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.

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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Second half from hell – Rush fall in Game 3 of NLL final

Bandits claim third straight league title

It was a “second half from hell” for the Saskatchewan Rush.

On Saturday, the Rush found themselves trailing the host Buffalo Bandits 7-6 at halftime in a series deciding Game 3 of the NLL Championship Series at the KeyBank Center, which is known as Banditland during lacrosse games. At that point, the wheels fell off for the Rush.

Just 34 seconds into the second half, Bandits forward Chase Fraser scored on a one handed behind the back shot to start a stunning chain of events. The Bandits took off and outscored the Rush 8-0 in the second half for a 15-6 victory playing before a euphoric sellout crowd of 19,070 spectators.

The win allowed the Bandits to claim the best-of-three series 2-1. The Bandits, who were playing in their fifth straight NLL final, also captured the NLL title for a third straight year and the seventh time in team history. Buffalo’s seven league titles are the most in the history of the NLL.

The second half of Game 3 was a stunning reversal from what had happened in the entire series to that point. Back on May 13, the Bandits took Game 1 of the series 12-10 at the KeyBank Center in a hard-fought battle.

Last Sunday, the Rush claimed an 11-10 victory in Game 2 at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon in another slug-it-out affair. The first half of Game 3 had a five-goal run by the Bandits, a three-goal run by the Rush and was tightly contested.

Once the Bandits got the first goal of the second half on Fraser’s fancy play, they were off to the races. The Rush looked like they got run over by an 18-wheeler. Anything the Saskatchewan side tried to do made the Bandits momentum snowball that much more.

When the dust settled, two of the Bandits biggest stars finished with monster games. Forward Josh Byrne had nine points coming off four goals and five assists. Dhane Smith, who is an all-time great in the NLL, had eight points coming off three goals and five assists.

Transition player Ian MacKay had a goal and two assists and was named the MVP of the NLL Championship Series.

Chris Cloutier had a hat trick For the Bandits, while Kyle Buchanan had two goals in the contest. Defender Cam Wyers tallied the Bandits final goal of the game.

Bandits star goaltender Matt Vinc made 42 saves to pick the win. Another NLL all-time great, Vinc, who broke into the NLL in 2006, has been a member of six NLL title winners. Before being part of the Bandits three straight title winners, Vinc backstopped the original Rochester Knighthawks to three straight NLL championships from 2012 to 2014.

The Rush started Game 3 looking like they were ready for another heavyweight battle. Just 24 seconds into the contest, Rush star forward Austin Shanks dove out from behind the right side of the Buffalo net to tuck home the game’s first goal that gave the Rush a 1-0 lead.

The Rush were up 3-2 when Cloutier scored his first of the contest with 3:36 remaining in the first quarter to force a 3-3 tie heading into the quarter break. Cloutier’s tally started the Bandits on a five-goal run, which saw them score four times in the first 4:14 of the second quarter to take a 7-3 advantage.

After the Bandits scored their seventh goal, the Rush pulled star veteran goaltender Frank Scigliano for rookie Thomas Kiazyk. Kiazyk played just eight seconds as Scigliano mentally reset and returned to the contest.

The Rush proceeded to go on a three-goal run to cut the Bandits lead to 7-6 going into halftime.

Shanks had a pair of goals for the Rush, while veteran star forward Robert Church was in on every Rush tally recording a pair of goals and four assists. Zach Manns and captain Ryan Keenan picked up singles for Saskatchewan.

Scigliano turned away 38-of-52 shots to take the loss in goal for the Rush. Kiazyk didn’t face any shots in his brief appearance.

In the second half, the Rush offence completely dried up as the Bandits went on their romp. The entirety of the NLL Championship Series between the two clubs was expected to be tightly contested.

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 to finish first overall in the NLL, while the Rush were second overall.

The Rush were making their first appearance in the NLL Championship Series since their last league title win back in 2018. Only Church, Keenan, Mike Messenger and Matt Hossack remain from that 2018 title winner.

Saskatchewan missed the playoffs with respective 8-10 records in 2022, 2023 and 2024 going through a reload process. That reload allowed them to take off in 2025.

Following Saturday’s Game 3 of the NLL final, the Bandits proved they are still the masters on the circuit. The next handful of seasons will show if the Rush learned lessons from the series loss against the Bandits and once again rise to the pinnacle of the NLL.

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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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.”

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 head to NLL final on 10-9 OT win off miracle rally

Saskatchewan sweeps semifinal series with Thunderbirds

The Saskatchewan Rush are creating playoff magic reminiscent of the team’s storied past.

On Saturday at the SaskTel Centre, it appeared for a short time the Rush were going to need to play a series-deciding Game 3 in their best-of-three NLL semifinal set against the Halifax Thunderbirds. On May 3, the Rush took Game 1 of the series in a 16-7 romp at Scotiabank Centre in Halifax, but Game 2 on Saturday at the SaskTel Centre was a different story.

The Rush and Thunderbirds were tied 7-7 late in the fourth quarter. At that point, Thunderbirds forward Thomas Hoggarth scored goals with 2:33 and again with 1:36 remaining in the stanza to put the visitors up 9-7. Those tallies completed a four-goal night for Hoggarth.

At that point, the Rush cued up a miracle comeback with their goalie pulled for an extra attacker. With 43.7 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Rush star forward Zach Manns wired home his second goal of the contest to trim the Thunderbirds lead to 9-8.

The Rush proceeded to get the ball back off a turnover, and with 5.7 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Rush veteran defender Matt Hossack tucked home the equalizer close in at the left side of the Halifax net to force a 9-9 tie and sudden death overtime.

Just 90 seconds into extra session, Thunderbirds forward Mike Robinson drove Rush defender Bobby Kidd III from behind into the boards. Robinson was given a major penalty for boarding. Due to the fact he also received a major penalty for an illegal cross check in the first quarter, Robinson was also ejected from the contest.

Just 10 seconds into the ensuing power play, Rush star forward Austin Shanks fired home the winning goal from the left slot area in the Halifax zone to give the Rush a surprising 10-9 victory before a gathering of 5,829 spectators that exploded into a madhouse. Shanks, who is a former member of the Thunderbirds, finished the contest netting a pair of goals and two assists.

With the win, the Rush sweep the best-of-three series against the Thunderbirds 2-0. Saskatchewan advances to the best-of-three NLL championship series to face the Buffalo Bandits. The Bandits swept the Vancouver Warriors 2-0 in the other NLL semifinal series. The Warriors were 11-7 during the regular season.

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.

Game 1 of the NLL Championship Series is set for Friday for the KeyBank Center in Buffalo, New York, for a 7:30 p.m. local start time. Game 2 is slated for Sunday, May 18 at 6 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre. If necessary, Game 3 is slated for Saturday, May 24 at the KeyBank Center for a 4:30 p.m. local start time.

In Saturday’s clash between the Rush and Thunderbirds, Saskatchewan jumped out to a 3-0 lead thanks to scoring a pair of power-play goals on the first major given to Robinson. The Thunderbirds proceeded to battle back, and as a result, the Rush exited the first quarter holding a 4-3 advantage.

At that point, the game became a defensive slugfest until the final 2:33 of the fourth quarter and overtime.

The Rush went into the halftime break holding a 5-4 lead. The two sides were locked in a 6-6 tie at the end of the third quarter.

The Thunderbirds scored first in the fourth quarter to go ahead 7-6, but the Rush answered back to force a 7-7 tie. That set the stage for the end of game fireworks.

Star forward Robert Church topped the Rush with five points coming off two goals and three assists. Holden Garlent, captain Ryan Keenan and Mike Messenger had singles for Saskatchewan.

Forward Dawson Theede led the Thunderbirds with six points coming off two goals and four assists. Clarke Petterson had a pair of goals for the Thunderbirds, who also received a single from Randy Staats.

Frank Scigliano made 45 saves to pick up the win in goal for the Rush. Backup goalie Thomas Kiazyk made a brief appearance late in the fourth quarter. He was inserted in net, because he could run to the bench faster than Scigliano when it came time to pull the goalie.

Warren Hill turned away 45 shots to take the setback in goal for the Thunderbirds, who posted an 11-7 mark during the regular season.

The Rush are advancing to the NLL Championship Series for the first time since 2018. They needed a 15-10 victory in a series-deciding Game 3 on June 9 of that year at the SaskTel Centre to claim the NLL title.

The Rush and Bandits last met in the NLL final in 2016. Saskatchewan swept that series 2-0. The NLL title was clinched on June 4 of that year in Game 2 of the NLL Championship Series at the SaskTel Centre. That was the contest that saw Rush defender Jeff Cornwall score on a breakaway with 12 seconds to play to break a 10-10 tie and deliver Saskatchewan to an 11-10 victory.

Saskatchewan wouldn’t mind for the history of 2016 to repeat itself in 2025.

McKenna, Cristall, Catton in hot scoring race again, other notes

Gavin McKenna jets up ice for the Tigers on Friday night.

The WHL’s regular season scoring race is playing out once again in the post-season.

During the regular season, superstar left-winger Gavin McKenna of the Medicine Hat Tigers battled Spokane Chiefs superstars in right-winger Andrew Cristall and centre Berkly Catton to be the circuit’s top scorer.

Cristall came to the Chiefs in a blockbuster trade with the Kelowna Rockets on January 8. In 57 regular season contests played between the Rockets and Chiefs, Cristall, who turned 20-years-old on February 4, topped the WHL in regular season scoring to claim the Bob Clarke Trophy with 132 points coming off 48 goals and 84 assists to go with a plus-59 rating in the plus-minus department.

McKenna finished second in regular season scoring recording 129 points coming off 41 goals and 88 assists to go with a plus-60 rating in the plus-minus department in 56 contests. He was named the winner of the Four Broncos Memorial Trophy as the WHL’s Player of the Year.

Catton finished third in the regular season scoring race with 109 points coming off 38 goals and 71 assists to go with a plus-46 rating.

In the post-season, the Tigers and Chiefs are now battling in the best-of-seven WHL Championship Series. The Tigers claimed a 4-1 victory on Friday in Game 1 at Co-op Place in Medicine Hat. Game 2 is set for Sunday at 7 p.m. at Co-op Place.

McKenna, Cristall and Catton have each recorded 37 points in the current WHL Playoffs. Cristall leads the scoring race with his point total coming off 20 goals and 17 assists to go with a plus-15 rating in 15 games.

Catton is slated second in the scoring race with his 37 points coming off nine goals and 28 assists to go with a plus-11 rating in 16 games.

McKenna is third in the scoring race with his 37 points coming off eight goals and 29 assists to go with a plus-16 rating in 14 games.

It is possible the team that wins the WHL title will have the player that also wins the post-season scoring race.

• Most of the members of the Tigers 2006-07 WHL championship team were in attendance on Friday night to watch the current edition of the Tigers take Game 1 of the current WHL Championship Series.
• Tigers offensive-defenceman Bryce Pickford is having an impressive post-season. Pickford, who turned 19-years-old in early April, has recorded eight goals, 10 assists and a plus-21 rating in 14 games. Pickford was a member of the Seattle Thunderbirds WHL championship team in 2022-23 and was acquired by the Tigers in a trade with the Thunderbirds on May 9, 2024.
• On Friday, I had new content appear on the Howe Happenings blog that supports the Gordie Howe Sports Complex. I put together a feature on Mitchell Picton, who is a receiver with the CFL’s Saskatchewan Roughriders and regularly travels to Saskatoon to coach at Saskatoon Minor Football’s Playground To Pros camp. He gets a kick about being remembered by the folks in Saskatoon for playing five seasons with the University of Regina Rams from 2013 to 2017. The piece on Picton can be found by clicking right here. I also put together a photo roundup that is anchored by images from Softball Saskatchewan’s final tryout session for its men’s Canada Summer Games team at the Indoor Training Centre. It also contains photos from baseball, cricket, football, softball and track and field. That post can be found by clicking 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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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.

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

Saskatchewan thumps Halifax 16-7 in feisty affair

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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Rush host Swarm in do-or-die NLL quarter-final

Saskatchewan back in post-season after six years out

The Rush celebrate a goal during a game on January 25.

The Saskatchewan Rush ended a post-season drought with a memorable regular season.

Now, they will try to ensure the appearance in the NLL Playoffs isn’t a brief one.

The Rush finished second overall in the NLL regular season standings with a 13-5 mark, which is their best regular season record since going 14-4 in their NLL championship campaign in 2018. They last appeared in the NLL post-season in 2019, when they fell 11-10 in overtime to the Colorado Mammoth on May 3 of that year.

Saskatchewan opens the 2025 NLL Playoffs on Saturday hosting the seventh seeded Georgia Swarm (9-9) in a single elimination quarter-final contest at 7:30 p.m. at the SaskTel Centre.

“It has been a long stretch without the playoffs,” said star forward Robert Church. “We’ve had some rough years, but we’ve been building back towards this and getting back to a championship caliber team.

Zach Manns led the Rush in scoring with 74 points.

“I think that is what we have in this room. The boys, we just got together and kind of just saw everyone. I think everyone is excited.

“For a lot of guys, it is their first time in playoffs, so they’re real fired up.”

The Rush’s NLL post-season absence started in 2020 and 2021 when the NLL Playoffs were cancelled due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Saskatchewan was 7-3 in the 2020 regular season before that campaign was stopped.

The Rush posted respective 8-10 marks over three straight NLL regular seasons from 2022 to 2024 to just miss making the playoffs in each of those campaigns. The current campaign has been the breakout season where the work in the reload is paying off.

“I think we’re a very talented team, a deep team,” said Rush co-head coach Jimmy Quinlan. “We have a lot of buy in.

Robert Church had 73 points in 14 games for the Rush.

“They’re all selfless individuals, and I think we’re fortunate to have the veterans we have that kind of lead them. I thought the last few years we had to learn how to win, and now we’re kind of understanding what it takes. It doesn’t really matter too much what goes on in a game.

“We kind of right now have that mentality of staying the course. It has got us to where we are, and we’re going to continue that this weekend.”

Zach Manns topped the Rush in scoring during the regular season with 74 points coming off 35 goals and 39 assists. Church had 73 points coming off 33 goals and 40 assists even with missing four games due to injury this season. Captain Ryan Keenan also had 73 points coming off 26 goals and 47 assists, while Austin Shanks had 72 points coming off 35 goals and 37 assists.

Rush star goalie Frank Scigliano had a great season posting an 11-4 record, 9.40 goals against average and an 80 per cent save percentage.

The Rush look to get a boost from their home crowd.

Lyle Thompson topped the Swarm in scoring with 94 points coming of 42 goals and 52 assists. Forwards Shayne Jackson and Andrew Kew each recorded 74 points for Georgia. Jackson recorded his 74 points on 32 goals and 42 assists, while Kew had his 74 points coming off 28 goals and 46 assists.

Brett Dobson has carried the load in goal for the Swarm posting a 9-8 record, an 11.82 goals against average and a 76 per cent save percentage.

The Swarm roster also contains Lyle Thompson’s brother and gritty transition player Jeremy Thompson, who used to be a fan favourite when he played for the Rush. Jeremy was a member of the Rush’s 2016 and 2018 NLL championship teams and the 2015 NLL title winner when the franchise was still located in Edmonton.

Frank Scigliano had a big season in goal for the Rush.

The NLL Playoffs got underway on Friday when the top seeded and two-time defending champion Buffalo Bandits slugged out a 5-4 victory over the eighth seeded San Diego Seals. The Bandits posted a 13-5 record in the regular season and downed the Rush 9-7 on March 1 at the SaskTel Centre in the only head-to-head meeting between the two sides to gain the standings tiebreaker for first place. The Seals posted a 9-9 mark in the regular season.

The single elimination quarter-final round has the potential to favour lower seeded teams that just snuck into the playoffs, because you need to be hot just for one game to move on. Shanks believes his squad is ready to handle the winner takes all contest.

“I think we played really well with our backs against the wall,” said Shanks. “We kind of try and put some pressure on ourselves, and that is all this is.

“It is one game. We’ve said it all year that we have to play 60 minutes, and there is no better test than tomorrow night.”

Ryan Keenan had 73 points this season for the Rush.

The NLL post-season will be a new experience for numerous Rush players. The Rush only have four holdovers from their last NLL championship team in 2018 including Church, Keenan, Mike Messenger and Matt Hossack.

Keenan was in his second season with the Rush when they captured the NLL title in 2018. He admitted the team’s post-season drought gave him a little more appreciation for how hard it is to make playoffs and how hard it is to win in the post-season after experiencing early career success.

“I mean those years the talent was just off the charts,” said Keenan. “It was kind of just an expectation to win every game and win it at the end of the year.

“It became more challenging, but this year, the success has just come down to just the hard work part of our game and loving that grind aspect of it. That comes with a young group who is hungry and wants to win.”

Austin Shanks had 72 points for the Rush this season.

Shanks, who is 31-years-old, is one of the veterans who is hungry to win a league title which has eluded him in his career. He signed with the Rush this past off-season after spending four campaigns with the Halifax Thunderbirds.

Back in 2018, Shanks began his NLL career with the original Rochester Knighthawks, who fell to the Rush in the best-of-three NLL final 2-1.

The Rush claimed a 15-10 victory in a series-deciding Game 3 on June 9 of that year at the SaskTel Centre. Shanks hasn’t forgotten what it was like being on the losing end of that contest even after the original Knighthawks moved to Halifax to become the Thunderbirds.

“It has been eating at me for seven years,” said Shanks. “I got a taste my rookie year, and I didn’t get that trophy.

“I’ve been playing to win championships. That is all I want to do, and to have a chance to do that again is cool. There is a lot of work to do.

The Rush aim to celebrate a playoff win on Saturday.

“This is just round one.”

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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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