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 and Knighthawks battle for history in Game 3 of NLL final

Rush D Matt Hossack, left, looks get past Knighthawks D Luc Magnan.

    The story on the turf will be as interesting as the spectacle that usually surrounds games, when the Saskatchewan Rush play at home.

    On Saturday at 7:30 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre, the host Saskatchewan Rush face the Rochester Knighthawks in a winner take all Game 3 of the National Lacrosse League Championship series. The Rush took Game 1 by a 16-9 score at the SaskTel Centre on May 26.

    The Knighthawks evened the series with a 13-8 victory in Game 2 on June 2 at the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y.

    Both teams are a win away from adding to their respective championship legacies. Both are hoping to capture the brand new National Lacrosse League Cup, which replaces the Champion’s Cup as the circuit’s championship trophy.

    The Rush are the team that is all about right now. Most of their players are in the prime of their playing days right now, have won in the past and are built to win in the present.

    They have an elite coaching staff led by head coach and general manager Derek Keenan.

    The Rush won their first NLL title in 2015 during the franchise’s final season in Edmonton, Alta. At the time, the Rush was as a very young team, and it was viewed the squad’s best days were still in the future.

    They repeated as NLL champs in 2016 during the club’s first campaign in Saskatchewan.

Defenceman Scott Campbell (#37) is a steady NLL veteran.

    Their run for three straight titles came to an end a year ago, when the Rush were swept 2-0 in the NLL title series by the Georgia Swarm. The sweep was completed with a Swarm 15-14 overtime victory at the SaskTel Centre.

    The Rush returned this season as a hungry club. When you win a league title in two straight seasons, you start expecting to win it every season. Last year’s loss to the Swarm was met with great disappointment.

    Saskatchewan rolled to a 14-4 record to finish first overall in the NLL regular season standings. The Rush are 16-5 including action in the regular season and the playoffs heading into Game 3 with the Knighthawks.

    The Rush are a team that is loaded with personable stars. Forward Mark Matthews topped the NLL in regular season scoring with 116 points and set a new NLL record for most assists in one regular season at 84.

    Forward Robert Church topped all Rush players with 47 goals in the regular season and placed second in the NLL scoring race with 107 points. Captain Chris Corbeil and fan favourite Jeremy Thompson pace the defensive and transition side.

    Matthews, Church, Corbeil and Thompson were all key members of the two NLL title wins by the Rush.
    Sophomore forward Ryan Keenan, who is Derek’s son, and sophomore defender Matt Hossack are looking to taste an NLL title for the first time.

    Veteran goalie Evan Kirk, who was acquired in a trade with the New England Black Wolves in the off-season, is trying to experience his first NLL championship in his seventh season.

Rush F Jeff Shattler (#77) passes the ball to a teammate.

    If the Rush win, they will cement their status as the NLL’s team of the present and add to a storied run they have built in the three previous campaigns.

    The Knighthawks are trying to return to their championship form that just existed a short time ago. Back in 2014, they competed a run of winning the NLL title in three straight seasons. They have won five NLL titles and are trying to join the Toronto Rock and the reborn Philadelphia Wings for most NLL championships won by one club at six.

    For a while, it looked like the 2018 campaign might be a write off for the Knighthawks, who stumbled out of the gate to start the regular season at 2-6. Since that start, the Knighthawks finished the regular season with a 10-8 mark, and they are 11-3 in their last 14 games including action in both the regular season and playoffs.

    Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen and his staff have played a bit part in the turnaround. Hasen has been the team’s head coach since 2011.

    Matt Vinc, who won the NLL’s goaltender of the year award five times, and veteran star forward Cody Jamieson were integral to the Knighthawks run of three straight title wins from 2012 to 2014 and would love to return to the league’s mountaintop.

    Joe Resetarits led the Knighthawks in regular season scoring with 37 goals and 63 assists. He came to the Knighthawks in a trade with the Buffalo Bandits partway through the 2015 campaign. He is hoping to experience his first NLL championship in his sixth season in the league.

    Veteran defenceman Scott Campbell has continued to be steady on the backend for Rochester playing in his 14^th season in the league. The 36-year-old hopes to experience his fourth league championship with the Knighthawks.

Knighthawks D Brad Gillies, left, defends against Rush F Mark Matthews.

    Campbell leads a tough defensive group that contains a pair of talented 25-year-old players in Luc Magnan and Graeme Hossack, who are both in search for their first NLL title win. Graeme Hossack is Matt Hossack’s older brother.

    So far, both teams have earned convincing victories in this series on their home turfs.

    Adding to the intrigue, this will mark the first time a full 60-minute contest with overtime will be held to decide a winner take all Game 3 in the NLL Championship series.

    The Knightshawks won a Game 3 in the NLL title series back in 2014, but that was by a 3-2 score in a 10-minute mini-game against the Calgary Roughnecks.

    The script for Saturday’s contest could play out in any type of fashion from a close game to a romp. In any way that it does play out, the spectators will see something special.

Trading Bridge would be unwise for Roughriders

Some Roughriders fans feel Brandon Bridge (#16) should be dealt for assets.

    The Saskatchewan Roughriders would be unwise to shrink their quarterback depth at this stage of the game.

    A number of the team’s fans saw a chance for the CFL club to add assets, when Winnipeg Blue Bombers star starting quarterback Matt Nichols was lost to injury on a non-contact play during a team practice on Wednesday. On Thursday, the Bombers announced Nichols was lost for four-to-six weeks with a right knee injury.

    Last season, Nichols was sensational for the Bombers completing 411 of 579 passes for 4,472 yards, 28 touchdowns and eight interceptions. Winnipeg finished second in the West Division with a 12-6 record. The Bombers fell 39-32 in the West semifinal to the Edmonton Eskimos.

    Almost immediately after Nichols went down, a number of Roughriders fans began to speculate on what the team might be able to acquire by trading backup quarterback Brandon Bridge to the Bombers. That move would not be wise.

    In most seasons, only about two to three quarterbacks on average in the CFL start all of their team’s contests during an 18-game regular season.

    In early January, the Roughriders acquired veteran starter Zach Collaros in a trade with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and signed him to a restructured contract. The 29-year-old is the odds on favourite to be the starter this season.

Zach Collaros is pegged to be the Roughriders starting quarterback.

    During his previous six seasons in the league, Collaros has only twice appeared in more than 13 regular season games. He lost his job as the Tiger-Cats starting quarterback halfway through last season completing 167 of 266 passes for 1,767 yards, eight touchdowns and seven interceptions.

Hamilton missed the playoffs with a 6-12 record.

    Last season with the Roughriders, Bridge won his one start and came off the bench in numerous other contests completing 92-of-138 passes for 1,236 yards, 10 touchdown passes and four interceptions. He also ran the ball 20 times for 127 yards and scored one major.

    During last year’s 25-21 Eastern Final loss to the eventual Grey Cup champion Toronto Argonauts, Bridge came off the bench for the Roughriders completing 11-of-21 passes for 141 yards and one touchdown.

    While it is expected both Collaros and Bridge will play well, there is still a possibility one or the other could falter besides the fact the injury bug could bit at any time over a long campaign. You need to have at least two good quarterbacks to make it through a CFL campaign.

    At the moment, the Roughriders would be wise to hold on to both Collaros and Bridge. Saskatchewan closes the pre-season hosting the Calgary Stampeders on Friday at 7:30 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium.

Could Stanley be “Runnin’ Back to Saskatoon?”

I can’t believe it, I’m so proud of you buddy. Congratulations, and party hard❤️ #stanleycup

A post shared by Brayden (@braydencamrud) on Jun 7, 2018 at 10:28pm PDT

    The Washington Capitals with captain Alexander Ovechkin finally won it, and hockey’s most cherished prize will likely be making a stop in Saskatoon.

    On Thursday in Las Vegas, Nevada, the Capitals defeated the host Vegas Golden Knights 4-3 in Game 5 of the Stanley Cup final. With the win, the Capitals claimed the best-of-seven series 4-1 to win the NHL title for the first time in the franchise’s 44 seasons of existence.

    The Golden Knights made it to the Stanley Cup final playing in their expansion season.

    Capitals 24-year-old centre Chandler Stephenson is from Saskatoon and star 28-year-old goalie Braden Holtby, who is from Lloydminster on the border of Alberta and Saskatchewan, is an alum of the WHL’s Saskatoon Blades.

    In a post-game interview with CBC, Stephenson said he was going to bring the Stanley Cup to Humboldt for sure. Stephenson said he knew a couple of people on the Humboldt Broncos bus that was involved in a tragic accident on April 6 heading to a junior A playoff game in the Saskatchewan Junior Hockey League in Nipawin to face the host Hawks.
    One of those friends was Broncos centre Brayden Camrud, who was in Vegas on Thursday night to see the Capitals win the Stanley Cup.

    A total of 16 players and Broncos staff members were killed in that crash and 13 players were injured. Since that crash, people worldwide have rallied to help those involved in the accident and the small city of Humboldt.

    Stephenson grew up playing his minor hockey in Saskatoon before joining the WHL’s Regina Pats. In four seasons with the Pats from 2010 to 2014, Stephenson appeared in 230 regular season games piling up 73 goals and 122 assists.

    From 2006 to 2009, Holtby appeared in 177 regular season games with the Blades posting an 82-75-15 record, a 2.87 goals against average, a .905 save percentage and seven shutouts. He still holds the Blades career record for most saves in the regular season at 4,576 and his 177 career regular season games played is also a record for most games played by a Blades netminder.

    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 aim to finish the deal now

Saskatchewan will try to capture NLL title on the road

The Rush celebrate a goal in Game 1 of the NLL title series.

    All the Saskatchewan Rush want to do is bring that new shiny National Lacrosse League championship trophy home.

    Tonight at 6 p.m. Saskatchewan time, the Rush will enter the Blue Cross Arena in Rochester, N.Y., looking to capture the NLL championship against the host Knighthawks. The Rush took Game 1 of the best-of-three series 16-9 on May 26 at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon.

    Saskatchewan has two shots to capture the magnificent looking brand new National Lacrosse League Cup, which replaced the Champion’s Cup as the league’s title trophy. The Rush prefer to make good on this first opportunity to win the NLL championship.

Robert Church had a big night in Game 1 of the NLL final.

    While a potential Game 3 would be played back at the SaskTel Centre on June 9, the Rush would like to avoid a winner-take-all affair like that. The last three NLL Championship series have all ended in sweeps with the Rush winning the title in 2015, when the franchise was still located in Edmonton, and in 2016, when the franchise played its inaugural campaign in Saskatchewan.

    Of course, last year was a heartbreaker, where the Rush were swept in the NLL final by the Georgia Swarm. That loss has been the motivational force that propelled the Rush to a 14-4 regular season record to finish on top of the entire NLL standings.

    The Knighthawks rose up as the big nemesis for the Rush winning both regular season encounters in the 2018 campaign between the two squads.

Cody Jamieson (#88) is a dangerous offensive player for the Knighthawks.

    On Feb. 17 in Rochester, the Knighthawks claimed a 16-11 victory. On March 24 at the SaskTel Centre, the Knighthawks prevailed 13-10.

    Rochester had a solid regular season posting a 10-8 record. The Knighthawks downed the New England Blackwolves 15-11 in an East Division semifinal contest on May 4 and slipped past the Swarm 9-8 in the East Division Final on May 12.

    The Rush had a bye into the West Division final and downed their archrivals the Calgary Roughnecks 15-13.

    Going into the NLL final, there were questions on whether the Rush would be able to get past the Knighthawks stingy defence. Saskatchewan answered by turning a close game into romp.

Mark Matthews, right, had a quiet NLL final Game 1 for the Rush.

    The Knighthawks held a 4-3 lead, but starting at the 7:05 mark of the second quarter, the Rush rolled off seven straight goals to go up 10-4 and cruise to the ultimate 16-9 outcome.

    That was likely the best game the Rush had played to date in the 2018 campaign.
    Forward Mark Matthews, who topped the NLL in regular season scoring with 116 points, didn’t hit the scoresheet in Game 1 of the NLL final until scoring the Rush’s 10^th goal of the contest.

    Matthews set a new NLL record for most assists in one regular season at 84 to go along with his 32 goals.

Joe Resetarits topped the Knighthawks in scoring this season.

    Forward Robert Church, who finished second in NLL regular season scoring, was the main spark plug for the Rush offence in Game 1 netting four goals and two assists.

    Jeremy Thompson and Mike Messenger scored singles in transition, and defender Jeff Cornwall had a pair of tallies.

    Goalie Evan Kirk was solid in the Rush net making 35 saves to pick up the win for his club.

    The Rush had all facets of their game going. With the way things played out in Game 1, it would be hard to picture the Knighthawks pulling out a win in Game 2 to force the series back to the SaskTel Centre.

    With that said, the coaching in modern day sport never ceases to amaze me. You can expect Knighthawks head coach Mike Hasen and his staff to make adjustments for Game 2. The Knighthawks have a storied history that includes winning five NLL titles including three in a row from 2012 to 2014.

Jeff Cornwall scored twice for the Rush in Game 1 of the NLL final.

    Knighthawks forward Cody Jamieson was the NLL final MVP in the 2012 and 2013 championship wins, and he had a goal and five assists in the Game 1 setback. Joe Resetarits topped the Knighthawks in regular season scoring with 37 goals and 63 assists.

    Rochester has a solid goalie in Matt Vinc, so the Knighthawks have the tools to extending the series. They needed all three game to take the 2014 NLL championship series against the Roughnecks.

    Of course, Rush head coach Derek Keenan and his staff will do their best to ensure the result of Game 1 repeats itself in Game 2.

    Right now, it feels like the Rush have too much drive to recapture the NLL title after falling in the championship series a year ago.
    That drive might ensure the brooms are brought out for a series sweep on Saturday night.

    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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Rush rally falls short against Knighthawks in NLL clash

Rochester prevails 13-10 over Saskatchewan

Cody Jamieson (#88) fires a pass to a Knighthawks teammate.

    In the face of defeat, Saskatchewan Rush captain Chris Corbeil didn’t lose his sense of humour.

    Following the Rush’s 13-10 setback to the Rochester Knighthawks on Saturday night at the SaskTel Centre, Corbeil emerged from the dressing room for a post-game scrum and joked with the throng of assembled local media that the team must have lost, because he was needed. 

    The Oakville, Ont.,  product gave a few lighthearted jabs that the media always request the guys that are the big goal scorers, when the Rush win, which is what the National Lacrosse League franchise has done a lot of in about the past nine years dating back to its time in Edmonton.

    When the Rush lose, Corbeil noted with a sly smile he has to come and speak his mind.

    Even with Saturday’s defeat, the Rush still sit first overall in the Western Division and the entire NLL with an 11-3 record. When the laughter died down and Corbeil became serious, he said he was disappointed with what transpired on Saturday before 14,811 spectators.

Knighthawks F Joe Resetarits, right, eludes Rush captain Chris Corbeil.

    His club dropped both encounters with the Knighthawks this season including a 16-11 setback in Rochester back on Feb. 17.

    “We watched what they did in previous weeks and had success against us in the past, and we knew what to expect,” said Corbeil. “That is what they did.

    “We game planned for them. We dropped the ball entirely. They were scoring goals the way we knew they would try to, and they were playing defence the way we expected them to.

    “Our defence, there is no excuse. We knew what they were going to do, and they did it to us. We dropped the ball.”

Knighthawks F Austin Shanks, left, fakes out Rush T Adrian Sorichetti.

    The Knighthawks jumped out to an early 3-0 lead and held a 7-5 edge at halftime. At the 2:48 mark of the fourth quarter, the visitors’ edge grew to 11-6.

    Rush head coach and general manager Derek Keenan said his squad wasn’t strong enough defensively on Saturday.

    “We didn’t play our game on the back end, and we gave them way too many quality chances,” said Keenan. “We just didn’t play hard enough at times. We didn’t play consistent enough at times.”

    The Rush stormed back with a four-goal surge capped by a snipe from forward Robert Church to cut the Knighthawks lead to 11-10 with 4:46 to play in the fourth quarter. Church led the Rush in scoring with four goals and two assists.

    With 3:25 to play in the fourth quarter, the Rush took a bad substitution penalty for too many men. On the ensuing power play, forward Cory Vitarelli scored to put the Knighthawks up 12-10 with 2:51 to play in the fourth quarter.

The Original 16 Crush Dance Team performs on Saturday night.

    Rochester forward Austin Shanks scored into an empty-net with under a minute to play in the fourth quarter to round out the win for the visitors. The empty-net tally was the fifth goal of the night for Shanks.

    “I thought to be honest we did a good job with a late comeback and kind of pushed things,” said Corbeil. “Too many men at the end there obviously was a bit of a back breaker.

    “We should be able to play in all situations with the lead, from behind. To be quite frank, we haven’t done a great job playing with a lead or playing from behind is now evident.

    “This team has to figure out. We are on top of the division and on top of the league right now, but we’re not playing our best lacrosse and there are only four games left.”

The SaskTel Centre crowd gets into the Rush comeback attempt.

    Ben McIntosh scored twice for the Rush, while Jeff Shattler, Corbeil, Mark Matthews and Ryan Keenan all picked up singles.

    Joe Resetarits had two goals and five assists to lead the Knighthawks in scoring. Eric Fannell had a hat trick for Rochester, while Kyle Jackson and Scott Campbell had singles. Cody Jamieson collected five assists for the Knighthawks.

    Evan Kirk stopped 40-of-52 shots to take the setback in goal for the Rush.

    Matt Vinc made 43 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Knighthawks. Rochester improved to 7-7 to stay a half-game behind the Toronto Rock (7-7) for first place in the Eastern Division.

    “They did a good job of keeping us out of the middle I thought,” said Derek Keenan. “At times when we did get good looks, (Matt) Vinc was really good.

Goalie Matt Vinc makes one of his 43 saves for the Knighthawks.

    “He made some spectacular saves tonight. We didn’t have enough. We were flat I thought at the start for some reason.”

    The Rush now head on their bye week, and they return to action on April 7, when they host the Colorado Mammoth at 7:30 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.
    They have advanced to the last three straight NLL finals and would like to extend that run to four straight this season.

    The Rush won the 2015 NLL title in Edmonton and the 2016 NLL championship in Saskatchewan.

    They were swept in last year’s best-of-three NLL championship series 2-0 by the Georgia Swarm.
    The Rush play three of their final four regular season games at home.

Robert Church, left, scored four goals for the Rush on Saturday.

    Corbeil believes the week off will help his team, who lead the Colorado Mammoth (9-4) by one-and-a-half games for first in the Western Division.

    “I think rest always goes a long way in this league, so that will help us for sure having a weekend off,” said Corbeil. “Obviously, our schedule is pretty front loaded.

    “These losses always seem to kind of wake us back up, which is nice. I don’t think we’ve lost too many back to back with the exception of maybe last year’s finals. We always usually have a good response, so maybe it will be a kick in the butt that we need.”

Back in the Express with feature on Rush coach

Rush HC and GM Derek Keenan speaks at a rally in 2017.

    I was back in the pages of the Saskatoon Express this week with a feature story on Saskatchewan Rush head coach and general manager Derek Keenan.

    Keenan is the all-time leader in career head coaching victories in the history of the National Lacrosse League, and he is basically the circuit’s Scotty Bowman.

    The bench boss is pretty personable, and the 56-year-old showed his sense of humour when he was asked to reflect on his wins record.

    “I’m old,” said Keenan with a laugh. “I’ve been doing it a long time.”

    Keenan has the Rush leading the entire NLL at the moment with an 11-2 record. Local area fans will be pumped to know the Rush play four of their final five regular season games at home. That final stretch of games begins on Saturday when the Rush host the Rochester Knighthawks (6-7) at 7:30 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

    I found my one-on-one interview with Keenan to be real enjoyable, and I came away thinking the Rush were lucky to have him as their head coach and general manager.

    The story on Keenan 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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