ROUGHNECKS SWEEP RUSH

It’s safe to say the Roughnecks have the Saskatchewan Rush’s number this season.

Curtis Dickson, Jesse King and Tyler Pace scored two goals apiece as the Riggers beat the Rush 8-6 in Saskatoon on Saturday night to complete the season sweep over their West Division Rivals.

The ’Necks also beat the Rush 11-10 on Dec. 11 in Saskatoon and 14-12 in the friendly confines of the Scotiabank Saddledome on St. Patrick’s Day.

Goaltender Christian Del Bianco was outstanding in between the pipes as he made 48 saves to pick up the win.

After falling behind 2-0 early in the first quarter, the Riggers rallied to tie things up after back-to-back goals by Dan Taylor and Tyler Pace.

Pace was set up for his goal thanks to a nifty behind-the-back pass from Curtis Dickson, who recorded his 800th career NLL point on the play. 

The Rush held a 3-2 lead after the opening frame and appeared to go up by two early in the second quarter, but the goal was waved off due to a crease violation.

Jesse King then converted a feed from Curtis Dickson with 4:49 remaining in the first half to knot up the score at 3-3.

Curtis Dickson notched two straight markers in the third quarter, the second of which was a highlight-reel goal as Superman flew through the air from behind the net to dunk a shot past Rush goalie Eric Penney.

Haiden Dickson and King then got in on the action as they found the back of the net. The ’Necks outscored the Rush 4-0 in that third quarter to jump out to a 7-3 lead.

Pace went airborne to score early in the final frame to give Calgary a five-goal lead before the Rush mounted a comeback with three straight goals, but the home side wasn’t able to get any more past Del Bianco.

The Riggers scored five goals on 11 power plays, while the Rush went 3-for-7 with the man advantage.

(CalgaryRoughnecks.com)