The Edmonton Rush have the week off as they sit back and enjoy a well-earned break from action. They will resume their season and prepare for the winner of this Saturday’s Semi-Final playoff between the Colorado Mammoth and the Calgary Roughnecks at the Pepsi Center in Colorado.
While the Rush do not have any serious injuries, the time off will give the players time to rest and heal from the accumulated bumps and bruises of the grueling regular season.
The coaching staff will prepare strategies for both opponents this week and then focus on the winner between the Mammoth and Roughnecks next week. Both teams will provide a formable opposition as the Rush attempt to go to the Champions final.
Although Edmonton swept all four meetings with the Mammoth, the last two were more competitive, with Colorado giving Edmonton all they can handle. The difference in the West Division standing between these two clubs was basically the four wins the Rush had over the Mammoth, take away the series and both teams fared equally against the rest of the league.
Edmonton did not fare as well against the third place Roughnecks, splitting the series at two a piece. The Roughnecks had a slow start to the season going 2-7 in the first half and then pouring it on in the second half 7-2 to finish 9-9. Definitely they were a very hot team in the second half of the season and cannot be taken lightly by the Rush if the Roughnecks advance to the western Final.
Considering the results of last years Western Final where Calgary defeated Edmonton in the controversial ten-minute mini-game, the Edmonton coaching staff will have the Rush players well prepared. Edmonton as a team gained valuable experience from that loss and look to show their fans and the rest of the league that they are ready to challenge for the Champions Cup.
Not only have the Rush gained experience, many of their players are developing into top tier players. Rookie Ben McIntosh had an outstanding rookie season leading all rookies with 86 points.
Robert Church finished tenth in scoring with 92 points. Of course we could not forget to mention Edmonton’s single season record holder Mark Mathews. Mathews finished with 53 goals and 115 points.
Not only can the Rush score, but they can also defend. Goaltender Aaron Bold had the best goals against average with a mere 9.44 per game. Of course he has one of the best rated defensive crews in front of him lead by captain Chris Corbeil, Kyle Rubisch, and Ryan Dilks.
To this point of the 2015 NLL season, the Rush have met all their goals that were set by the coaching staff at the start of the season. Now they must wait for this weekends results to begin preparations for the playoffs. The players along with the fans of Edmonton are eager to see the team move forward to the next level.
Colorado hosts Calgary on Saturday may 8 at the Pepsi center. Game time 7pm MST.
