RUSH DOWN ROUGHNECKS 10-6

Saskatoon SK – A 5-for-5 performance on the power play paced the Saskatchewan Rush to their 10th win in the last 11 games against the arch-rival Calgary Roughnecks.

Mark Matthews netted three goals, including the game-winner on a third-quarter man-advantage, as the Rush cruised to a 10-6 victory before a sold-out crowd of 15,075 fans at SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon. The win secured a playoff spot for the Rush (9-2) as well as the season-series against the Roughnecks (4-6) for the third year in a row.

“It’s big to win the season series and we have the advantage on everybody in the division,” said Rush GM/head coach Derek Keenan, whose team had a four-game winning streak snapped in Rochester last weekend.

“We’re undefeated in the division and that gives us a leg up to finishing first overall. It was a good bounce back game for us. We had a really good first quarter, (Evan) Kirk was good when we needed him to be good, and our power play came through for us.”

Matthews finished with seven points as he and Keenan both counted four assists. Kirk was named the game’s first star in totaling 37 saves.

“We needed to have a great game and play a full 60 minutes and we accomplished that,” said Kirk, who boasts a league-leading eight wins. “Our defence was huge in front of me and that gave me a lot of confidence.”

The Rush’s two-game homestand concludes next Saturday as they host the Vancouver Stealth. The Roughnecks have a bye next weekend and return to action March 10th on the road against the Colorado Mammoth.

(Brandon Urban)