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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Hilltops’ Walls a perfect fit for #1 CJFL ranking

Hilltops QB Jordan Walls topped the CJFL’s top 50 player rankings.

    Jordan Walls showed last season he was ready to lead the Saskatoon Hilltops, and now he is regarded as the best in the Canadian Junior Football League.

    On Friday, the CJFL ranked its top 50 players heading into the 2018 season, and Walls, who is the Hilltops 22-year-old starting quarterback, topped the list. The top 50 promotion was first run by the league in 2016 as a vehicle to shine more of a spotlight on its players.

    Walls deserves the top ranking after guiding the Hilltops to a record fourth straight CJFL title win. Topping the CJFL top 50 list is also a nod for all the hard work he has put in during his previous four seasons in the league.

Jordan Walls, right, runs for a game clinching first down against the Rifles.

    As is the custom with the Hilltops, Walls wasn’t the starting quarterback coming out of high school in 2014. That job fell to Jared Andreychuk, who was in his third year of eligibility at the time.

    From 2014 to 2016, Andreychuk built a legacy quarterbacking the Hilltops to three straight CJFL title posting a 9-0 career record as a post-season starter. Walls was the understudy over the span being groomed to become Andreychuk’s successor.

    Walls, who stands 5-foot-9 and weighs 180 pounds, has always been a great student of the game. During training camp in 2016, he was showing at that time he was ready to become the Hilltops starter.

    Had Andreychuk gone down due to a season ending injury in that campaign, Walls could have stepped in, and the Hilltops wouldn’t have missed a beat.

    Andreychuk wrote a terrific swan song in 2016 guiding the Hilltops to a 37-25 victory in the Canadian Bowl to claim a 19^th CJFL title against the Westshore Rebels in Langford, B.C.

Hilltops QB Jordan Walls dives in for a touchdown against the Thunder.

    Walls finally gained his chance to guide the Hilltops as their starting quarterback last season, and he played with a lot of poise and polish.

    During the team’s eight regular season games, Walls completed 124-of-202 passes for 1,870 yards, 16 touchdowns and two interceptions. He quarterbacked the Hilltops to an 11-1 overall record and an impressive 56-11 victory in the Canadian Bowl over the host AKO Fratmen in Windsor, Ont.

    Walls completed 11-of-18 passes for 192 yards and three touchdowns picking up offensive player of the game honours helping the Hilltops win their fourth straight CJFL title, their seven league crown in the last eight years and 20^th national title in team history.

Hilltops QB Jordan Walls (#19) was efficient firing the ball downfield.

    The graduate of Saskatoon’s Tommy Douglas Collegiate could make the big plays when the Hilltops needed them the most. Inside of the final 45 seconds of a PFC semifinal clash last year, the Hilltops held a 28-21 lead on the visiting Winnipeg Rifles at Saskatoon Minor Football field and faced a second and long situation.

    The Hilltops had an OK outing in that contest, while the underdog Rifles came out playing on fire looking for an upset. Walls faked a handoff to running back Adam Machart and bootlegged wide to the left side of the field, gained the necessary yardage for a first down and went down in bounds to ensure the clock didn’t stop.

    With the Rifles depleted of timeouts, the Hilltops kneeled down on the ball twice to win the game.

Hilltops QB Jordan Walls (#19) celebrates a TD from Garth Knittig.

    Even when the signals get crossed up, Walls still ensured a play had success. That was best shown in the PFC final where defensive tackle Garth Knittig scored the game-sealing touchdown on a one-yard dive with 96 seconds to play in the fourth quarter to give the Hilltops a 36-24 victory over the archrival Regina Thunder at SMF Field.

    The correct play call came into Walls, but the short yardage personnel grouping actually got missed up as Knittig wasn’t supposed to get the ball.

    With Knittig being a tough, hard-working and jovial defensive lineman, Walls called that play naturally where everyone thought, “Who wouldn’t like to see the big guy score. Let’s get him in there.”

    Besides playing for the Hilltops, Walls is the offensive coordinator for the powerhouse Saskatoon Valkyries of the Western Women’s Canadian Football League. The knowledge, observations and experience he has gained in the game are an extra big bonus help for Hilltops legendary head coach Tom Sargeant, who doubled as the club’s offensive coordinator last season.

The Hilltops offence is in good hands with Jordan Walls (#19) at the controls.

    The Hilltops flooded the CJFL top 50 with five additional entries. They included fifth-year linebacker Cody Peters at the seventh spot, fifth-year receiver Jason Price at the 21^st spot, third-year defensive back Colton Holmes at the 27^th spot, third-year running back Joshua Ewanchyna at the 31^st spot and fifth-year offensive lineman Kirk Simonsen at the 45^th spot.

    The Hilltops open training camp on Monday and hold their annual Alumni Game on Thursday at 7 p.m. at SMF Field. They open the regular season on Aug. 18, when they travel to Regina to face the Thunder at 7 p.m. at Mosaic Stadium.

    As the Hilltops begin their quest to win an unprecedented fifth straight CJFL championship, their offensive is in great hands with Walls calling the signals.

Rush’s Keenan captures fourth NLL coach of the year award

Derek Keenan is the NLL’s coach of the year.

    Saskatchewan Rush head coach and general manager Derek Keenan continues to add to his collection of accolades.

    On Thursday, Keenan was named the winner of the National Lacrosse League’s Les Bartley Head Coach of the Year Award. This marks the fourth time Keenan has been named the NLL’s coach of the year.

    The 56-year-old product of Oshawa, Ont., won the coach of the year and NLL general manager of the year awards in 2010 and 2014, when the Rush franchise was located in Edmonton. Keenan won both of those honours in 2006, when he was with the now defunct Portland LumberJax.

    This past season, Keenan guided the Rush to a first overall finish in the NLL regular season with a 14-4 record. The finish gave the Rush a bye into the West Division final, where they down their archrivals the Calgary Roughnecks 15-13.

    The Rush had to go the distance to claim the best-of-three NLL championship series downing the Rochester Knighthawks 15-10 in Game 3 before 13,645 spectators at the SaskTel Centre on June 9 to capture the National Lacrosse League Cup.

    Under Keenan’s watch, the Rush have won three of the last four NLL titles. The Rush claimed their first NLL title in 2015, when they played out their final season in Edmonton. They repeated as NLL champions in 2016, which was their first campaign in Saskatchewan.

Rush HC and GM Derek Keenan, centre, studies play from the bench.

    The Rush’s championship this past season marked the ninth time Keenan has been part of an NLL championship team either as a player, coach or general manager. The Rush’s championship run marked a record 13^th time Keenan has been to the NLL championship either as a player, coach and general manager.

    The NLL’s coach of the year award is named in honour of the late Les Bartley, who was a legendary head coach and general manager of the Toronto Rock. Keenan played under Bartley as a member of the Buffalo Bandits, when they won NLL titles in 1992 and 1993. Bartley was the head coach of those Bandits teams.

    Keenan was a player and an assistant coach under Bartley, when the Rock won an NLL title in 1999, and an assistant coach in the Rock’s NLL title wins in 2000, 2002 and 2003

    Keenan joined the Rush franchise as head coach and general manager in June of 2009.

    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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Corbeil gets redemption in Rush NLL championship win

Rush captain Chris Corbeil lifts the National Lacrosse League Cup on Saturday.

    Chris Corbeil slayed the demons from literally dropping the ball a year ago.

    When the Saskatchewan Rush began their journey through the 2018 National Lacrosse League campaign, they were seeking redemption after being swept 2-0 by the Georgia Swarm in the best-of-three National National Lacrosse League championship series in 2017. Corbeil, who has been the Rush captain since the start of the 2014 campaign, struggled with the sting of that loss worse than anyone else on the team.

Jeremy Thompson (#74) and Chris Corbeil react to Corbeil’s second goal.

    In Game 2 of that series at the SaskTel Centre, the Rush held a 14-13 lead in the final seconds of the fourth quarter. The Rush had possession of the ball and pulled their goalie looking to play keep away from the Swarm to run out the clock.

    That tactic is often used in lacrosse.

    Corbeil mishandled a pass from teammate Jeremy Thompson while running in the open near midfield. The Swarm picked the loose ball and scored into the empty Rush net to tie things up at 14-14 and proceeded to win 15-14 after a goal in sudden death overtime.

    Due to that botched play in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, the Rush weren’t able to force a series deciding Game 3 back in Duluth, Georgia, and watched the Swarm celebrate a championship in Saskatoon.

The crowd at the SaskTel Centre celebrates a Rush goal on Saturday.

    On Saturday in a series deciding Game 3 of the 2018 NLL championship series before 13,645 spectators at the SaskTel Centre, Corbeil had a hat trick to help the Rush down the Rochester Knighthawks 15-10 and take the series 2-1.

    The Rush held a slim 11-10 lead with 12 minutes to play in the fourth quarter and proceeded to seal victory with a four-goal surge. Corbeil capped the surge scoring into an empty net with 2:34 remaining in the fourth quarter.

    “It is that much sweeter,” said Corbeil. “I really took a lot of ownership for what happened last year.

    “It was a tough time for me. After the season ended, I apologized to all the guys, because I really thought we should have been playing for a Game 3 and the championship back in Georgia. I dropped the ball and didn’t give my brothers a chance to do that.

Jeremy Thompson (#74) and Adrian Sorchetti defend Eric Fannell (#66).

    “(Saturday night) was unbelievably special.”

    The 30-year-old defender from Oakville, Ont., is one of the most personable players on the Rush. While what happened in Game 2 in the NLL final against the Swarm was in the back of his mind, he never visibly let it affect him as the Rush proceeded to finish first overall in the league’s regular season standings at 14-4 in the 2018 campaign.

    Corbeil has a reputation for saying the right things at the right time. He also had a good sense of humour, and he knows when to crack a joke to break up a sombre mood during rough times.

    After he scored his empty-net goal on Saturday against the Knighthawks, Corbeil was focused on closing out the game having put the Rush ahead by five goals.

Nik Bilic brings the ball upfield for the Rush.

    “When I put it in, I didn’t think much of it, because there was still time on the clock,” said Corbeil. “I know anything can happen in this wild sport, especially with the way Rochester can come back and their job on faceoffs.

    “When that buzzer went, it does feel like there is a weight off my shoulders. It is incredible.”

    The Rush won the NLL title in 2015 in their final season in Edmonton. They captured the title again in 2016 in their first season in Saskatchewan.

    Hopes were high inside the team about winning a third straight championship in 2017.
    The disappointment intensified that much more in the Rush organization after falling in the NLL title series to the Swarm.

    Rush head coach and general manager Derek Keenan said Corbeil didn’t need to shoulder the blame for what happened in that Game 2 loss to the Swarm. Keenan and Corbeil have always had a good relationship, and the bench boss loves how his captain leads by example.

The fans at the SaskTel Centre celebrate a third quarter Rush goal.

    The lead by example included following tips on how to get the better of Knighthawks star goalie Matt Vinc on Saturday night.

    “He (Corbeil) is our leader clearly in the room and on the floor,” said Keenan. “I like the fact that he kind of followed our shooting plan on Vinc.”

    Keenan said his club took a team approach to addressing what happened in last year’s NLL final going into the 2018 campaign. He said that helped make Saturday’s NLL championship victory that much more special.

    “It feels great, because it was disappointment last year for all our guys,” said Keenan. “We talked about it from the very first day of training camp.

The Rush celebrate winning the National Lacrosse League Cup.

    “I remember being in Toronto our first game of the regular season and saying to our guys, ‘You know what. I think last year was a blip on the radar for this team, this organization. We are going to get it done this year.’

    “They’ve been focused on that all year.”

    No matter what anyone told him, Corbeil still felt like the Rush loss in the 2017 NLL final was his fault, and Saturday’s win really helped him put to rest what happened against the Swarm in 2017.

    With that said, he didn’t want his personal story to overshadow the overall story of the Rush winning their third NLL title in team history and third championship in the last four years.

Captain Chris Corbeil meets a couple of Rush fans from Edmonton.

    To him, everyone on the team played their part in capturing the brand new National Lacrosse League Cup.

    “I am using ‘I’ a lot here, and I don’t like talking about myself,” said Corbeil. “This is such a team effort.

    “Really, I just feel good so I can do this my brothers. That is all this is about.

    “I felt horrible. I didn’t care that I lost it for myself. It was that I lost it for these guys. I was able to play a part and make amends of that this season.”

    Corbeil’s sense of humour proceeded to pop up when he talked about lifting the league’s new championship trophy, which replaced the Champion’s Cup. His crack made reference to captain Alexander Ovechkin of the NHL’s Washington Capitals, who is popping up all over the place with the Stanley Cup after the Caps won professional hockey’s top price.

The Rush pose for the team picture after winning the NLL Cup.

    “It (the National Lacrosse League Cup) was heavy,” said Corbeil. “I couldn’t believe it.

    “I got it a little in front of me, and I think I dropped it almost on Churchy’s (teammate Robert Church’s) head. It looks kind of smaller than the last one. I wouldn’t be like Ovechkin carrying it around for the next four days.

    “I’m not strong enough. I haven’t done enough shoulder presses lately, so I will be passing it off.”

    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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