Rush secure playoff berth, survive scare from Warriors

The Saskatchewan Rush have a way of making games dramatic this season.

After a downright dominant first half, the Rush were able to escape Saturday’s game against the Vancouver Warriors with an 12-9 win Saturday at Sasktel Centre.

Rush head coach Derek Keenan noticed his team beginning to fade in the third quarter after his team built a 10-2 lead.

“There’s a lesson learned in every step of the way this season,” Keenan said. “Obviously tonight we stopped playing, especially on offence.”

“We basically got everything we wanted in the first half… and then we stood around.”

The Rush were able to earn a spot in the National Lacrosse League (NLL) post-season with the win, a relief to a team that lost its last two games by slim margins and nearly added to that total on Saturday.

“That’s goal number one to start the year,” Rush forward Robert Church said. “Now we have to keep winning and hopefully do our best to get the No. 1 seed, if not the No. 2 seed and have a home playoff game here because we’re tough to beat in this building.”

The game got off to a furious start with the Rush stealing possession, grabbing loose balls and sending opposing bodies flying.

Of the booming hits landed in the first period, Mike Messenger led the way with a blindside hit that sent Jean-Luc Chetner in the air and raised the 13,970-person crowd at Sasktel Centre to its feet.

BOOM! @messengerlax comin’ thru 🚂 #VANvsSAS pic.twitter.com/NwJYwT6IPZ

— Saskatchewan Rush (@SaskRushLAX) March 31, 2019

There was little reason to sit down the rest of the way as the Rush were able to rattle off four straight goals to end the first quarter up 5-1.

That effort was duplicated in the second quarter as Saskatchewan watched Church go off on the Warriors for four goals and three assists in the first half for a 10-2 Rush lead.

The game shifted dramatically when the teams ran on the floor for the second half.

Vancouver’s Owen Barker hit a jumping Jeremy Thompson at the centre of the floor. Saskatchewan’s Nik Bilic instantly dropped his gloves to avenge a doubled over Thompson.

.@NikBilic_79 = SASK TOUGH 💪🏻 #VANvsSAS pic.twitter.com/kbxoWA0XYC

— Saskatchewan Rush (@SaskRushLAX) March 31, 2019

“You got to tip your hat to him for doing that. We’re a family and he’s protecting a brother here,” Keenan said.

“That’s my roommate and my teammate, and the guy took a liberty on him,” Bilic said after he earned a game misconduct for his actions.

“I knew right away. Seeing (Thompson) on the ground like that — no hesitation there.”

Rather than inspiring his team to victory, the fight seemed to ignite the Warriors offence.

Three goals to start the second half would put Vancouver back in the game, but still provided the Rush some breathing room with a 11-5 deficit to start the fourth quarter.

Adam Shute, making his second straight start since starting goalie Evan Kirk went down with an injury, became the hero for the Rush in the fourth quarter.

Another string of four Vancouver goals with less than three minutes left forced Shute into making a series of game-changing saves with the score sitting at 11-9.

“I thought we just played a little bit lazy in the second half,” Keenan said of the second half effort. “Lacrosse is the kind of a game where you can’t ever take your foot off the gas.”

A Jeff Shattler empty-net goal would cap the game off.

Saskatchewan was unable to gain any ground in the West standings on Saturday. The San Diego Seals beat the Calgary Roughnecks 16-9 on Saturday to secure a playoff game for all three teams.