The Edmonton Rush were the NLL’s Cinderella story last year as they made their way to the Champions Cup but feel short and lost to the Rochester Knighthawks. The Rush will not take anyone by surprise this year and will have their work cut out for them.
The Rush started this season already on a high note as they showed off how fast and dynamic their offense is going to be this year against the Rock. In the preseason match-up between the Rush and the Rock, the Rush took control from the beginning and never let up.
The Rush who had the league’s worst offense have improved their offense this year. Edmonton’s offense was on display in their second preseason game as they faced the Calgary Roughnecks. The Rush went down 1-0 early but scored five straight goals to take the lead. The Rush would win the game 14-10.
The stars of this game were Rush draft picks Mark Matthews and Michael Burke, while newly acquired forward Cory Conway made an impact against his former team by getting a goal.
The Rush offense is much improved but their strength from last year still remains as they have one of the best defenses in the NLL. Edmonton’s defense gave up only 175 goals last year which was second fewest in the league. Edmonton’s defense remains intact aside from Steve Toll who has decided to play in Clax. Kyle Rubisch grabbed up 151 balls for the Rush and earned the NLL’s defensive player of the year award.
Aaron Bold will also be looked upon to carry the load for the Rush in between the pipes. Bold posted a 10.47 goals against average last year good for third in the league.
The Rush this season will be relying on youth and speed. Ryan Ward, Corey Small and Zack Greer are the veterans who will lead this team on offense but they will be complimented by the addition of draft picks Mark Matthews, Curtis Knight and Michael Burke. Expect the Rush to out gun teams and make other teams work from behind. The Rush fast pace offense along with their rock solid defense make them a team to be reckoned with.
