The Saskatchewan Rush grabbed the lead early and never let go in a 12-9 win over the Calgary Roughnecks. As a result, both teams have a 7-9 record with just two games left and they sit in a three-way tie with the Vancouver Warriors in ninth place.
Zach Manns put the Rush on the board three minutes in with a mid-range shot. Robert Church added to the lead six minutes later with his first of the night. The teams then traded a flurry of goals in the final five minutes of the quarter, with Saskatchewan emerging with a two-goal lead.
Ryan Keenan opened the second quarter with two goals in the first minute, extending the Rush lead to four. The Roughnecks were able to claw back to within two goals over the next five minutes, but just 29 seconds after Calgary’s fourth goal, Saskatchewan broke the mini-run with one of their own, followed only five seconds later by Mike Messenger winning the faceoff, racing down the floor, and scoring again.
A goal apiece in the late stages of the second quarter changed nothing. Likewise, the teams each scored two goals in the third quarter, taking the Rush to the final frame with a four-goal lead.
Early in the fourth quarter, Calgary’s Shane Simpson scored on a breakaway started by a classic Christian Del Bianco long bomb pass, reducing the lead to three goals. But that’s as close as they would get—the Rush responded with a power play goal less than two minutes later and the Roughnecks were only able to add one more over the last nine minutes.
Church led all scorers with eight points (2 goals, 6 assists) for the Rush while Jesse King paced the Roughnecks with six (2 G, 4 A). Frankie Scigliano earned the win against his former team, making 43 saves, while Del Bianco stopped 32 shots for Calgary.
Every win is critical for those ninth-place teams now. They are all still mathematically in the hunt for the eighth and final playoff spot, but it means winning both of their games to finish the season.
Calgary’s road to the postseason is arguably the easiest, with them facing the Buffalo Bandits (9-7) and Panther City Lacrosse Club (8-8); Saskatchewan has the toughest schedule, taking on the second-place San Diego Seals (12-4) next week followed by the first-place Toronto Rock (13-3), while Vancouver will face the New York Riptide (8-8) and wrap up against the Seals.
