After trailing for three quarters, the Halifax Thunderbirds erupted for nine goals in the final 15 minutes to earn a critical 15-11 win over the Saskatchewan Rush. The win keeps Halifax in a fourth-place tie with the Georgia Swarm in the East Conference, while the loss drops the Rush to 6-10 on the season, leaving them in fifth place in the West Conference, and out of the playoff picture for the second year in a row.
Saskatchewan opened the scoring with three quick goals. Halifax was able to respond with a two-goal mini-run of their own, but the Rush got one back to round out the first quarter.
The teams scored two goals each in the second quarter. The highlight, however, was Robert Church’s second goal of the game, his 300th for his career.
The third quarter also began with the teams exchanging goals, with neither team gaining much of an advantage. But with 5:50 left in the quarter, Ryan Barnable added to the Rush lead, giving them a three-goal cushion going into the final quarter.
The fourth quarter began with the teams once again exchanging goals. And then Halifax went on a tear. The Thunderbirds sniped five goals in 3:45 to take a two-goal lead. Mark Matthews stopped the bleeding with his second goal of the night, but Halifax picked right back up again and scored the last three goals to put the game out of reach.
Randy Staats led all scorers on the night with nine points for the Thunderbirds (3 goals, 6 assists), while Matthews contributed two goals and four assists to the Rush attack. Eric Penney and Alex Buque combined to make 46 saves for Saskatchewan while Warren Hill made 33 saves to earn the win for Halifax.
Next Saturday the Thunderbirds host the New York Riptide in another critical game for their run to make the postseason. Meanwhile, the Colorado Mammoth visit Saskatchewan—a Colorado win could move them up to third place in the West standings, while the Rush are now just playing for pride.
