The Saskatchewan Rush took control of the game on both sides of the floor on Saturday night to earn a dominant 15-9 win over the Las Vegas Desert Dogs.
The win improves Saskatchewan’s record to 4-1, good for a second-place tie in the NLL standings. Las Vegas falls to 1-5, tied for second-last in the league.
Connor Kirst opened the scoring for the Desert Dogs while shorthanded, giving Vegas their only lead of the game. The Rush answered back two minutes later, starting a five-goal run. The Dogs got one more back in the last minute of the quarter, but they were now down by three.
The second quarter was more of the same, with the Rush adding five more goals to just two from Las Vegas.
The Desert Dogs emerged from the locker room with new energy, scoring the first goal of the third quarter. Saskatchewan got it right back 23 seconds later, but the Dogs then added two more, reducing their deficit further. The teams exchanged goals in the last few minutes of the quarter, but the Desert Dogs were still down by four going into the final quarter.
In the fourth quarter both teams held firm for the first few minutes, but Ryan Keenan finally scored seven minutes in on the power play. Vegas got one more back three minutes later, but the Rush finished strong, sniping two more to wrap up the game.
Zach Manns led the way for Saskatchewan with an eight-point night on three goals and five assists. Kyle Killen picked up five assists to pace the Dogs offence.
Justin Gedde made 35 saves and Landon Kells made eight more for Las Vegas while Frankie Scigliano has a relatively quiet night in the Rush net, stopping 29 shots.
Saskatchewan travels to face the winless Toronto Rock on Saturday. Meanwhile, Las Vegas hosts the San Diego Seals.
