The Fast Break Version
This game can be summed up by the first sequence of the game, one where the players who anchor the Edmonton Rush defence imposed their will on the Mammoth, used their athleticism to get the ball into the stick of the offence who did their job and buried the ball.
After Jeremy Thompson created a 50/50 ball off the face off by not allowing Bob Snider to win the draw clean, the ball made its way in front of the Rush bench. Jackson Decker of the Mammoth eventually collected it but was dislodged from the ball, not the other way around, by a run away cement truck named Kyle Rubisch. The ball ended up in the stick of Chris Corbeil back near the face off dot, starting a three on three break. Corbeil quickly shovelled it up the floor to Thompson who turned back to find Jarrett Davis cutting wide open to the net after darting off the Rush bench. Davis fired the ball between the arm and body of Colorado’s starter Dillon Ward, and 19 seconds into the game, the Rush took a lead they wouldn’t come close to giving up.
From there, Edmonton continued to dominate. When the defence didn’t force the Colorado offence to burn the thirty second clock, turn the ball over or take a low percentage shot, goaltender Aaron Bold was there to keep momentum in his team’s favour with some huge saves. The most notable one was a post to post beauty on Joel Delgarno while the Rush were short handed and up just 3-0 . Immediately after that save, the Rush recovered the ball, got it into the stick of Zack Greer, who got a step on Dan Ball and went far side on an abandoned Ward.
Why the Rush won
There are a lot of reasons. Here are the two biggest.
1. They wanted it more. While the Rush fed off the energy of their home crown, the Mammoth looked disinterested and disorganized.
2. D-Fence! The players coming out of Edmonton’s back gate forced the Mammoth to work for their chances while the Colorado D left their goalies out to dry. When John Grant Jr. finishes a game with only two assists, the defensive unit, including the goalie, has had an all world night.
OPOG (Offensive Player of the Game)
Zack Greer (5 G, 0 A, 1 LB)
How can’t you give the OPOG to Mark Matthews, you say? I know, I know. 5 goals and 4 assists is hard to ignore, same with Jarrett Davis going 3 and 5. Both Matthews and Davis get honourable mentions. As far as Greer goes, there was so much more to the five goals he put up than the stat line they appear in at the end of the game. The timing of them, and the versatility he showed scoring them played a big role in the Rush jumping out to such a huge lead. Two of his goals were on outside bombs, a trait he is known for, and two he scored by drawing his defender into isolation and when he recognized that there was no help, his quick first step got him to the crease to finish the play. As far as timing goes, his second goal that came shorthanded after that huge stop by Aaron Bold, really crushed the Mammoth psyche. It led to their starter being yanked and came at a time when they had a chance to get back into the game.
DPOG (Defensive Player of the Game)
Everyone
Like I said, it was an all world effort by the Rush defence. They didn’t give the Mammoth an easy offensive set, knocking down passes, scooping up loose balls and forcing turnovers, bad shots and errant passes. When Colorado did have good scoring opportunities, Aaron Bold backstopped them. Early on, Ryan Dilks made John Grant throw a pass away by getting in on his hands and also knocked down two passes that would have led to great scoring chances. John Lafontaine was quietly effective all night while the other players who make up the most respected defensive unit in the NLL finished with numbers that don’t get your name up in lights, but are ones that any NLL defender would be proud of. Brett Mydske (6 LB, 2 FT), Kyle Rubisch (5 LB, 2 FT), John Lintz (7 LB, 2 FT), Chris Corbeil (7 LB, 1 FT), Jeremy Thompson (6 LB, 2 FT) and Nik Bilic (5 LB) all were part of the reason why the Mammoth put up just six goals on this night after scoring 11 against the Calgary Roughnecks the night before, 10 on the Rush in Week 1 and 13 on the Vancouver Stealth in Week 2.
Next Game – The Battle of Alberta, Part One
Friday, January 17, 2014. 9:30 pm ET, Rexall Place
This game is a huge one early on for both teams as they each attempt to establish themselves at the top of the West Division standings.
