 1987. "I think it's great watching the NLL succeed and watching it grow," said Mammoth coach Gary Gait, who joined the league as a player in 1991. "It's a big milestone." . . . Because of a statistical quirk, Mammoth goaltender Gee Nash retained his perfect 8-0 record. He was pulled after allowing 15 goals against Buffalo, but because the Mammoth scored 15, the goaltender who gave up No. 16, backup Chris Levis, officially was credited with the loss.