Rush rose back to NLL title contender status in 2025

Reload efforts have paid off for Saskatchewan

The Rush celebrate a goal by captain Ryan Keenan.

At the start of the 2024-25 NLL campaign, the Saskatchewan Rush wanted to return to the post-season.

In their three previous seasons, they posted respective 8-10 records and just missed qualifying for the post-season in each of those campaigns. The Rush were going through a reload, but they didn’t totally bottom out.

As the 2024-25 campaign motored on, the hopes of the players on the Rush grew. The goal of returning to the post-season changed to aiming to make the NLL Championship Series and capturing the fourth NLL title in team history.

Early on in the campaign, there was a sense around the Rush that 2024-25 had the potential to be special and that the rebuild from the previous campaigns was starting to pay off. The Rush won their first three straight games and started out 4-2. While lots of teams in the history of the NLL had better starts, one wondered how good the Rush could be.

After the 4-2 start, a five game winning streak followed. By the end of the regular season, the Rush compiled a 13-5 record, which was their best mark in the regular season since 2018 when they topped the NLL standings with a 14-4 record and won their third NLL title in franchise history.

Fans at the SaskTel Centre cheer on the Rush on May 18.

The Rush’s record in 2024-25 placed them second overall in the NLL. The Buffalo Bandits, who entered the campaign as the two-time defending NLL champions, also posted a 13-5 record and took the standings tiebreaker for first place having beat the Rush 9-7 at the SaskTel Centre on March 1 in the lone regular season head-to-head encounter between the two sides.

When the post-season started, it felt like 2018 again around the Rush. The confidence was there the post-season run would be a long one and the belief was truly real that they could win the NLL title.

Only Robert Church, Ryan Keenan, Mike Messenger and Matt Hossack remain from that 2018 championship winner. Keenan currently serves as the club’s captain The Rush were going into the post-season relying on a new generation.

The O16 Electric Crew performs during a break between quarters.

A couple of veteran pickups were key in the revival of the Rush. They picked up veteran goaltender Frank Scigliano in a trade with the San Diego Seals in July of 2023. On September 7, 2024, the Rush signed forward Austin Shanks.

Scigliano and Shanks were stars at their respective positions, and both were in search of being members of an NLL championship team for the first time in their respective careers.

The Rush roster was filled with young players who are coming of age in Zach Manns, Clark Walter, Brock Haley, Levi Anderson, Bobby Kidd III, Jake Boudreau, Jake Naso and Ryan Barnable. Rookie goaltender Thomas Kiazyk showed real big self-belief in his first season with the squad.

In another cool development, Messenger, Manns, Boudreau, Haley, Anderson and Jerrett Smith all lived in Saskatoon full time during the season.

Ryan Keenan had a strong season as the captain of the Rush.

Manns came to the Rush in a trade in July of 2023 that sent all-time great Mark Matthews to the Toronto Rock. During the 2024-25 regular season, Manns, who is 26-years-old, topped the Rush in scoring with 74 points coming off 35 goals and 39 assists.

The Rush piled up a number of major league awards at the end of the regular season. Scigliano was the NLL’s goaltender of the year, Hossack claimed honours as the NLL’s defensive player of the year, defender Keegan Bell was the NLL’s teammate of the year, co-head coach Jimmy Quinlan captured the award as the NLL’s coach of the year and co-head coach and general manager Derek Keenan was tabbed as the NLL’s general manager of the year.

In the NLL Playoffs, the Rush downed the Georgia Swarm in a single-elimination quarter-final 13-9 at the SaskTel Centre on April 26.

Saskatchewan swept the Halifax Thunderbirds in a best-of-three semifinal series 2-0. On May 3, the Rush hammered the Thunderbirds in Halifax 16-7 in Game 1. The Rush needed a thrilling come-from-behind 10-9 win in overtime to lock up the series victory in Game 2 on May 10 at the SaskTel Centre.

Frank Scigliano was the NLL’s goaltender of the year.

Saskatchewan then faced the Bandits in the best-of-three NLL Championship Series. The first two games of the series were heated battles.

The Bandits claimed Game 1 at the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, 12-10 on May 16. The series shifted to the SaskTel Centre for Game 2 on May 18 with the Rush claiming an 11-10 victory to force a series-deciding Game 3 back at the KeyBank Center.

The first half of the winner takes all Game 3 played on Saturday saw the intensity from the first two games continue on. The Bandits went into the halftime break holding a slim 7-6 lead.

In the second half, the Bandits showed their recent championship pedigree and took their game to another level. They outscored the Rush 8-0 in posting a convincing 15-6 victory to the delight of a sellout crowd of 19,070 spectators.

It might have been at that point the youth on the Rush team started to show. As the Bandits lead grew, you started to see the body language on the Rush players start to sag and a realization grew that they weren’t going to get the NLL Cup at game’s end.

Matt Hossack was the NLL’s defensive player of the year. 

The Bandits would be crowned NLL champions for a third straight year and for the seventh time in team history. Their seven NLL titles are the most for a franchise in the history of the NLL.

The passion of the Buffalo fanbase showed through too, if you looked at the comments on the posts on the Rush’s social media accounts that piled up in the six hours after the game. A number of Bandits fans took exception to Shanks saying the Rush were going to win Game 3 and Boudreau saying playing in the Bandits home rink wasn’t that big of a deal.

A number of Bandits fans left disparaging comments about the Rush and their fans including comments that said the Rush only had 50 fans and the team would leave Saskatoon and the province of Saskatchewan in three years. You had to admit the comments were pretty harsh but also in the bounds of fair play.

If you check out the accounts of the Bandits fans that left comments on Rush social media posts, it was pretty clear they are full out Buffalo professional team supporters also backing the NFL’s Bills and the NHL’s Sabres. Those fans have seen their share of heartbreaks and go all the way in letting people know when the Bandits win it all.

Zach Manns led the Rush with 74 points in the regular season.

Still, the Rush have jumped up to once again be one of the NLL’s top teams. When players arrive for training camp at the start of the 2025-26 campaign, they will have the goal and legitimately believe they can win the NLL championship. The feeling will be what the Rush franchise had during the 2010s when contending for the NLL title was a legitimate reality.

Of course, the elephant in the room for the Rush this season revolved around attendance. The highest attendance figure the Rush posted for any of their home games in 2024-25 was 8,216 which came in their Game 2 win of the NLL Championship Series.

When the Rush won the NLL title in 2018, they averaged 14,639 spectators per game in their nine regular season home dates and 12,351 spectators per contest in their three post-season home dates.

After the Rush franchise moved from Edmonton following the 2015 campaign to Saskatoon for the 2016 season, it was decided the club would be dubbed the Saskatchewan Rush to try and mirror picking up a provincial following similar to the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Austin Shanks was a big off-season addition for the Rush.

A sizable media contingent used to cover the Rush with media staffers coming from various parts of the province. 

The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic that started in March of 2020 and the shutdowns that followed saw the number of sports reporting positions in Saskatchewan cut to what would be considered less than a skeleton crew. The media following that used to cover the Rush has been cut down significantly.

When the Rush began their run in the 2025 NLL Playoffs, I saw someone comment on social media on being a resident in Regina and that you barely heard anything about the Rush in the Saskatchewan capital city. 

The Rush were known at one time for the ability to draw fans from all over Saskatchewan.

The challenges the Rush face in drawing fans and getting media exposure to break into the minds of potential casual fans are shared by all sports teams across Canada outside of NHL teams, the MLB’s Toronto Blue Jays, the NBA’s Toronto Raptors, and the CFL’s Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers. There are no easy answers to navigate those challenges.

The Rush salute their fans at the SaskTel Centre.

On the floor, the Rush have been built into a winner and a contender once again. That in theory should help in drawing interest back towards the team.

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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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Boudreau catches fire for Rush in 13-9 win over Swarm

Saskatchewan takes NLL quarter, advances to semifinal round

The Rush celebrate a fourth quarter goal by Jake Boudreau (#43).

Jake Boudreau admitted he might have let his defence slide to give his squad a boost offensively.

On Saturday, the 26-year-old transition player had the most memorable night of his young NLL career. The Brampton, Ont., product piled up four goals and one assist to power his Saskatchewan Rush to a 13-9 victory over the Georgia Swarm in an NLL quarter-final contest before a raucous 5,434 spectators at the SaskTel Centre.

Boudreau, who is in third season with the Rush, was playing in his first career NLL post-season contest as Rush were making their first appearance in the NLL Playoffs since 2019. His main focus is on making stops on the defensive end, but he couldn’t pass up the opportunity to score all four of his goals in transition.

Jake Boudreau had four goals and one assist for the Rush.

“It was definitely my best game scoring wise,” said Boudreau. “I wouldn’t say it was my best game defensively.

“Getting a goal from the back end is just huge for the team, so that was pretty nice.”

With the win in the single elimination round of the NLL Playoffs, the second seeded Rush advance to play a best-of-three semifinal series against the third seeded Halifax Thunderbirds. The Thunderbirds advanced to the semifinal round downing the sixth seeded Calgary Roughnecks 16-12 in a quarter-final contest on Saturday in Halifax. The Thunderbirds were 11-7 in the regular season, while the Roughnecks were 10-8.

Boudreau said his team is pumped to be advancing on in the post-season.

Jake Boudreau (#43) reacts to scoring an empty-net goal.

“It feels good,” said Boudreau, who stands 6-foot-2 and weighs 200 pounds. “It would have sucked to work hard all year and lose tonight.

“You could kind of tell we played with everything we had tonight. We want to enjoy the fruits of our labour. They are still not ready to be picked yet.”

Star forward Austin Shanks had two goals and two assists for the Rush. Captain Ryan Keenan and Clark Walter both had two-goal nights for the Rush, while Zach Manns, Mike Messenger and Jake Naso all had singles. Robert Church had three assists for Saskatchewan.

Fans at the SaskTel Centre cheer on the Rush.

Captain Jordan MacIntosh had two goals and two assists for the Swarm, and Lyle Thompson contributed one goal and three assists for the Georgia side. 

Brendan Bomberry and Bryan Cole both had a pair of goals for the Swarm, while Jacob Hickey and Shayne Jackson had singles.

Frank Scigliano stopped 39 shots to pick up the win in goal for the Rush, who were 13-5 in the regular season. Brett Dobson turned away 47-of-58 shots to take the setback in net for the Swarm, who were 9-9 during the regular season.

Brendan Bomberry scored twice for the Swarm.

The Swarm jumped out to an early 2-0 lead in the first quarter. The Rush closed the frame with a run of four straight goals to hold a 4-2 advantage after 15 minutes.

Saskatchewan would never trail or be tied again for the rest of the contest. Including play in the regular season and post-season, the Rush are 10-1 when their opponents score the first goal of the game.

During the four-goal surge, Boudreau scored his first goal of the night on the Rush’s second tally. 

Working a transition two-on-one rush, Boudreau received a pass from defender Matt Hossack and buried a backdoor chance at the right side of the Georgia net to force a 2-2 tie at that time.

The O16 Electric Crew performs during a quarter break.

“We had a little bit of a slow start, but I thought we were actually getting some pretty good looks on offence,” said Rush co-head coach and general manager Derek Keenan. “Their goalie made a couple of saves.

“Then, we got going there and got our legs underneath us. The one and dones in the first round of the playoffs, they are stressful. We have a pretty young group.

“Fortunately, we have a number of veterans that have been here before. For the most past, we had probably more than two-thirds of our team that haven’t been here and haven’t been to the playoffs in these stressful situations. I think it took us a little while to get our legs underneath us.”

Austin Shanks (#33) had two goals and two assists for the Rush.

The Rush pushed their lead out to 6-3 by the end of the second quarter before running into a little adversity at the start of the third quarter. First, Thompson scored 46 seconds into the third quarter to trim the Rush advantage to 6-4.

Just 22 seconds after Thompson’s goal, Walter was given a major penalty for cross checking. Cole scored quickly in the power play for the Swarm to cut the Rush lead to 6-5. Just 20 seconds after Cole’s tally, Shanks netted a short-handed goal for the Rush to push their edge out to 7-5.

After Swarm defender Jeff Henrick was penalized for holding inside the final two minutes of Walter’s major, MacIntosh scored during four-on-four play to slice the Rush lead to 7-6 with 10:06 remaining in the third quarter.

Frank Scigliano makes one of his 39 saves for the Rush.

A short time later, the Swarm had a huge chance to pull even on the scoreboard. Thompson put a midrange shot net that rebounded out to the right of the Saskatchewan goal to Jackson.

Jackson put a diving shot toward a seemingly open part of the Rush net only for Scigliano to flash up his stick to deny the scoring chance.

“We faced some adversity tonight too,” said Keenan. “We had a few penalties and the five-minute major.

“We got through that kind of unscathed. We got one and only gave up one. All in all, we stuck with our game plan.”

The Rush proceeded to go on a three goal surge that allowed them to control the contest the rest of the way. Walter scored with 37.6 seconds remaining in the third quarter to give Saskatchewan an 8-6 advantage.

Captain Ryan Keenan had a pair of goals for the Rush.

Just 85 seconds into the fourth quarter, Ryan Keenan put home a backdoor chance at the right side of the Swarm net on a five-on-three power play to push the Rush lead out to 9-6. Bourdreau completed the surge scoring a power-play goal on a transition breakaway to make the Rush lead sit at 10-6.

“We knew they were going to run,” said Boudreau. “That is our game is running, so we kind of took that personal.

“We made sure we were fast, and I think they kind of tired out as the game went on. You could kind of see us pushing forward, and they kind of dozed off a little bit, and that was basically the game.”

Boudreau scored his third goal on another transition breakaway into an empty-net and completed the game’s scoring with a transition breakaway tally with 5.7 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter.

The Rush faithful do their chest thump celebration after a goal.

While offence took centre stage in Saturday’s contest, Derek Keenan praised the work put in by the goaltenders on both sides in Scigliano and Dobson.

“You’ve got to get saves,” said Derek Keenan. “Our goaltender was really good, and their goaltender was really good as well.

“All in all, it was a good effort by our whole team.”

Scigliano, who has played in the NLL since 2012, thought the Rush had a good outing to open the 2025 post-season.

Matt Hossack (#94) defends against Lyle Thompson (#4).

“I think it was an exciting week,” said the 33-year-old Scigliano, who is still searching for his first NLL title win in his career. “You kind of prepare for this all year.

“I kind of said to the boys earlier the regular season kind of flew by. We had a lot of success. In a single elimination game, anything can happen, so there is kind of a lot on the line.

“We played a pretty complete game for the most part. There were a couple of hiccups, but I thought we did our job tonight. You see the results on the scoreboard.”

The Rush faithful get the rally towels going on Saturday night.

The other best-of-three semifinal series sees the top seeded Buffalo Bandits, who were 13-5 in the regular season, take on the fourth seeded Vancouver Warriors, who were 11-7 in the regular season. The Bandits, who are the two-time defending NLL champions, slipped past the eighth seeded San Diego Seals in a quarter-final on Friday night in Buffalo 5-4. San Diego had a 9-9 record in the regular season.

The Warriors downed the fifth seeded Rochester Knighthawks 15-10 in a quarter-final on Saturday in Vancouver. The Knighthawks were 10-8 during the regular season.

The dates and times of the two best-of-three semifinal series are still to be announced.

Before Saturday, the Rush’s last post-season win came back on June 9, 2018, when they won the NLL title with a 15-10 victory in a series-deciding Game 3 at the SaskTel Centre over the Knighthawks in the NLL Championships Series.

The Rush celebrate their win on Saturday night.

Boudreau wants to see the Rush make their current post-season run a long one. After posting respective 8-10 records in each of the three previous regular seasons during a reloading period, Boudreau believed his squad was ready to take off in the current campaign.

“I came around three years ago, and a lot of the guys came the same year as me or after,” said Boudreau. “We always kind of said in 2025 we should be pretty primed.

“To have it kind of come to fruition and we still have more lacrosse to play, it is awesome. You can’t (be satisfied). The celebration will be done in the morning.”

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Kiazyk thrown into fire, picks up first NLL win with Rush

Rush goalie Thomas Kiazyk get the ice water dunk after his first win. 

Getting ice water dunked never felt so sweet for Saskatchewan Rush rookie goalie Thomas Kiazyk.

On Saturday, Kiazyk made his first career start in an NLL regular season game as the Rush battled the Albany Firewolves. The 20-year-old netminder admitted his start wasn’t a work of art. When the dust settled, he made 39 saves to backstop the Rush to a 17-13 victory to the appreciative roars of the engaged 5,768 spectators in attendance.

Following the contest, Kiazyk was doing a post-game interview on the floor in front of the fans in attendance. During the interview, his Rush teammates snuck up behind him and doused him with cold water coming out of an assortment of water bottles.

Thomas Kiazyk made his first career NLL start on Saturday.

“It kind of snuck up on me a little bit,” said Kiazyk, who stands 6-foot-3 and weighs 180 pounds. “It was super special.

“Those guys are the world to me, and I’m really happy just to get the win for them. They battled out for me, so I just want to match that energy all the time.”

The Rush improved to 5-2 with the win, while the Firewolves fell to 2-6.

Kiazyk said he found out on Wednesday that he might end up starting Saturday’s contest, because there was a chance Rush starting goalie Frank Scigliano wasn’t going to be available. Scigliano’s wife was expected to give birth to the couple’s new child on game day. Ultimately, Scigliano’s special family situation kept him away from the SaskTel Centre.

Thomas Kiazyk, left, made 39 saves in goal for the Rush.

Rush defender Keegan Bell dressed as the team’s backup goalie on Saturday. The Rush wanted to sign Saskatoon product Laine Hruska on Saturday to be the team’s backup, but an NLL rule prevents clubs from signing new players on game days. Hruska, who has been a past Rush backup goaltender, helped out the Rush coaches behind the bench as part of the club’s support personnel.

While Kiazyk likes to pride himself on his confidence, he did have an attack of the nerves at the start of Saturday’s game. As a result, the Firewolves jumped out to a 4-0 lead just 5:06 into the opening quarter.

“I was trying to say that, like, I didn’t have nerves at all,” said Kiazyk. “I kept telling myself that, but I 100 per cent did.

Robert Church celebrates scoring the fifth of his five goals.

“I mean trying to get to the first TV timeout was obviously the goal every time, taking five minutes at a time. It was a little slow on my half. We all kind of had to do a little bit of adjusting and figuring out, but (we had a) quick response and our coaches prepared really well for that.

“We just made a great in game adjustment and responded.”

The Rush battled back and exited the first quarter locked in a 5-5 tie. Rush all-time great forward Robert Church potted the equalizer that forced the 5-5 even score with 2.6 seconds remaining in the stanza.

From that point, the host side got the game to halftime holding a 9-8 lead, and after three quarters, the Rush were holding a 13-12 edge. Saskatchewan pulled away in the fourth quarter to post the four-goal victory.

Ryan Keenan had two goals and seven assists for the Rush.

As the game went on, Kiazyk said he started to experiences times when the contest did start to feel like a normal game for him.

“I feel like in the first period I had moments of that,” said Kiazyk. “In the fourth quarter, I feel like after we killed one of the penalties I feel like we were just so locked in.

“I feel like I let in a few crappy goals here and there and that happens. You just have to look past it and look forward to what is next.”

When the fourth quarter clock expired, Kiazyk was pumped he was able to get a win in his first career NLL start. He said that was a memory he will take with him for the rest of his life.

The Rush faithful celebrate a goal scored by the host side.

“I’m super happy about it,” said Kiazyk. “I mean so many people have gotten me to this point in my life.

“I’m super happy to be able to get that win not only for myself but for all the people who supported me along the way.”

Rush co-head coach Jimmy Quinlan said you could see Kiazyk improve as the game went on. The bench boss said the young goalie has a really good confidence and moxie to him. When things don’t go well, Quinlan said that Kiazyk works to battle his way back.

“He has just got a great head on his shoulder and works at it, works at it and works at it,” said Quinlan. “The guys love him.

The O16 Electric Crew performs during a break in the action.

“He is never not in the net not taking shots. We actually have to get him off the floor a lot of times, so it was nice to see him work.”

Rush veteran forward Austin Shanks said his squad allowed the coaches and players that were involved with the goalies work with Kiazyk. When the Firewolves got up 4-0 early in the first quarter, Shanks said the Rush players didn’t panic and showed confidence those involved with the goalies would help Kiazyk get settled down.

“He (Kiazyk) let those four in quick, but then, he held it for the next 10 minutes to one,” said Shanks, who had one goal and four assists in the win. “He stepped up big.

Alex Simmons had two goals and five assists for the Firewolves.

“We realized he was stepping up. We had to go do our job. It was our turn to step up and start throwing some punches.”

Church said the team was pretty excited to see Kiazyk get his first win.

“He is such a great guy and a locker room presence even as a young guy,” said Church. “For us to be able to get him that win, and not even us get him that win like him give us that win, he shut the door.”

Church figured Kiazyk would have some early nerves, and the long time veteran figured the rookie would get to the point the contest would start feeling like a normal game.

The Rush faithful got to celebrate 17 goals on Saturday.

“It is expected, right,” said Church. “He is only 20-years-old, and he started his first game.

“He is going to have jitters. We saw that early, but he settled right in and was unreal down the stretch. He has got a future.

“He is a good goalie. He is a better guy.”

In Saturday’s clash, Church recorded 10 points in the win coming off five goals and five assists. Rush captain Ryan Keenan posted nine points coming off two goals and seven assists.

Zach Manns (#2) scored a pair of goals for the Rush.

Jake Boudreau, Clark Walter and Zach Manns each scored twice for the Rush, while Mike Triolo, Brock Haley and Adam Jay picked up singles. Boudreau’s second tally was scored into an empty net. 

The 17 goals the Rush scored were a team high for the current campaign, and they are also 4-0 this season when their opponents score first.

Forward Alex Simmons topped the Firewolves with seven points coming off two goals and five assists. Dyson Williams had a hat trick for Albany, and Ethan Walker and Sam Firth each had two goal outings for the visitors. Zac Masson, Will Johansen, Tye Kurtz and John Piatelli each had singles for the Firewolves.

The Rush celebrate a goal from Jake Boudreau (#17).

Doug Jamieson started in net and turned away 37-of-52 shots to take the setback for the Firewolves. Andrew Kidd saw spot duty in net for the Firewolves turning aside 4-of-5 shots sent his way.

The Rush return to action on Saturday, February 1, when they travel to San Diego to take on the 3-4 Seals (7 p.m. local time, Pechanga Arena).

Kiazyk could potentially get his second career start in that road encounter with the Seals. Whenever he gets the call next to guard the Rush net, Kiazyk said the fact he got his first start under his belt and picked up a win in the process will help him the next time he sees action on the floor.

“I think it is huge,” said Kiazyk. “Obviously, I don’t want to get my head too big.

The Rush salute their fans after their win on Saturday night.

“It is just one step in the right direction and one step closer to me becoming a better goalie. I can look back on this. I have game film now, and I can tweak some things.

“I can go over it with Kirky (goalie coach Evan Kirk) and Frankie (Frank Scigliano) and everyone and just look to get better and look to improve for the future.”

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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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.