Keenan made his mark as coaching icon with Rush

Oshawa, Ont., product leaves bench boss role, remains GM

Derek Keenan with the NLL Cup in 2018.

    In a world that has very few certainties, it seemed like Derek Keenan would coach the Saskatchewan Rush forever.
    With that noted, change seems to be inevitable in life. On Friday, the Rush announced Keenan was stepping down from his role of head coach.

    The 58-year-old product of Oshawa, Ont., will remain with the powerhouse National Lacrosse League club as general manager.

    Taking over as head coach will be Jeff McComb. The 51-year-old McComb, who is from Pickering, Ont., has been with the Rush for the last seven seasons and was their assistant coach responsible for offence.

    Former Rush captain Jimmy Quinlan has been hired as the team’s new assistant coach responsible for offence. The 38-year-old Quinlan last played for the Rush in 2013, when the franchise as still located in Edmonton.

    His #81 is retired by the team.

    Following his playing career, the Sherwood Park, Alta., product proceeded to spend five seasons with the Rush as an assistant coach responsible for defence.

Derek Keenan checks out action from the Rush bench in 2018.

    Jeremy Tallevi, who is from London, Ont., remains on the Rush staff as the assistant coach responsible for defence.

    Way back in June of 2009, Keenan was hired by the Rush to be the team’s head coach and general manager. He guided the club to an NLL championship in 2015 in the squad’s final season in Edmonton.

    Keenan led the Rush to another NLL title in 2016, which the franchise’s first season playing out of the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon as the Saskatchewan Rush. The Rush captured the NLL crown again in 2018 under Keenan’s leadership.

    As the Rush bench boss, Keenan was viewed as the ultimate player’s coach. He treats his players with so much respect that the players don’t want to let him down.

Derek Keenan speaks at a Rush rally in 2017.

    In a lot of ways, Keenan is viewed as a kind father figure with the Rush.

    As Rush general manager, Keenan focuses on bringing in good people and his goal is that those players become better persons during their time as Rush team members.

    Keenan came to the Rush with boatloads of positive experiences in the game. As a player, he was a member of the Buffalo Bandits when they won NLL titles in 1992 and 1993.

    He doubled as a player and assistant coach when the Toronto Rock won the NLL crown in 1999. Keenan was an assistant coach for the Rock’s NLL championship wins in 2000, 2002 and 2003.

    Keenan was inducted into the Canadian Lacrosse Hall of Fame in 2012 before the Rush moved on to win their three NLL titles. As both a player and a coach, Keenan has been a part of nine NLL title wins.

Derek Keenan speaks to the media after a game in 2017.

    Just how big of an impact did Keenan have on the Rush?

    The Rush franchise posted a 16-48 regular season record in their first four campaigns of existence before Keenan came on board. In Keenan’s first season with the team in 2010, the Rush made the playoffs for the first time with a 10-6 record.

    The effect Keenan had on the Rush players showed through in the 2015 campaign. The Rush entered that season with expectations to contend for the NLL title with their only drawback being their youthfulness at the time.

    Keenan’s wife, Wendy, passed away on Jan. 2, 2015 due to her battle with Stage 4 pancreatic cancer. Derek had taken a leave of absence from the Rush to tend to Wendy in November of 2014.

    After she passed away, Derek returned to the Rush bench to resume his duties as head coach and general manager for a regular season game on Jan. 24, 2015. The Rush rallied around their coach for the rest of that campaign resulting in the team’s first NLL title win.

Derek Keenan gives a Rush player encouragement on the bench.

    Keenan views that first championship as his most memorable time with the team.

    “It was a very difficult year for our family, because we lost my wife and my kids’ mom and that was difficult, but we won that year,” said Keenan in a 2018 interview. “I think the amount that our players put into that season in terms of kind of her memory was so strong with our group.

    “I think that was really important to our team, and it was really important to me. It kind of started a legacy then that we were a very driven group. That was a big memory for sure.

    “The 2015 championship I think was really, really huge for us.”

    When the Rush moved to Saskatchewan, Keenan quickly became a household name in the province.

Derek Keenan hugs Rush goalie Evan Kirk after the 2018 NLL title win.

    Keenan’s kind and personable demeanor was one of the factors that helped the people of Saskatchewan develop a love in for the Rush.

    He would also take the time to explain the ins and outs of the lacrosse game, which also helped draw you into the sport.

    After winning the NLL title in 2016, the Rush were able to pick Derek’s son, Ryan, with the first overall selection in the 2016 NLL Draft. With Derek behind the bench and Ryan on the floor as a skilled forward, the Rush captured their third NLL title in 2018.

    Derek will also tell you he had a lot of help in creating a powerhouse program in the Rush. He will spread credit to his assistant coaches and to team owner Bruce Urban.

    Of course, Keenan guides a terrific group of players like captain Chris Corbeil, Mike Messenger, Jeff Cornwall, Robert Church, Ryan Dilks, Evan Kirk, Mark Matthews, Jeremy Thompson, Jeff Shattler, Ben McIntosh and Matt Hossack.

Derek Keenan speaks at the Rush victory rally in 2018.

    Along the way, Keenan became the NLL’s all-time leader in head coaching victories, and he has 155 combined wins in the regular season and post-season. The win total includes stints as head coach and general manager of the Anaheim Storm and the Portland LumberJax.

    He was the NLL coach of the year in 2006, 2010, 2014 and 2018 and the NLL’s general manager of the year in 2006, 2010 and 2014. The 2010 NLL coach of the year award was shared with Chris Hall of the Washington Stealth.

    It was just too bad real life threw a wrench into how Keenan’s final campaign behind the Rush bench went.

    The 2019-20 NLL season was suspended on March 12 and ultimately the remainder of the campaign was cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The Rush were 7-3 when NLL play was halted.

Derek Keenan and the Rush pose for a championship team picture in 2018.

    While Keenan will no longer be behind the bench, he will still be a key part of the organization. The outstanding culture that the Rush have built will be a huge asset for the franchise when it returns to action.

    Combined with the support legendary fan Joyce Souka, who is best known as “Grandma Rush,” and the rest of Rush Nation, you can already see the Rush quickly hitting high gear when they return to play.

    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 NLL title runs show how sports unifies a community

Sports teams could play key role in COVID-19 recovery

The Rush enjoy an NLL title winning goal in 2016 by Jeff Cornwall, centre.

    Do you remember the party at the SaskTel Centre on June 4, 2016?
    It is safe to say the 15,182 spectators who were in the building won’t forget that night.

    Playing their first season in Saskatoon after moving from Edmonton, Alta., the Saskatchewan Rush were looking to capture the National Lacrosse League title in Game 2 of the best-of-three championship series against the Buffalo Bandits.

    Locked in 10-10 tie with under 25 seconds to play in the fourth quarter, the Bandits had possession in the Rush zone. A hard point shot from a Bandits player rebounded high into the air off the back boards and was collected by Rush defenceman Jeff Cornwall near the edge of exiting the defensive zone.

A crowd of 15,182 celebrate a Rush NLL title win in 2016.

    With a clear path to the Buffalo goal, Cornwall dashed down the rink on a breakaway. He tucked home a shot low stick side with 12 seconds to play to put the Rush in front 11-10.

    At that point, the SaskTel Centre became a madhouse going bonkers in a good way. The cheers might have been the loudest the building had experienced in its history.

    The final 12 seconds ticked away allowing that 11-10 score to hold up as the final as the Rush swept the series 2-0 to capture the Champion’s Cup.

The Rush celebrate winning the NLL title in 2016.

    A large number of fans hung out for an hour soaking in the post-game celebrations. The championship party would go long into the Saskatoon night.

    Cornwall’s goal would go down as one the most iconic moments in the history of the SaskTel Centre along with John Slaney’s golden goal that won Canada top spot at the world junior hockey championship on Jan. 4, 1991 and Bret “The Hitman” Hart capturing the WWE heavyweight title on Oct. 12, 1992.

    On Thursday, the NLL officially cancelled the rest of the 2019-20 campaign due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. The announcement came four years to the day after Cornwall scored his legendary goal.

Captain Chris Corbeil raises the Champion’s Cup in 2016.

    The NLL has suspended the regular season on March 12 due to COVID-19 and cancelled the games that were postponed and the rest of the remainder of the regular season on April 6. There was hope a post-season format could be arranged to crown a league champion.

    For the first time since the NLL first crowned a champion in 1987, the league will not be handing out its championship trophy.

    When the NLL suspended play, the Rush sat first in the West Division with a 7-3 record, and they were once again a contender to win a league championship. While the 2019-20 campaign will go unfinished, the Rush are one example of how a sports team can bring a community together.

    The Rush won the NLL title in their final season in Edmonton in 2015.

Tailgating at Rush playoffs games was a common sight.

    Upon relocating to Saskatoon in the off-season, the team’s brain trust elected to name the team the Saskatchewan Rush in order to brand itself as the province’s team like the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders, who are based in Regina.

    The move worked as the Rush have season ticket holders drive into Saskatoon for games from all over the provinces along with some of their diehard fans from their Edmonton days including Joyce Souka, who is best known as “Grandma Rush” and is a cancer survivor.

    Official mascot Bruiser the Bulldog and unofficial mascot Rush Hulk became entertaining mainstays who gave fans joy and entertainment.

Jeff Shattler was the MVP of the NLL playoffs in 2018.

    The Rush’s first season based out of Saskatoon was a magical one as huge crowd flocked to the SaskTel Centre. At playoff games, fans would show up to tailgate sometimes six hours before the contest was to start.

    On May 21, 2016, the Rush drew a crowd of 15,192 spectators to see them win Game 2 of the West Division final 12-9 to sweep that best-of-three series 2-0. 
    The attendance from that night is still a SaskTel Centre record for a sporting event.

    It is likely 10 fewer people were permitted into the luxury boxes in the game where the Rush won the NLL title on Cornwall’s electrifying goal.

    The support for the Rush has remained solid since the first season. Owner Bruce Urban, head coach and general manager Derek Keenan, captain Chris Corbeil, high scoring forward Mark Matthews and gritty transition player Jeremy Thompson have all become household names.

“Grandma Rush” tells it like it is.

    Fans continued to pack into the SaskTel Centre with attendance usually hovering around 13,000 per game.

    The Rush returned to the NLL final in 2017 falling to the Georgia Swarm.

    Another home championship celebration took place for the Saskatchewan side on June 9, 2018. In a series-deciding Game 3 of the NLL championship, the Rush downed the Rochester Knighthawks 15-10 before 13,654 spectators.

    The fans at the SaskTel Centre stood and saluted the rush for the final two minutes of the game as the final outcome wasn’t in doubt and stayed for a lengthy stretch for the post-game celebrations. The Rush raised the newly minted National Lacrosse League Cup after that victory.
    The party again went long into the Saskatoon night.

The Rush celebrate winning the NLL title in 2018.

    Forward Jeff Shattler, who signed with the Rush as a free agent on Aug. 3, 2017, was named the MVP of the NLL playoffs in 2018, and he has put in a tonne of time working with the local lacrosse community in Saskatchewan trying to help grow the game.

    The Rush fell by a heartbreaking 11-10 overtime loss to the Colorado Mammoth in a single-elimination West Division semifinal contest in the 2019 NLL playoffs at the SaskTel Centre.

    While there was no deep run in the 2019 post-season, optimism was high for a team that has had a core group together throughout its time in Saskatoon.

    Despite the fact there was no opportunity for fans to get pumped for a post-season run this year thanks to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Rush franchise has been a shining example of how a community can rally behind a team during its run in Saskatoon.

    When the Rush do return to action, odds are high they will likely rally the community again with another long post-season run.

Hockey Canada resumes sanctioning events, other notes

Could Jaime Bourbonnais be in action in a rink near you soon?

    On Thursday, Hockey Canada lifted its national ban on sanctioned activities.

    Back on March 12, Hockey Canada announced it was canceling all of its sanctioned activities effective on March 13 due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The decision ended all activities conducted under the Hockey Canada banner for the rest of 2019-20 campaign.

    In lifting the ban on Thursday, Hockey Canada said it was allowing each of its member organizations to determine when it is safe to return to play. The national body is still working with the regional organizations on return to hockey plans.

    The member organizations will work with their provincial governments and provincial health authorities to determine when a return to play should proceed.

    In a release, Hockey Canada stated, “Hockey Canada knows the game will look quite different, and the return will happen at different speeds and at different times across the country.

    “Be assured, we will continue to work on our multi-faceted return-to-hockey plan that includes health and safety regulations, communications and seasonal structure. As with so many people across the country, we look forward to return to the game when it is safe to do so, and we will support our 13 members as we continue to work towards getting back on the ice.”

Could teams like the Saskatoon Contacts get going again soon?

    It should be noted that this is one hurdle that has been jumped in order for Hockey Canada sanctioned events to get going. The game’s return is still basically in the hands of medical healthy authorities.

    Still, the governing bodies of most minor sports organizations watch Hockey Canada for cues regarding policy, because Hockey Canada has more resources than any of Canada’s other minor sports governing bodies.

    With Hockey Canada giving the green light to sanctioning in its sport, it is likely other minor sports governing bodies will follow Hockey Canada’s lead.

• On Wednesday, Texas Governor Greg Abbott pronounced in an executive order a transition to Phase 3 of that state’s reopening plan. With that move, sports venues – among other businesses – are allowed to hold up 50 per cent capacity. That means some venues will be allowed to draw tens of thousands of fans in the professional and university ranks. The state of Texas has high school football stadiums that can seat 20,000.
• On Thursday, Murray McCormick, who is the veteran Saskatchewan Roughriders beat writer with the Regina Leader-Post, reported the community owned CFL team lost $210,064 for the 2019-20 fiscal year. McCormick wrote the deficit was revealed in a shareholders’ package that was issued in advance of the team’s annual general meeting set for June 24, at 7 p.m. The AGM will be conducted remotely for the first time in team history due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
• Radek Kucerik, who is a defenceman with the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades, was invited to a training camp to take a step to potentially earn a spot on the Czech Republic’s world junior team. The camp begins on June 14. Kucerik, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 210 pounds, appeared in 49 regular season games with the Blades last season posting three goals, 10 assists and a minus-five rating in the plus-minus department as an 18-year-old rookie. 
• To end on an uplifting note, a group of students from Medicine Hat High School in Medicine Hat, Alta., are part of a musical group named Brodie. They recorded a cover of the Michael Jackson number one hit song “Man In the Mirror” from the 1987 album “Bad” in isolation using phones and personal devices. The recordings from the Hat High students were mixed and mastered by local artists Ryan Massini and Rob Hardowa. The finished product was a great one and worth checking out. Posted on Thursday, it already has over 2,900 views.

    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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Pumped Rush and NLL avoid stoppage, will play in 2018-19

The Rush celebrate an NLL title win last June.

    If the Saskatchewan Rush didn’t play in 2018-19, it would have felt like something was missing.

    For a large chunk of November, the National Lacrosse Association and the Professional Lacrosse Players Association were trying to negotiate a new collective bargaining agreement. At times, there was loud talk that the negotiations were going so bad the 2018-19 NLL season could be lost.

    I am sure some fans were starting to decide where else they would spend their free time and disposable income. The may have included going to other sporting events, nice dinners at fancy restaurants, movies and concerts.

    In my own individual life, I knew I wouldn’t be deeply impacted, if the Rush didn’t play.

Captain Chris Corbeil lifts the Champion’s Cup in June of 2016.

    Fears of losing the season were erased on Nov. 24, when the NLL and PLPA reached a new collective bargaining agreement that is five years in length.

    The Rush, who are the defending NLL champions, will play a full 18-game regular season. They open the regular season on the road on Dec. 28 traveling to Uncasville, Connecticut, to play the New England Black Wolves.

    The Rush open the regular season on Saturday, Jan. 5, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre against the expansion San Diego Seals.

    Saskatchewan hosts an exhibition game on Saturday, Dec. 8 at 7:30 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre against their archrivals the Calgary Roughnecks.

    I admit I am not enough of a hard core lacrosse follower to know all the ends and outs of the struggles of what went into the negotiations that resulted in the new collective bargaining agreement between the NLL and PLPA.

Captain Chris Corbeil lifts the NLL Cup last June.

    Now that the NLL season will go on, there was a sense of being pumped up that there will be Rush games to go to. For myself, I was happy to have Rush games to look forward to.

    It hit me that it would have felt like something was lost, if the Rush didn’t play.

    During the three complete seasons the Rush have played in Saskatoon taking on a provincial tag as the Saskatchewan Rush, they have become a team the whole province supports. The nights the Rush clinched the NLL title at the SaskTel Centre in 2016 and 2018 are two of the top moments in that building’s history, and I was fortunate enough to be present for both of those games.

    When Rush defender Jeff Cornwall went coast-to-coast to score the NLL championship winning goal with 12 seconds to play to break a 10-10 tie with the Buffalo Bandits and give the Rush an 11-10 victory on June 4, 2016, the sellout crowd of 15,182 spectators at the SaskTel Centre erupted like they have never erupted before.

The scene after Jeff Cornwall scored the NLL title winning goal in 2016.

    For myself, that was the loudest I have ever seen the fans cheer in that building.

    Many fans go for the party, and why not. The Rush put on an enjoyable show around the game.

    For the game itself, it is easy to get addicted to the non-stop action of an NLL lacrosse game.

    Rush owner Bruce Urban and his front office staff are a stellar group. They help set the tone for what you see on game day.

    Head coach and general manager Derek Keenan is an outstanding man. He is a kind and understanding forward-thinking coach, and it will take you spending less than five minutes with his to realize why the Rush have won three of the last four NLL titles including their final campaign based in Edmonton, Alta.

Rush forward Matthew Dinsdale is set to score on this circus shot.

    The Rush have been strong in getting their players out in the community across Saskatchewan, and they are a terrific group of young men. Knowing that individuals like captain Chris Corbeil, fan favourite Jeremy Thompson, Mark Matthews, Ryan Keenan, Robert Church, Cornwall, Ben McIntosh and Evan Kirk will be back in the community makes the cold winter feel that much warmer.

    It will be cool to see the new ways star forward Jeff Shattler holds court in the humour department in the upcoming campaign.

    Rush fans will also get to see mascot Bruiser the Bulldog, Rush Hulk and the Original 16 Crush Dance Team making appearances all over the place too. They all add their significant parts to Rush Nation.

Grandma Rush’s sign says it all.

    Of course, Rush games wouldn’t be complete without the passionate support of the club’s top fan in Grandma Rush.

    There is so much to look forward to now that the Rush season will go ahead. Let the games and the defence of the NLL title begin.

    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 continue to be perfect at home fit in Saskatchewan

The Rush celebrate winning the NLL Cup on Saturday.

    The honeymoon is still going strong between Saskatchewan and the Rush.

    On Saturday, the Saskatchewan Rush added to their continually growing list of magical moments at the SaskTel Centre winning their third National Lacrosse League championship in franchise history and third in the last four years. In a series deciding Game 3 of the NLL championship series, the Rush scored the last four goals of the contest to surge to a 15-10 victory over the Rochester Knighthawks.

    The win sent the gathering of 13,645 spectators into a joyful victory celebration. The celebration ran through that night and into a victory rally on Sunday morning at the Delta Bessborough Gardens with the newly minted National Lacrosse League Cup.

Rush goalie Evan Kirk sets to pass the ball to a teammate.

    The Rush captured their first league title in early June of 2015, when the franchise was still located in Edmonton.

    Unable to secure a long-term lease in the Alberta capital, owner Bruce Urban moved the team to Saskatoon in July of 2015. The club was branded as the Saskatchewan Rush aimed at drawing fans from all over the province following a model established by the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.

    Now three years after that move, the Rush have become an established part of Saskatchewan’s culture. In the town of Chamberlain located about an hour drive north of Regina on Highway 11 heading to Saskatoon, you can find a billboard that says the road runs south for the Roughriders and north for the Rush.

    The Rush’s rise to prominence in Saskatchewan was aided by the fact the NLL’s championship team was heading to Saskatoon. In their title win in Edmonton, the Rush swept the Toronto Rock 2-0 in the best-of-three NLL title series.

Rush Hulk and Bruiser get the crowd fired up at the SaskTel Centre.

    The Rock have the reputation of being Canada’s most storied NLL team equaling the Philadelphia Wings for most titles in the circuit’s history at six.

    The Rush won their first championship in 2015 with one of the league’s youngest teams. While hope was high the title wins would continue in Saskatchewan, they were tempered with caution that the title win in Edmonton could be a one-year run type thing.

    There was good optimism the Rush could be a success, but the last three years have comfortably passed the most optimistic expectations.

    The Rush capped their inaugural campaign in the “Wheat Province” capturing a second straight NLL crown in 2016 sweeping the Buffalo Bandits 2-0 in the title series. Game 2 of that set at the SaskTel Centre provided a “where were you when” moment, when defender Jeff Cornwall went coast-to-coast to score the series winning goal for the Rush with 12 seconds to play in the fourth quarter.

Rush forward Robert Church (#17) charges towards the Rochester goal.

    Cornwall’s tally broke a 10-10 tie and gave the Rush an 11-10 victory. The noise made by the 15,182 spectators in attendance that night was likely the loudest that was ever heard in the history of the SaskTel Centre for a sporting event.

    Saskatchewan fans had their first opportunity to watch their team lift what is now the circuit’s former championship trophy in the Champion’s Cup on home turf.

    The Rush had a real chance to win the NLL title again in 2017. They advanced to the NLL title series again only to be swept 2-0 by the Georgia Swarm.

    That series ended with a heartbreaking 15-14 overtime loss in Game 2 played at the SaskTel Centre. They were painfully close to forcing a series-deciding Game 3.

Jeff Shattler cheers after scoring a goal for the Rush on Saturday.

    In the aftermath of that setback, the Rush set out to reclaim the NLL championship. They topped the overall NLL regular season standings in 2018 with a 14-4 record and dumped their archrivals the Calgary Roughnecks 15-13 in the West Division final.

    That set up the championship encounter with the Knighthawks, who claimed both head-to-head regular season matches with the Rush.

    The Rush took Game 1 convincingly at the SaskTel Centre 16-9 on May 26, and the Knighthawks returned the favour with a 13-8 victory in Game 2 in Rochester on June 2.

    Game 3 on Saturday was a back-and-fourth affair until the Rush’s final surge to pull out victory. The Saskatchewan side wasn’t going to be denied.

The Crush Dance team entertains the crowd at the SaskTel Centre.

    While the Rush are an exciting and athletic team, they are also a club that is easy to cheer for. All their players are very down to earth including captain Chris Corbeil, top scoring threats Mark Matthews and Robert Church, fan favourite Jeremy Thompson, Kyle Rubisch, Cornwall, Ryan Keenan, goalie Evan Kirk and the list goes on from there.

    Former Roughnecks star Jeff Shattler joined the Rush this season and was immediately accepted into the fold by the Rush organization and the fans for being a beauty character on top of a great player. He cemented his status as a favourite picking up NLL playoff MVP honours with the Rush winning it all.

    Head coach and general manager Derek Keenan is the ultimate player’s coach and success has followed him wherever he has gone in the sport.

Rush Nation has backed the Rush since they arrived in Saskatchewan.

    The 56-year-old has been a part of nine NLL championship wins as a player, assistant coach and head coach, and he has made a total of 13 trips to the league final. 

    Along with assistant coaches Jeff McComb and Jimmy Quinlan, the Rush have the best coaching staff in the NLL.

    Urban made all of this possible by bringing in the right people to coach his club and the right people to run the business side of the operation.
    That helped the Rush franchise become part of Saskatchewan culture with the numerous appearances the team makes across the province.

Mark Matthews raises the National Lacrosse League Cup.

    People have continued to pack the SaskTel Centre for games, and team merchandise has flown off store shelves.
    The Rush logo is showing up in all corners of the province.

    While there will be changes with the Rush set to lose a couple of players in the NLL expansion draft and regular turnover that happens in professional sports, the club’s run to the top likely isn’t over yet.

    Most of the players on the team are in the prime of their careers. The organization is solid in coaching and in the front office.

    The brand new National Lacrosse League Cup might be in for a longer stay in Saskatchewan.

Sight of Dahlgren, Wasserman set Game 3 tone

Kaleb Dahlgren, left, and Jacob Wasserman, centre, sparked the fans.

    The pre-game appearance of two members from the Humboldt Broncos junior A hockey team set the tone for the Saskatchewan Rush and Rush Nation on Saturday night.

    While the Rush put on spectacle during pre-game introductions to get fans into games at the SaskTel Centre, the biggest cheers went to Kaleb Dahlgren, 21, and Jacob Wasserman, 18, when they were introduced as heroes of the game before Game 3 of the NLL championship series. Dahlgren was a right-winger for the Broncos and Wasserman was a goalie.

    Both were on the team bus that was involved in a tragic crash on route to a Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League playoff game in Nipawin on April 6 that resulted in the deaths of 16 players and team personnel.

    The loud cheers for Dahlgren and Wasserman went on for almost a minute.

    Of course, the Rush went on to claim the back-and-forth contest 15-10.

    The Rush were on board right from the start looking to do their part to help those involved in the Broncos bus crash. A day after the crash, the Rush hosted the Colorado Mammoth in a regular season clash at the SaskTel Centre.
    That April 7 game marked the first big community gathering in the province since the tragedy involving the Broncos. The Rush equipment staff quickly put Broncos logos on the helmets of all the Rush players, and stations were set up to raise funds to help aid those involved with the Humboldt club.

Chris Corbeil and the Rush players wore Broncos logos on their helmets.

    The Rush jumped ahead 10-4 early in the fourth quarter in that clash with the Mammoth and cruised to an 11-8 victory.

    The highlight occurred in the break between the third and fourth quarters when the crowd of 14,971 spectators broke into a chant of “Let’s Go Broncos.”

    During post-game media scrums, Rush captain Chris Corbeil said his team was playing for “our” community, the people of Saskatchewan and Canadians everywhere, and he hoped they did everyone proud.

    The contest provided a first real opportunity for people in Saskatchewan to gather together and collectively start helping each other through the tragedy and healing.

    The Rush took part in various events to help the Broncos as the season went on and visited Broncos players and families at their homes often bringing team merchandise as gifts.

    The Rush were stellar with their efforts in this area.

    On side note, Wasserman returned to the building on Saturday where it appears he might have picked up his lone win of his goaltending career in the WHL. On Feb, 23, Wasserman was called up to play for the Regina Pats against the Saskatoon Blades in a WHL regular season clash at the SaskTel Centre. He made 23 saves going the distance in goal for the Pats, who downed the Blades 7-5.

    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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Shattler key in delivering NLL championship back to Rush

Forward scores four in series deciding Game 3, named MVP

Jeff Shattler (#77) meets Chris Corbeil with the NLL Cup.

    A major off-season addition paid off big in bringing the NLL title back to the Saskatchewan Rush.

    On August 3, 2017, the Rush signed free agent Jeff Shattler to a two-year contract. Shattler, who stands 6-feet and weighs 198 pounds, had starred at forward and at transition with the Calgary Roughnecks for the previous 11 seasons.

    He helped the Roughnecks, who are the Rush’s biggest rival, win an NLL title in 2009 and was named the NLL’s MVP and top transition player in 2011.

    The 33-year-old proved he still has a lot of gas in the tank as far as the sport of lacrosse is concerned piling up 24 goals, 36 assists and 76 loose ball pickups in 17 regular season games with the Rush in the 2018 campaign.

    In a winner take all Game 3 of the National Lacrosse League championship series on Saturday night at the SaskTel Centre, Shattler came through with one of his biggest performances of his professional career. He fired home four goals and picked up an assist as the Rush downed the Rochester Knighthawks 15-10 before 13,645 spectators.

Jeff Shattler was signed by the Rush as a free agent.

    The win allowed the Rush to win the best-of-three series 2-1 and capture their third NLL title in the last four years. They raised the brand new National Lacrosse League Cup, which replaced the Champion’s Cup as the circuit’s title trophy.

    The Rush were swept in last year’s NLL title series 2-0 by the Georgia Swarm.
    Shattler joined the Rush to help them win the NLL title.

    “We proved that we were the best team this year,” said Shattler. “We worked our bags off (and) sacrificed every weekend away from our families traveling.

    “I was away from my kids. It was all worth it, when that buzzer went. We got to raise that cup.”

    For his efforts, Shattler was named the MVP of the NLL playoffs. He piled up eight goals and seven assists in the Rush’s four post-season contests.

    In Saskatchewan 13-8 loss in Game 2 to the Knighthawks in Rochester on June 2, Shattler had a hat trick and four assists to pace the Rush offence.

Jeff Shattler spent 11 seasons with the Calgary Roughnecks.

    He came into Game 3 on Saturday motivated to have a big performance.

    “I love playoffs,” said Shattler. “I’ve always been a playoff player.

    “I love the intensity of it. I love that it is a do or die situation. That is why I play lacrosse.

    “I can’t tell you how happy I am right now.”

    Rush head coach Derek Keenan joked that the team’s general manager was a smart guy, when it came to signing Shattler. Of course, Keenan fills the role of general manager with the Rush too.

    With Rush having played against Shattler for such an extended time, Keenan thought it would be wise to have the high-intensity forward on the Rush’s side for once.

    “We targeted Jeff Shattler,” said Keenan. “August 1^st at midnight, I was on the phone to him, and he was all in from the beginning.

    “It took us 24 hours to get a deal done. He was great all year. He fit in all year.

    “His offence took over in the playoffs.” 

Jeff Shattler celebrates one of his four goals on Saturday.

    Keenan said Shattler’s power-play goal at the 11:05 mark of the third quarter was a key play for his club. The Knighthawks had just scored three straight goals to go ahead 8-7, and Shattler’s power-play tally, which was his fourth goal of the night, drew the Rush even at 8-8.

    In the process, Keenan was impressed with how Shattler fooled Knighthawks goalie Matt Vinc, who has won the NLL’s goaltender of the year award five times, on the equalizer that came with the man advantage.

    “He (Shattler) made big plays at big times when we needed a goal,” said Keenan. “The power-play goal he got, that was a special shot.

Grandma Rush celebrates a Rush goal on Saturday.

    “Not everyone has that shot in their repertoire. He was kind of fading away from the net. I think Vinc thought he was going far short side and he rolled it far side.”

    Rush captain Chris Corbeil said the biggest reinforcement that showed Shattler was accepted as part of the team, where the Rush players cared for him like family, came during the club’s sixth regular season game on Jan. 27 on the road against the Roughnecks. That contest, which the Rush won 13-12, marked the first time Shattler played in Calgary since leaving the Roughnecks.

    Shattler received the silent treatment from the Roughnecks, which didn’t sit well with the Rush.

Mark Matthews had eight assists for the Rush on Saturday.

    “We went into Calgary his first game back, and he put in a tonne great years for Calgary, and they didn’t do anything special for him there,” said Corbeil. “That rubbed me the wrong way.

    “I know it rubbed his family the wrong way, and he is able to come out here and get an MVP. I don’t think he is thinking about that anymore. I couldn’t be happier for the guy.”

    On the lacrosse turf, Corbeil was impressed with Shattler’s smarts for the game.

    “This is a detailed tough offence to work your way into,” said Corbeil. “He got in there and had an impact immediately and found a way to contribute and found a way to fit right in.”

    Shattler’s power-play goal started a four goal run for the Rush, which allowed them to take an 11-8 lead at the 2:08 mark of the fourth quarter. In the back-and-fourth affair, the Knighthawks responded with a pair of goals to cut the Rush edge to 11-10.

    Saskatchewan closed the contest scoring four straight goals to seal victory.

Rush forward Matthew Dinsdale is set to score on this circus shot.

    Corbeil had a hat trick for the Rush, while Ben McIntosh, Ryan Keenan, Curtis Knight and Matthew Dinsdale each scored twice. Mark Matthews recorded eight assists for the Rush.

    Josh Currier powered the Knighthawks attack with four goals, while Cody Jamieson had a hat trick.

    Joe Resetarits, Austin Shanks and Eric Fannell scored singles for Rochester.

    Evan Kirk made 37 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Rush. Vinc turned away 37-of-51 shots to take the setback in goal for the Knighthawks.

    The Rush claimed their first league title back in 2015 in the franchise’s final season in Edmonton. They won their second title in 2016 in their first season in Saskatchewan.

The Rush celebrate winning the NLL championship.

    The Rush left Edmonton following the 2015 campaign after the club was unable to secure a long-term lease deal.

    Reflecting on Saturday’s outing along with his long career, Shattler said that one ranks with his best performances.

    “I would have to say it would be one up there,” said Shattler. “It was one of the biggest ones.

    “It was amazing. I’ll never forget this night. Absolutely amazing I got to share it with my wife and this family of mine behind me.

    “We’re the champs this year, and we will be back harder next year.”

“Mission accomplished” Rush gamer for The Canadian Press

A number of veteran Rush players pose with the NLL Cup.

    On Saturday, I had the opportunity to cover Game 3 of the NLL championship series for The Canadian Press.

    The Canadian Press game story focused on the fact the Rush accomplished a mission to once again win the NLL title after being swept 2-0 in the 2017 NLL championship series by the Georgia Swarm.      That story talked about how the first quarter in Game 3 on Saturday between the Rush and Knighthawks was a defensive struggle.

    The Knighthawks scored the game’s first goal with 44.9 seconds remaining in the first quarter.

    From there, the offences on both sides exploded in a back-and-forth battle. The Rush weren’t able to seal victory until scoring the final four goals in the fourth quarter.

    My story for The Canadian Press laid out on the website of 680 News can be found right here.

    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 play for Humboldt, lock up first overall in NLL

The Rush salute the fans at the SaskTel Centre.

    The reminders were there that the Saskatchewan Rush were playing for a cause that was bigger than a lacrosse game – even one that could lock up first place.

    On Saturday night at the SaskTel Centre, the Rush faced the Colorado Mammoth in showdown between the top two squads in the National Lacrosse League. The contest was played in the shadow of a province and a country that was coping with the aftermath of an accident near Tisdale, Sask., on Friday involving the team bus carrying the Humboldt Broncos, who play out of the junior A Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League.

    The Broncos were on their way to Nipawin to play the Hawks in Game 5 of a best-of-seven league semifinal series. Humboldt’s bus collided with a semi-trailer truck just north of Tisdale, and 15 people on the bus died as a result.

A few people wore Humboldt Broncos jerseys to the Rush game on Saturday.

    The Rush posted a video tribute and held a moment of silence for the Broncos before their game. The NLL franchise was raising money for the Broncos families during the contest as well.

    Other reminders of what happened could be seen in the crowd, where a sparkling of spectators wore Broncos hockey jerseys among the 14,971 people in attendance who mainly wore Rush jerseys.

    During the break between a third and fourth quarter, a loud “Let’s Go Broncos” chant broke out and echoed through the building.

    On this night, the Rush were not going to be denied in their effort to try and help the province they call home. They jumped to a 5-2 lead at halftime, led 10-4 early in the fourth quarter and cruised to an 11-8 victory to claim all three head-to-head meetings with the Mammoth this season.

Robert Church had seven points for the Rush.

    The win allowed the Rush to improve to 12-3 and lock up first overall in the NLL, while the Mammoth fell to 10-6 to remain second overall in the league standings.

    While locking up first overall in a league’s regular season standings usually creates reason for a big celebration, it felt secondary compared to the horrific events involving the Broncos.

    “You spend a lot of time on a bus in college with a team,” said Rush forward Robert Church. “It is just such a tragedy.

    “I don’t even have words today. It was just everyone do whatever we could to go out there and try and honour those that we lost and just play with passion.”

    Church had a monster night for the Rush netting a hat trick and four assists. Star forward Mark Matthews had a big game as well netting one goal and six assists.

    The Mammoth had a short-lived 1-0 lead, when star forward Ryan Benesch scored at the 6:58 mark of the first quarter. He netted a hat trick and an assist to pace the Colorado offence.

    Just 40 seconds after Benesch’s first tally, Rush forward Ben McIntosh fired home his first of two goals on the night to tie things up at 1-1. The Rush exited the first quarter holding a 3-1 lead.

Evan Kirk makes one of his 34 saves playing goal for the Rush.

    Ryan Keenan scored twice for the Rush, while Curtis Knight, Jeff Shattler and captain Chris Corbeil all had singles. Corbeil netted his tally into an empty net.

    Jeremy Noble, Joey Cupido, Zack Greer, Brad Self and Bryce Sweeting all had singles to round out the scoring on the night for the Mammoth.

    During the Rush’s pre-game huddle around their net, Corbeil said he told his teammates they were playing for something bigger than just locking up first place. He wanted his team to play a small part in helping the province cope with the Broncos bus accident.

    “Tonight, we were playing for our community,” said Corbeil. “We were playing for Saskatchewan. We were playing for Canadians everywhere.

Grandma Rush and the SaskTel Centre crowd cheer a Rush goal.

    “I hope we did them proud. You can’t put into words what that community and what those families must be going through. My heart goes out to them.

    “I know they were in our minds and in our hearts tonight.”

    Goalie Evan Kirk had a solid game for the Rush turning away 34 shots to pick up the win in goal. Goalie Dylan Ward stopped 35-of-45 shots to take the setback in goal for the Mammoth.

    The Rush capitalized on 3-of-4 power-play chances, while the Mammoth went 1-for-4 with the man advantage.

    Rush head coach Derek Keenan was pleased with the performance of his team.

    “I thought both goaltenders played great,” said Keenan. “They got back at it a little bit at the end there. We stuck with it.

The Original 16 Crush Dance Team entertains the SaskTel Centre crowd.

    “I thought we just really, really competed hard tonight. I thought we ran really hard. They played tight defence.

    “It was tough to get through the middle. We kept grinding and drew a few penalties and were pretty good on the power play. I am pretty happy with the effort.”

    Keenan became emotional reflecting on the Broncos.

    “We talked about it a lot,” said Keenan. “It just kind of puts thing into perspective.

    “It is just horrible what happened to those kids and those families. It is just tough. We just asked our guys tonight what can we do to make it better and that was to go out there and play really, really hard.

Ben McIntosh (#90) scored twice for the Rush.

    “Certainly your heart goes out to the families and all the communities. We are thinking about them that is for sure.”

    After the pre-game tribute for the Humboldt hockey team, Corbeil said he heard someone yell “Let’s Go Broncos” in the crowd. After taking a moment to realize what that meant, Corbeil said he got goosebumps and chills when that happened.

    The Rush captain added he wasn’t surprised to see the outpouring of support that has been shown for the Broncos. Since the Rush moved from Edmonton to Saskatoon for the start of the 2016 campaign, Corbeil said he has been impressed with how close the community in the province is.

Mark Matthews netted a goal and six assists for the Rush.

    “Having been here now for going on three seasons to be honest, this is what you expect,” said Corbeil. “Saskatchewan is such a phenomenal tight knit community.

    “The entire province is just always there backing each other up. These are the best people in the country. I’ve had the pleasure of experiencing it for the last three years playing here.

    “It has been incredible. It is a tragedy what these people are going through, but they probably have the best support system you could ask for out of their community. They are fortunate in that respect.”

    The Rush return to action on Friday when they travel to Vancouver to take on the Stealth (2-13). The next home game for the Rush is Saturday, April 14 at 7:30 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre, when they host the Georgia Swarm.

SOUND ON. pic.twitter.com/oDfjbTtZt2

— Saskatchewan Rush (@SaskRushLAX) April 8, 2018

    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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