Shanks comes up clutch, Rush force Game 3 in NLL final

Saskatchewan downs Bandits 11-10 in Game 2

Austin Shanks reacts to scoring the winning goal for the Rush.

Austin Shanks is playing like there is no tomorrow.

The 31-year-old star forward with the Saskatchewan Rush is determined to make good on his second opportunity to win an NLL title. On Sunday at the SaskTel Centre, the Rush went into Game 2 of the NLL Championship Series needing a win against the two-time defending champion Buffalo Bandits to push the best-of-three set to a series deciding Game 3.

Shanks piled up three goals including the winner and five assists to power the Rush to an 11-10 victory before a campaign high 8,216 raucous spectators at the Rush’s home facility. The win allowed the Rush to even the series at 1-1.

Austin Shanks had three goals and five assists on Sunday.

Game 3 is slated for this coming Saturday at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, at 4:30 p.m. local time.

The Bandits claimed Game 1 of the series 12-10 last Friday before 16,761 spectators at KeyBank Center in Buffalo. Shanks had three goals and five assists in that contest as well. The Courtice, Ontario, product was pumped his squad evened the series in Game 2.

“It took a full 60 (minutes),” said Shanks, who stands 5-foot-11 and weighs 175 pounds. “That is what we have been kind of grinding and doing all year.

“Getting the chance and having this opportunity is awesome, but it is hard work and it is sacrifice. We’re excited for Game 3.”

Bandits G Matt Vinc stops Rush F Austin Shanks.

Shanks began his NLL career in 2018 with the original Rochester Knighthawks, who fell to the Rush in that year’s best-of-three NLL final 2-1. He remained with the original Knighthawks when they moved to Halifax to become the Thunderbirds before the start of the 2019-2020 campaign until this past off-season when he signed with the Rush.

When teams focus on taking away his chances to be a shooter, Shanks has no problem distributing the ball. He said that is easy for him to do in the Rush’s offence.

The SaskTel Centre faithful cheer on the Rush.

“We’re a team office, so if they want to pressure and pressure and push me out, then, I’ll start passing,” said Shanks. “I’ll start setting more picks.

“In this team, we just want to win, and we don’t care who shoots the ball, who scores the goals, who does what, but we all grind for each other. We’re so happy for each other’s success. I just stepped back from shooting a little bit and made some more passes.”

In Sunday’s clash, Jake Boudreau, captain Ryan Keenan and Zach Manns each had a pair of goals for the Rush, who also received singles from Brock Haley and Clark Walter. Robert Church had three assists for Saskatchewan.

Dhane Smith (#92) had two goals and three assists for the Bandits.

Star forward Dhane Smith topped the Bandits with five points coming off two goals and three assists. Ian MacKay, Clay Scanlan and Chase Fraser all had two-goal nights for the Bandits, while Josh Byrne and Kyle Buchanan each had singles.

Frank Scigliano, who is the NLL’s goaltender of the year, stopped 40 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Rush. Matt Vinc turned away 41 shots to take the setback in net for the Bandits.

Sunday’s game was a back-and-forth battle that saw the Rush jump out to a 3-0 lead. The Bandits battled back and got ahead 6-5 near the end of the second quarter before both squads went into halftime locked in a 6-6 tie.

Chase Fraser had a pair of goals for the Bandits.

The Bandits entered the fourth quarter holding a 9-8 lead. With 8:54 remaining in the fourth quarter, Manns wired home a mid range shot for a power-play goal that evened the score at 9-9.

Shanks proceeded to sneak in his second of the night close in at the left side of the Bandits net to put the Rush ahead 10-9 with 7:16 remaining in the frame. With 3:08 remaining in the fourth quarter, Manns hit Shanks with a pass as Shanks was streaking in from the left side to the Buffalo net. Shanks quickly loaded a shot to complete his hat trick to give the Rush an 11-9 advantage.

Buchanan would score for the Bandits with 65 seconds remaining in the frame to trim the Rush’s lead to 11-10. The Bandits got that tally having pulled Vinc for an extra attacker.

Zach Manns had a pair of goals for the Rush.

The Bandits continued to pressure and a final shot by Fraser was blocked by Rush defender Holden Garlent right before the full-time buzzer to allow Saskatchewan to hold on to the one-goal win.

“Shanksy (Shanks) and a couple of our (offensive) guys made some really smart plays in the fourth quarter when we felt they had a couple of guys who had been up and down the floor and were a little fatigued,” said Rush co-head coach and general manager Derek Keenan, who is the NLL’s GM of the year. “We attacked them and took advantage of that.

“That is just smart lacrosse. It was a hard game. I didn’t think we were our best at times, but we just kind of hung around long enough for these guys to make some plays in the fourth quarter.”

The O16 Electric Crew performs during a break between quarters.

With 6:44 remaining in the second quarter and the Rush holding a 5-3 advantage, Buchanan thought he scored at that point in time for the Bandits. The Rush coaches challenged the goal call. It was determined Buchanan had a toe in the crease of the Saskatchewan net just before he released his shot, and that caused the tally to be disallowed.

Despite that development, the Bandits scored three straight goals to go ahead 6-5. With 0.9 seconds remaining in the second quarter, Boudreau tallied for the Rush to send the two teams into the halftime break locked in a 6-6 tie.

Robert Church had three assists for the Rush.

“I also thought the goal that Boudreau got at the end of the half was huge,” said Keenan. “He just made a great play and tied it up.

“At the end of the day, it is a one-goal game, so it is big.”

That set the stage for the Bandits to take a 9-8 lead into the fourth quarter only for the Rush to score three times in the fourth to pull out victory. In Game 1 last Friday in Buffalo, the Rush were unable to score in the fourth quarter, and the Bandits scored once into an empty net.

Keenan said there isn’t much separating his Rush and the Bandits.

“I thought we played really well Friday night actually,” said Keenan. “I thought (Scigliano) was outstanding as he always is.

Frank Scigliano makes one of his 40 saves in goal for the Rush.

“We just couldn’t get that goal in the fourth quarter whereas tonight we did. That is just about making plays. If you compare the two games, Friday night Buffalo made some plays in the fourth quarter when they really needed it, and we didn’t.

“That is really the difference. It is a very, very fine line. It is going to be tough in there next week, but we’ll be prepared.”

The Rush and Bandits both finished the regular season posting 13-5 records. In the one head-to-head encounter between the two sides, the Bandits claimed a 9-7 victory on March 1 at the SaskTel Centre. That allowed the Bandits, who are the two-time defending NLL champions, to finish first overall in the NLL, while the Rush were second overall.

Rush fans cheer and do the chest thump after one of the team’s goals.

Shanks said the Rush’s goaltending and defence allowed his squad to pull out the win on Sunday.

“Our goalie and our defence, they’ve been the heart of this team and the backbone of this team all year,” said Shanks. “They make huge stops, they push the ball, they bring a tonne of energy, and they allowed us to get some more opportunities.

“It was a full team effort – that is all it was – for 60 minutes.”

Now, the Rush and the Bandits head to their series-deciding Game 3 this coming Saturday in Buffalo. The Rush are searching for their fourth NLL title in team history, while the Bandits want to capture their seventh NLL championship.

Keenan is looking forward to the opportunity that awaits his squad.

“I think these guys - and (co-head coach) Jimmy (Quinlan) talked about it a lot – it is another weekend they get to spend together,” said Keenan. “That is huge for them.

The Rush players enjoy their Game 2 NLL final victory on Sunday.

“It was a tough game tonight. They (the Bandits) are a handful. They got some serious weapons on offence, and we just kind of hung in.”

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Shanks shakes up old team, powers Rush to Game 1 romp

Saskatchewan thumps Halifax 16-7 in feisty affair

Austin Shanks was a dream for his current team the Saskatchewan Rush and a nightmare for his former club the Halifax Thunderbirds.

On Saturday, the skilled 31-year-old forward fired home six goals to power the visiting Rush to a 16-7 romp over the host Thunderbirds in Game 1 of a best-of-three NLL semifinal series at Scotiabank Centre. The Rush will look to close out the series this coming Saturday when they host Game 2 at 7:30 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon. If Game 3 is necessary, it will held on Sunday, May 11 at 6 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

Shanks had played for the Thunderbirds franchise for his entire career starting in 2018 when it was still located in Rochester, New York, as the original Rochester Knighthawks. He signed with a Rush as a free agent before the current campaign began.

The Game 1 clash between the Rush and Thunderbirds was a feisty affair too. Saskatchewan had 35 minutes in penalties in the contest, and Halifax piled up 71 minute in the sin bin.

Zach Manns had big night for the Rush recording nine points off two goals and seven assists. Robert Church had a five point night for Saskatchewan coming off a pair of goals and three helpers.

Rush captain Ryan Keenan had one goal and four assists and engaged in a late fourth quarter fight to complete the Gordie Howe hat trick.

Brock Haley scored two penalty shot goals for the Rush, while Clark Walter, Matt Hossack and Mike Messenger had singles.

Veteran forward Randy Staats led the Thunderbirds with six points coming off one goal and five assists. Dawson Theede and Thomas Hoggarth each had a pair of goals for the Thunderbirds, while Clarke Petterson and Ryan Terefenko had singles.

Frank Scigliano stopped 41 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Rush. Drew Hutchison turned away 21-of-32 shots to take the loss in net for the Thunderbirds before being pulled in the third quarter. Warren Hill turned away 14-of-19 shots playing the rest of the way in relief.

The Thunderbirds jumped on the scoreboard first just 53 seconds into the contest on Petterson’s tally. That set the stage for the Rush to improve their record in the regular season and post-season to 11-1 when their opponents score first.

Saskatchewan responded with a five-goal run to go ahead 5-1. Walter got the equalizer and tallies from Manns and Church followed. Shanks completed the surge with his first two markers on the night.

The Rush held a 6-3 lead after the first quarter, a 7-4 advantage at halftime and a 12-5 edge after three quarters.

Fireworks started late in the fourth quarter with the Rush holding a 14-7 lead in what was basically a decided contest. With 1:38 remaining in the fourth quarter, Keenan ended up in a fight with Thunderbirds defender Nonkon Thompson.

Keenan was given a fighting major, while Thompson was assessed an instigator minor, a fighting major and two game misconducts. Also at that point in the contest, Thunderbirds defender Trevor Smyth was given a minor for boarding.

Due to the Rush being on a two-man advantage, Haley was able to score his first penalty shot goal with 67 seconds remaining in the stanza when Thunderbirds defender Tyson Bell picked up a slashing minor.

Haley scored his second penalty shot goal just six seconds later after a scrum where the Thunderbirds picked up an extra roughing minor given to transition player Jake Withers.

With 10.7 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Theede took a slashing minor resulting in a third penalty shot opportunity for the Rush. Forward Mike Triolo took that penalty shot and missed the net.

The Rush finished second overall in the NLL regular season with a 13-5 mark. The Thunderbirds were third overall at 11-7.

In the other best-of-three NLL semifinal, the host Buffalo Bandits romped over the visiting Vancouver Warriors 9-3 on Friday night. Those two clubs go at it in Game 2 on Sunday at 6 p.m. local time at Rogers Arena.

The Bandits topped the NLL regular season at 13-5, and the Warriors were fourth overall at 11-7.

With the way the Game 1 clash between the Rush and Thunderbirds ended, the animosity intensity might be on the uptake when the series switches back to the SaskTel Centre. “Rush Nation” could be in for quite a show before this series draws to a conclusion.

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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Rush spectacle still there

NLL squad’s game nights remain a tonne of fun  

The Rush head to the SaskTel Centre turf for pre-game intros.

Saskatchewan Rush game nights are still the most entertaining put out by any sports organization in the province.

When the Rush franchise first came over from Edmonton and set up shop in the SaskTel Centre before the start of the 2016 NLL season, their game nights became a spectacle that you had to see. From performances from the dance team, various pre-game festivities with videos and pyrotechnics, fun in game promotions and theme nights, Rush contests had it all.

Plus, the style of box lacrosse played by the NLL is fast paced, and an in house DJ is always pumping tunes that match and add to the hectic pace of the action.

In the current day, Rush games are still the best time out. They are sitting there waiting to be rediscovered by fans.

This past December 28, the Rush hosted their second home game of the current campaign, and it was the team’s “Sask Vegas Night” that was presented by the Dakota Dunes.

Fans play casino games during the Rush’s“Sask Vegas Night.”

The O16 Lounge in the SaskTel Centre was set up with various casino style games, where those attending the contest got to play for prizes. Singer, songwriter and guitar player Kris Klyne was on hand to provide music that created an upbeat mood.

Leading up to game time, everything you have come to expect from Rush games is still there. The O16 Electric Crew dance team started all the pre-game festivities with an energetic dance routine. It can’t be understated how good those ladies really are, and they perform a couple of other times as the night goes on.

The Rush had their classic pyrotechnics and light show going as they came out for pre-game introductions. They also had a “burn song” to introduce the visitors, who happened to be the Philadelphia Wings on this night.

The O16 Electric Crew performs before opening faceoff.

The rink also had a couple of party zones to watch the contest from including the “Outlaws Corral.” The “Outlaws Corral” has been the traditional party zone for Rush games set up in the Zamboni entrance in the southwest corner of the facility. That area includes the DJs who play music throughout the action of the game.

The NLL game itself is still as fast paced as ever. Of course, fans in attendance love getting to do the trademark chest thumping celebration that is performed every time the Rush score a goal. They also have unique food items at their concessions like bison burgers.

 The Rush ultimately fell 12-11 in overtime on this night with Wings forward Holden Cattoni potting the winner 95 seconds into extra time. Even with the loss, fans could come away from the contest feeling both their time and their money was well spent.

Following the contest as has been a tradition since the Rush arrived in Saskatoon, fans could go down to field level and autographs from various players that night. The Rush also have a cool mascot to mingle with in Rowdy the Bison.

Ryan Keenan is the veteran captain of the Rush.

Despite the fact Rush game nights are still a great time, their games haven’t had the hype they have had in the past. One of the big factors for that comes from the fact the Rush haven’t been winning like they did when the first came to Saskatchewan.

The Rush arrived in Saskatoon after winning the NLL championship during their final season as the Edmonton Rush playing out of the Alberta capital city in 2015. Unable to secure a long term lease deal for the brand new Rogers Place in Edmonton, then owner Bruce Urban relocated the Rush to Saskatoon and the club was branded as the Saskatchewan Rush for the 2016 campaign.

The Rush arrived in Saskatchewan with one of the best teams the NLL had ever seen. They were in one of the best runs the circuit had ever seen too.

Another NLL title followed for the Rush in their first season calling Saskatchewan home in 2016. They fell in the league final in 2017 and reclaimed the NLL title in 2018.

Zach Manns is one of the top scorers on the Rush.

Over that time, players like Zack Greer, Aaron Bold, Mark Matthews, captain Chris Corbeil, Jeff Cornwall, Jeremy Thompson, Robert Church, Ryan Keenan, Jeff Shattler and Evan Kirk all became household names along with head coach and general manager Derek Keenan. Thanks to the fan following around Thompson, most Rush supporters, who had never seen box lacrosse until the NLL came to Saskatchewan, picked up an eye-opening appreciation for all the little gritty things a good transition player does for a team.

The party was seemingly going on every night as an average of over 13,400 spectators regularly came out per game.

On a provincial level, the Rush truly became a provincial team and were like a miniature version of the province’s CFL franchise in the Saskatchewan Roughriders based out of the province’s capital city of Regina. It was common for Rush games to be covered by nine to 15 media members from various communities around the province.

The town of Chamberlain located on Highway 11 between Saskatoon and Regina used to have a billboard that stated, “This highway flows; south for the Riders, north for the Rush.”

Rush fans do their traditional chest bump celebration after a goal.

A very small number of folks might have wondered at the time how things would look when the franchise had to undergo an inevitable rebuild. Those thoughts were quickly forgotten, and it was easy to get wrapped up in the success of the time.

Everything got disrupted when the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic hit in March of 2020. The Rush were 7-3 at the time and looked poised to make a run at another NLL title. The rest of that NLL campaign was cancelled along with the 2021 season.

On May 10, 2021, Urban sold the Rush to the Priestner family, who owned the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades. The Rush, Blades and WCBL’s Saskatoon Berries are operated under the umbrella company of the Sask Entertainment Group.

The sale of the Rush allowed the Urban family, who are based in Calgary, to focus on running the Western RV Group of Companies. The Priestners had more staffers living in Saskatoon including Colin Priestner, who is best known as general manager and president of the Blades. The presence of staffers helped with a restart after the pandemic.

Mike Messenger in one of the Rush’s long time veterans.

When the NLL got going again for the 2022 campaign, the rebuild started for the Rush. Actually, it was more like a reload as the club never bottomed out and posted 8-10 regular season marks in each the 2022, 2023 and 2024 campaigns, where they just missed out on the playoffs.

Average attendance fell to 8,743 in 2022, 8,606 in 2023 and 8,085 in 2024. In three home dates in the current campaign, the Rush have attracted attendances of 5,661, 6,016 and 5,558 spectators.

The media gatherings have shrunk to about two or three persons outside of Rush team staff and the staff of the visiting squads on game night.

The holdovers from the 2018 championship team include Church, now captain Ryan Keenan, Mike Messenger and Matt Hossack. Derek Keenan is still the general manager and is a co-head coach along with Jimmy Quinlan. The Rush have new stars who are turning heads in Zach Manns, Austin Shanks and Brock Haley.

Two youngsters lead a Rush autograph session happy.

They have gotten out to a 4-2 start and host the 2-5 Albany Firewolves on Saturday at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. The Rush will be hosting a retro night promotion where the team wears special jerseys, and there will be retro arcade games, a photo booth and tattoos from tattoo artists available on the concourse. Overall, another fun night out should be on tap.

The Rush are waiting to be rediscovered. Their game days continue to be worth the price of admission.

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Wings freeze Rush comeback attempt in OT

Cattoni’s winner drops Saskatchewan to 3-1

Clark Walter (#9) of the Rush keeps the ball away from a Wings defender.

Holden Cattoni played the role of Grinch to the chagrin of the Saskatchewan Rush and their fans.

On Saturday night at the SaskTel Centre just three days after Christmas Day, Cattoni fired home five goals including the overtime winner to allow his Philadelphia Wings to pull out a 12-11 overtime victory over the host Rush in an NLL regular season clash. The Rush were down in the contest 11-8 but rallied with three fourth quarter goals to even the score at 11-11 and force overtime.

The Wings celebrate their overtime win on Saturday.

After the Rush came up empty on their two offensive possessions in the extra session, Cattoni slipped the winner home past Rush goalie Frank Scigliano 95 seconds into the stanza to disappoint most of the 6,016 spectators in attendance. Saturday’s game marked the third time this season Saskatchewan had gone to overtime this season. The Rush won their two previous overtime contests.

Rush co-head coach Jimmy Quinlan appreciated the resilience shown by his club, but he would like his squad to play a bit more consistent in regulation time.

“Kudos to our group,” said Quinlan. “They are an interesting bunch, and it is great.

Holden Cattoni scored five goals for the Wings on Saturday.

“They never feel like they are out of it. They feel like it doesn’t really matter what is going on they stick to the game plan. Those overtime ones though, it is kind of next shot wins.

“We kind of maybe got a little bit too far off one of their shooters, and he made a play. If we clean up a lot of those areas and we get better on the power play, we probably don’t find ourselves in that spot. It is a tough league to win in, and we figured that one out tonight.”

Saturday’s setback dropped the Rush to 3-1. They were looking to put together their first 4-0 start since the 2017-18 campaign when the last won the NLL title.

For the Wings, Saturday’s victory was their third straight as they improved to 3-1.

Mike Triolo scored four goals for the Rush on Saturday.

“Obviously, the guys in the locker room are pretty upset, because we had our chances to win that game tonight,” said Rush rookie defender Jake Naso, who scored his first career NLL goal on Saturday. “Definitely, we had a chance we could have gone 4-0.

“We’re going to watch the film and get back at it. We have a bye week, and everyone’s going to work as hard as they can to get healthy and get right for our next game and just take it one week at a time.”

Mike Triolo scored four goals from the Rush, who also received singles from Josh Zawada, Clark Walter, Ryan Barnable, Brock Haley, Jake Boudreau and Zach Manns.

Brennan O’Neill and Mitch Jones each had two-goal nights for the Wings, while Blaze Riorden, Joe Resetarits and Phil Caputo had singles for the Philadelphia side.

Zach Manns scored the goal that forced overtime on Saturday.

The Rush jumped out to a quick 2-0, but they were locked in a 3-3 tie with the Wings at the end of the first quarter. After the Rush scored early in the second quarter to go up 4-3, the Wings went on a 5-1 run to close out the first half jumping out to an 8-5 lead.

Naso said the Rush might have halted that run, if everyone on his side clamped down for a second more on their individual defensive matchups.

“Looking back at it, yeah, we could have prevented it,” said Naso. “That is what we were dealt with, and we came back.

“We came back with a hunger in the second half, and made that score even at the end and just fell short.”

The Wings proceeded to exit the third quarter with an 11-8 advantage. The fourth quarter belonged to the Rush as Triolo netted his third and fourth goals of the contest with Manns following up with the equalizer to cause the 11-11 tie and force overtime.

Fans at the SaskTel Centre celebrate a Rush goal.

Quinlan was pleased that Triolo came through with a big game. The bench boss said Triolo’s impact was similar to the impact Manns had on the Rush in their 9-8 overtime win over the Halifax Thunderbirds at the SaskTel Centre on December 14, where Manns scored six goals including the extra time winner. Triolo is playing his second season with the Rush after signing with the club as a free agent.

“He (Triolo) was phenomenal,” said Quinlan. “He is a guy that when we got him last year we asked a lot of things of him.

“We always knew he could carry the ball. He is just a guy who again will do anything you ask, and it was good to see him rewarded. He is one of those guys when he starts to feel hot it is give him the ball and get out of his way.

The O16 Electric Crew performs during halftime.

“Similar to what Zach Manns did here against Halifax, he got us into that game and gave us a chance. I was happy for him.”

Before Cattoni netted the overtime winner for the Wings, the Rush had two offensive possessions in the extra session. Quinlan believed his squad had a good chance to claim victory on the first possession.

“I thought the first one we did exactly what we wanted to and executed a great look,” said Quinlan. “Joshua (Zawada) got a shot right from the high scoring percentage area in the middle of the floor, and their goalie made a save.

Ryan Keenan works in the offensive zone for the Rush.

“The second possession, again, I think we kind of maybe passed up a shot we should have taken, and then I’ve seen all the balls on the ground. You get into those situations of overtime a lot of times it is getting balls on net, and maybe not necessarily looking for the perfect shot.

“I thought our first possession was excellent. Our second possession, I’d have to go back and look at it, but I thought we passed up a good shot.”

Scigliano made 37 saves to take the setback in goal for the Rush. Nick Damude stopped 47 shots to pick up the win in net for the Wings.

The Rush return to action when they host the Las Vegas Desert Dogs on Saturday, January 11, 2025 at 7 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. 

Zach Manns (#2) attracts defenders from the Wings.

Looking forward, Rush captain Ryan Keenan said everyone on his team has to like the fact they are 3-1 after posting 8-10 records in each of the past three campaigns and failing to make the post-season in each of those campaigns.

“We’re in a good spot,” said Keenan. “I think we all know in that room there are a lot of areas to improve.

“Our offence, we have to execute a lot better. We were a bit sloppy. We had some unforced errors and turnovers.

The Rush will look to rebound from their loss on Saturday.

“We’ve got the guys in the room to win and compete for a championship. We just have to start putting it together for 60 minutes.”

If you have any comments you would like to pass along about this post, feel free to email them to stankssports@gmail.com.

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If you like what you see here, you might want to donate to the cause to keep independent media like this blog going. Should you choose to help out, feel free to click on the DONATE button in the upper right corner. Thank you for stopping in.