The Edmonton Rush struggled at times, but got it right when it mattered most to advance to the Champion’s Cup. After losing Game 2 of their West Division Final to the Calgary Roughnecks by a 12-9 score, they easily won the tie-breaking mini-game 4-1.
The win puts the Rush into the NLL finals for the second time in their 10-year existence as a team, the first time coming four years ago in an improbable run to the Cup that ended with them being defeated by the Rochester Knighthawks.
This year, however, they were the team to beat in the West and they proved it.
In Game 2, the Roughnecks came out firing, scoring twice in the first 5:37, then adding a shorthanded marker two minutes later. Goaltender Frankie Scigliano repeatedly stoned the Rush offense during those opening minutes and looked to be in even better form than he had been in Game 1 of the series.
Then the wheels fell off.
Geoff Snider took a foolish checking from behind penalty and, on the ensuing scrum, Greg Harnett took an intentional contact—dead ball penalty, putting Calgary three men down. As NLL rules don’t allow teams to have three men in the box, Edmonton was awarded a penalty shot, which Zack Greer cashed in, opening the flood gates.
The Rush would convert both powerplays to tie the game, then score four more unanswered goals to take a 7-3 lead at the end of one quarter, chasing Scigliano from the game in favour of Mike Poulin.
Calgary then mounted a major comeback. After regaining their composure—and with the Poulin Wall seemingly unbeatable—Calgary went on a 6-0 run in the second frame to retake the lead at half time and chase Rush goalie Aaron Bold from the game briefly, being spelled by Tyler Carlson.
After the wild 9-7 ride to start the game, things settled into a defensive battle the rest of the way. The Rush finally solved Poulin midway through the third quarter when Robert Church beat him on the powerplay, ending a 22-minute scoring drought, but that was the extent of the scoring on either side in the third.
Both teams would be silent again until midway through the fourth quarter when Shawn Evans of the Roughnecks beat Bold to extend the lead to 10-8. Church would get one back a minute later, but Curtis Dickson would finally put the game away at 11:26 with his third goal of the game followed by an empty netter in the final minute to give Calgary the 12-9 victory, forcing the tie breaker.
Dane Dobbie drew first blood early in the mini-game, putting Calgary up, but after that, it was all Edmonton. Mark Matthews evened the score two minutes later, followed less than a minute after that by Jeff Cornwall potting one on a clean breakaway coming off a turnover. Two minutes after that rookie Ben McIntosh extended the lead.
With three minutes still left on the clock, Calgary still had time to battle back and even the score, but then Dobbie took a delay of game penalty, firing a shot off Kyle Rubisch’s head after the shot clock had expired. The act of frustration wiped out any hope Calgary had of mounting any kind of offensive assault and the Rush were able to hang on for the win.
The Roughnecks did a lot of things right in the games and Mike Poulin was outstanding in Game 2 before the Rush finally got to him in the mini-game. But, as has frequently been the case this year—and in previous years—poor impulse control got them into trouble and was ultimately what sealed the deal for the Rush. Had Calgary not donated three goals early to Edmonton, Calgary might have been able to run away and hide in Game 2, possible carrying all that momentum to a mini-game win as well.
Instead, they let Edmonton back into the game and allowed them to patiently work towards the mini-game win.
Credit must go to Mike Poulin for having one of the finest games of his career after coming off the bench in the first quarter. Giving up just two goals on 31 shots was nothing short of fantastic and gave his team an opportunity to regain their composure and get back into that contest. Although he wasn’t quite able to sustain his performance through the mini-game, he was certainly a key reason for Calgary even getting that far on the night.
Credit must also go to Shawn Evans for once again acting like an MVP, leading all scorers in the first game with seven points (3 G, 4A) and assisting on Calgary’s lone goal in the mini-game.
On Edmonton’s side, Bold settled down and was terrific in the second half of Game 2, giving up just two goals in the half, then turning aside five of six shots in the mini-game. And as always, the smothering Edmonton defense has to take some credit for forcing Calgary to settle for weak perimeter shots for most of the second half and the mini-game.
In his return to the lineup from injury, Robert Church scored a hat trick and added an assist in Game 2, making his presense felt and eventually opening up room for Matthews to take over the mini-game.
So now the Rush move on to face the Toronto Rock in the Best-of-Three Champion’s Cup, starting next weekend. Edmonton is hungry to earn their first ever title and, at least on paper, look perfectly capable of managing it. The Rock haven’t won the trophy since 2011 and, for that franchise at least, that’s a long time so they won’t be easily beaten.
Scheduling for the Champion’s Cup should be out shortly.
