One thing abundantly clear after Calgary and Rochester won their division semifinals is that Saskatchewan and Georgia will have to be at their best in the finals this weekend if they want to return to the best-of-three championship series.

Calgary overcame a huge deficit to defeat Colorado 15-12 in Denver and Rochester led all the way to win 15-11 at home over New England.

Calgary trailed 6-1 and was behind 7-3 at halftime.

“We didn’t let any of that little stuff phase us,” said winning goaltender Christian Del Bianco.

The Roughnecks tied it 8-8 in the third quarter and they fell behind again twice in the fourth before scoring the last four goals to slay the Mammoth. Dane Dobbie finished with six goals, Curtis Dickson got four and Wes Berg got two.

Del Bianco, the 20-year-old British Columbian in his first season as a first-string pro goalie, earned the win with 38 saves, while Dillon Ward made seven fewer saves for Colorado in front of 13,884 in Denver’s Pepsi Center.

Calgary coach Curt Malawsky was not surprised by his team’s second-half heroics.

“When you break it down at the half, we had more offensive possessions than they did,” Malawsky said. “It was just a matter of those dropping. We just wanted to keep the pressure on and just keep grinding and grinding. Christian was a huge part of that. Every time we scored a goal, he was able to make a big stop and when they got one they couldn’t get two. That was a big thing. They couldn’t get on a run after their early one. We just stuck with it. We just had to chip away.”

Calgary’s post-season winning streak against Colorado now stands at a dizzying 8-0.

PHOTO BY MICHELINE VELUVOLU/ROCHESTER KNIGHTHAWKS

In the NLL East semifinal, Rochester jumped ahead 4-0 and increased its lead to 11-4 before New England inched to within 12-10. Two late breakaway goals by Brad Gillies killed the rally in front of a Blue Cross Arena crowd of 5,263. Austin Shanks scored four goals, Gillies got three and Joe Resetarits, Cory Vitarelli and Kyle Jackson had two each.

“They swept us during the regular season, so it was nice to come out here in the playoffs, when it matters, and take that W,” Shanks said.

Reilly O’Connor, Steph Leblanc and Callum Crawford scored three goals each for the Black Wolves. Kevin Crowley, who scored a league-high 51 goals during the regular season, had 12 shots on goal but was unable to put a ball behind Matt Vinc. Shots were 60-60.

PLAYING WITH DISCIPLINE

Four penalties were assessed in the New England-Rochester game and all were against the Black Wolves, who allowed one power-play goal while getting zero chances themselves.

RECORD BOOK

With 49 saves, Matt Vinc passed NLL Hall of Fame member Dallas Eliuk for second on the all-time playoff saves list.

“It’s just great to be back in the playoffs,” Vinc said of Rochester’s return to postseason play for the first time since 2015. “That’s why we play. We established something when I first got here in Rochester. The norm was being in the playoffs and we got away from that. With all those individual records, it’s all about wins and losses.”

Career playoff saves: 1. Pat O’Toole 802; 2. Matt Vinc 801; 3. Dallas Eliuk 774; 4. Bob Watson 749.

Career playoff minutes: 1. Vinc 1,326; 2. O’Toole 1,241; 3. Eliuk 1,224; 4. Watson 1,213.

BIG-GAME PLAYERS

The show put on by Dane Dobbie and Curtis Dickson in the fourth quarter — five goals from the two of them — was one that will linger in memory banks for many years. It was as if the two Calgary vets issued a statement saying, “We will not be beaten.”

Dobbie’s six-goal effort increased his career playoff goals total to 51 in 24 games for an average of 2.1 a game. The 11-year veteran has 101 career playoff points.

Dickson’s four-goal binge upped his career playoff goals total to 48 in 19 games for an average of 2.5 a game. Dickson is in his eighth season and now has 81 playoff points.

INTO THE FUTURE

The Mammoth had a strong season. Their 11-7 record, accomplished in great part by a No. 2 league ranking in goals against, was good for second place in overall standings and all indicators point to a successful 2019.

Ryan Benesch was the team’s top point-getter with 93 including 36 goals during the regular season and he had two goals and three assists Saturday. Zack Greer had a so-so season with 41 points but came through with a team-best three goals in the semifinal.

“That’s an outstanding team, very well coached, outstanding goaltending, and they run good offensive and defensive systems,” Calgary coach Curt Malawsky said of the Mammoth. “No one was going to win by six. We figured it was going to be back and forth.”

Colorado has to go yet another year haunted by the postseason dominance by Malawsky’s mob.

ONE TO REGRET

The Black Wolves had a shot at finishing first in the NLL East but it went wide when they lost 16-11 at home to Georgia on April 29 in completing their schedule at 9-9. Had they won, they’d have had a bye last weekend. Instead, they lost in Rochester and were done. So, if they have a regret, it’s that loss to the Swarm.

DIVISION FINALS

EAST: Rochester (11-8) at Georgia (11-7) 7:05 p.m. ET Saturday, May 12

WEST: Calgary (9-10) at Saskatchewan (14-4) 7 p.m. ET Sunday May 13

TO PLAY OR NOT TO PLAY

Sandy Chapman, 37, just completed his 17th NLL season and said he’s “on the fence” about extending his lacrosse career.

“I had a few injuries this season and you wonder if your body is telling you something,” he said of his mental deliberations.

He’s about to become an unrestricted free agent and, if he decides to forge ahead, he’d like to re-sign with the Toronto Rock. He says he has no desire to play for an expansion team because that would mean too much travel. He is a nurse at a Burlington, Ontario, hospital.

Chapman is a five-time NLL champion — four with Toronto and one with Rochester. He was a forward for his first five years. He was with the Knighthawks when injuries depleted the defense corps and he subbed in. It’s where he stayed. He was NLL Defenseman of the Year in 2010.

He’s always worn 5. It’s the number he got in minor hockey with coach Mitch Lajuenesse in Acton, Ontario, and he kept it. His favorite lacrosse memory is winning the 2009 Mann Cup with the Brampton Excelsiors against the New Westminster Salmonbellies in a series that went to Game 7 overtime.

Career NLL playoff games: 1. John Tavares 38; 2. Colin Doyle 34; 3. Sandy Chapman and Pat McCready 31 each.

“We were always there,” he said of making the playoffs. “In 17 years, we missed the playoffs three times. That’s why the last couple of years have been so tough. Those are the ones you remember, unfortunately, for the wrong reason.”

Here’s hoping there’ll be a season 18.

TIME TRAVEL

May 7, 2004: The Calgary Roughnecks, coached by Chris Hall, won their first championship in only their third season by defeating the Buffalo Bandits 14-11 in front of 19,289 spectators. Curtis Palidwor was named MVP after making 41 saves.