The Saskatchewan Rush's National Lacrosse League season came to an abrupt end on Saturday night as they were stunned by the Toronto Rock 16-13 in a quarterfinal elimination game at SaskTel Centre. The third-seeded Rush, who had hopes of returning to the NLL championship final, were unable to contain the sixth-seeded Rock's offense, falling behind early and never fully recovering.
Early Deficit Proves Costly
The Rush found themselves trailing 6-2 after the first quarter, a pattern that co-coach Derek Keenan acknowledged had been a recurring issue throughout the season. 'We battled real hard and got back in it, made some plays, and then we just made a lot of really uncharacteristic defensive errors tonight. And that really is what it came down to,' Keenan said.
Despite outshooting the Rock 62-48, the Rush could not overcome the early deficit. Co-coach Jimmy Quinlan noted that the team was 'chasing' the Rock for much of the game. 'I think, again, there's a lot of growth in that room. We saw some younger players take on more prominent key roles and do a phenomenal job. Again, I think with expectations, comes disappointment when you don't meet them in scope,' Quinlan added.
Momentum Swings But Rock Prevail
The Rush fought back in the second quarter, narrowing the gap to 8-7 after a goal by forward Levi Anderson. However, the Rock responded with a powerplay goal from CJ Kirst, maintaining their lead. The third quarter saw the Rock extend their advantage to 11-9, and they continued to pour it on in the fourth, outscoring the Rush 5-4 to seal the victory.
Forward Ryan Keenan reflected on the season, emphasizing the need to execute until the end. 'I think it's learning to just execute right to the end, and we took the foot off the gas at the end of the year, and just were below our expectations,' he said. He added that it was 'tough to stick with it' when the Rock kept scoring in the fourth quarter.
Players Reflect on Season
Forward Robert Church, who experienced championship success earlier in his career, refused to label the season a failure but acknowledged higher expectations. 'It doesn't come easy in this league. I was fortunate in my first five or six years to have went to championships, and now nothing for the last eight or nine. You got to take advantage of those moments, and when you have a good team, you got to win these games, and put some wins together and overcome that, because it is not easy,' Church said.
Austin Shanks led the Rush with a hat trick and seven points, while Church also recorded a hat trick. Forward Mark Matthews contributed four assists. The Rock's Chris Boushy scored a hat trick in the first quarter, setting the tone for Toronto's victory.
