RUSH WIN OT THRILLER AT HALIFAX
HALIFAX, NS – The Saskatchewan Rush remain perfect on the road so far this in this NLL season, but they did it the hard way against the Halifax Thunderbirds.
A sizeable lead disappeared in the fourth quarter as the Thunderbirds soared back to force overtime. In the end, though, it was a Superman-like effort from Mike Messenger that made the difference as the Rush escaped the Maritimes with a 16-15 victory. The Rush (5-2) remain first in the NLL’s West Division after knocking off the North Division-leading Thunderbirds (6-2) and the Rush improved to 4-0 in away games.
Both the Rush and Thunderbirds had goals called back in overtime. Cody Jamieson thought he had sent the hometown crowd into a frenzy in the first minute of the extra session, but the celebration was cut short when video review proved the shot clock had expired before the ball went in. Moments later, Ben McIntosh believed he had won it for the Rush, but that goal came back after video review was deemed to show a crease violation. Finally, the game did come to a resounding conclusion at the 6:16 mark of OT as Rush captain Chris Corbeil threaded a superb pass between two Halifax defenders to a streaking Messenger, who went airborne at the top of the crease and slammed his shot past T-Birds goalie Pete Dubenski.
In the end, two of the NLL’s stingiest defences wound up allowing 31 goals on 108 shots on net.
The Rush grew a 7-3 halftime cushion into what appeared to be an insurmountable lead with a five-goal run in the third. Ryan Keenan and McIntosh both completed hat tricks during the run while Robert Church added back-to-back markers, and rookie Justin Robinson netted his first career NLL goal on a transition breakaway. The T-Birds then got a little momentum back thanks to two power-play goals and that cued up their fourth-quarter resurgence.
After McIntosh scored his fourth of the night on a Rush power play, Halifax scored five straight, including their fifth power-play goal of the game. Church pocketed his hat-trick tally with a rocket from the deep slot on a delayed penalty call to briefly hold off the T-Birds, but the home team came to life again and forced overtime when Austin Shanks scored his fifth of the game with 25.6 seconds left in regulation with a shot that went off the crossbar and behind Rush goalie Evan Kirk.
Mark Matthews was at his set-up man best on the night, racking up six assists, but it was his lone goal that stood out. The 2018 league MVP threw his patented swim move on the first Halifax defender he encountered then used the next defenceman as a screen as he delivered a remarkable underhand bounce shot that darted past T-Birds starting netminder Warren Hill. The Rush defenders got into the offensive outpouring as well as Ryan Dilks forced a turnover in the Saskatchewan end then buried his shot on a transition run, and just 47 seconds later, Corbeil scored on a shorthanded breakaway.
Marty Dinsdale had the Rush’s other goal, while Kirk finished 42 saves, including a handful of sensational stops that had helped the Rush build up their lead.
The Rush are back on the road next Saturday as they made another trip out east, this time to do battle against the Philadelphia Wings.
(Sask Rush PR/Brandon Urban)
