After trailing for most of the game, the San Diego Seals surged forward with a nine-goal run, forcing overtime and eventually earning a 13-12 win over the Saskatchewan Rush Friday night. The Seals remain undefeated at 2-0 on the season, while the Rush drop to 1-1.
The Seals drew first blood in the first quarter when Tre Leclair beat Rush starting goalie Alex Buque. Saskatchewan’s Marshall Powless answered just 22 seconds later, followed by a Ryan Keenan goal a half minute after that.
The Rush began to take control of the game in the second quarter, outscoring the Seals 4-2 and heading to the locker room at halftime with a comfortable three-goal lead.
The third quarter was almost all Saskatchewan as they went on a four-goal tear, extending their lead to 10-3. Even after San Diego’s Mike McCannell broke the run with only 55 seconds left in the quarter, it appeared that the Rush were in control.
But there’s no such thing as a safe lead in the NLL.
The Seals offence gained all the momentum in the fourth quarter, scoring five times in the first five minutes of the period to bring them to within just one goal of the Rush. Wes Berg tied the game at the 9:20 mark, followed by two more San Diego goals, giving them their biggest lead of the night. Two late-game tallies from Saskatchewan tied the game again and forced overtime.
Curtis Dickson was the hero for San Diego in OT, taking a feed from Wes Berg, tip-toeing along the crease, and beating Rush backup goalie Eric Penney.
Dickson led all scorers with eight points (4 goals, 4 assists), while Robert Church led the Rush with seven points (4 G, 3 A).
Both teams now get a couple weeks off before returning to action on New Year’s weekend. The Seals travel to Calgary to face the Roughnecks on Friday, Dec. 30, while the Rush host the Panther City Lacrosse Club on Saturday, Dec. 31.
