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Season opens on December 1st. Find 2023-24 schedules here and buy your tickets today

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WK
1
Fri, Dec 1
19:00:00
Saskatchewan
Halifax
Fri, Dec 1
22:00:00
Albany
Las Vegas
Fri, Dec 1
22:00:00
Panther City
Vancouver
Sat, Dec 2
19:00:00
Calgary
Rochester
Sat, Dec 2
19:30:00
Philadelphia
New York
WK
2
Sat, Dec 9
19:00:00
Philadelphia
Toronto
Sat, Dec 9
19:00:00
Buffalo
Albany
Sat, Dec 9
19:30:00
Colorado
Georgia
Sat, Dec 9
20:00:00
Rochester
Saskatchewan
Sat, Dec 9
22:00:00
Calgary
San Diego
Sun, Dec 10
16:00:00
Las Vegas
Panther City
WK
3
Fri, Dec 15
22:00:00
Saskatchewan
Las Vegas
Sat, Dec 16
13:00:00
Albany
Philadelphia
Sat, Dec 16
19:30:00
Halifax
New York
Sat, Dec 16
19:30:00
San Diego
Buffalo
Sat, Dec 16
22:00:00
Georgia
Vancouver
WK
4
Fri, Dec 22
20:00:00
Toronto
Panther City
Fri, Dec 22
21:00:00
Georgia
Colorado
Sat, Dec 23
19:00:00
Vancouver
Rochester
WK
5
Fri, Dec 29
18:30:00
Philadelphia
Halifax
Fri, Dec 29
19:30:00
Georgia
Buffalo
Fri, Dec 29
22:00:00
Rochester
San Diego
Sat, Dec 30
16:00:00
New York
Toronto
Sat, Dec 30
21:00:00
Las Vegas
Calgary
Sat, Dec 30
21:00:00
Vancouver
Colorado
Sun, Dec 31
20:00:00
Albany
Saskatchewan
WK
6
Sat, Jan 6
19:00:00
Halifax
Albany
Sat, Jan 6
19:30:00
Panther City
Georgia
Sat, Jan 6
19:30:00
Colorado
Buffalo
Sun, Jan 7
15:00:00
New York
Philadelphia
WK
7
Fri, Jan 12
18:30:00
Toronto
Halifax
Fri, Jan 12
22:00:00
San Diego
Las Vegas
Sat, Jan 13
19:00:00
Buffalo
Rochester
Sat, Jan 13
19:00:00
Saskatchewan
Philadelphia
Sat, Jan 13
19:30:00
Panther City
New York
Sat, Jan 13
19:30:00
Albany
Georgia
Sat, Jan 13
21:00:00
San Diego
Colorado
Sat, Jan 13
22:00:00
Calgary
Vancouver
WK
8
Fri, Jan 19
19:30:00
New York
Buffalo
Sat, Jan 20
19:00:00
Georgia
Toronto
Sat, Jan 20
19:00:00
San Diego
Albany
Sat, Jan 20
20:00:00
Vancouver
Saskatchewan
Sat, Jan 20
21:00:00
Calgary
Colorado
WK
9
Fri, Jan 26
22:00:00
Colorado
Vancouver
Sat, Jan 27
18:00:00
Rochester
Halifax
Sat, Jan 27
19:00:00
Buffalo
Toronto
Sat, Jan 27
19:30:00
Georgia
New York
Sat, Jan 27
19:30:00
San Diego
Philadelphia
Sat, Jan 27
22:00:00
Panther City
Las Vegas
WK
10
Fri, Feb 2
19:00:00
Halifax
Philadelphia
Fri, Feb 2
19:30:00
Vancouver
Georgia
Fri, Feb 2
21:00:00
New York
Calgary
Sat, Feb 3
19:00:00
Las Vegas
Albany
Sat, Feb 3
19:30:00
Rochester
Buffalo
Sat, Feb 3
20:00:00
Panther City
Saskatchewan
Sat, Feb 3
21:00:00
Toronto
Calgary
Sun, Feb 4
18:00:00
Colorado
San Diego
WK
11
Fri, Feb 9
18:30:00
Las Vegas
Halifax
Fri, Feb 9
20:00:00
Colorado
Panther City
Sat, Feb 10
19:00:00
Georgia
Rochester
Sat, Feb 10
19:00:00
Calgary
Toronto
Sat, Feb 10
19:30:00
San Diego
New York
Sat, Feb 10
22:00:00
Saskatchewan
Vancouver
WK
12
Fri, Feb 16
18:30:00
Buffalo
Halifax
Fri, Feb 16
22:00:00
Philadelphia
Las Vegas
Sat, Feb 17
19:00:00
Colorado
Albany
Sun, Feb 18
19:00:00
Halifax
Calgary
WK
13
Fri, Feb 23
21:00:00
New York
Colorado
Fri, Feb 23
22:00:00
Georgia
San Diego
Sat, Feb 24
19:00:00
Las Vegas
Rochester
Sat, Feb 24
19:00:00
Vancouver
Toronto
Sat, Feb 24
19:30:00
Albany
Buffalo
Sat, Feb 24
20:00:00
Halifax
Saskatchewan
Sat, Feb 24
21:00:00
Philadelphia
Calgary
Sun, Feb 25
16:00:00
Georgia
Panther City
WK
14
Fri, Mar 1
19:00:00
Georgia
Halifax
Fri, Mar 1
20:00:00
San Diego
Panther City
Fri, Mar 1
22:00:00
Toronto
Las Vegas
Fri, Mar 1
22:00:00
Buffalo
Vancouver
Sat, Mar 2
13:00:00
Calgary
Philadelphia
Sat, Mar 2
19:00:00
New York
Albany
Sat, Mar 2
21:00:00
Saskatchewan
Colorado
Sat, Mar 2
22:00:00
Toronto
San Diego
Sun, Mar 3
16:00:00
Rochester
Panther City
WK
15
Fri, Mar 8
19:00:00
Vancouver
Albany
Fri, Mar 8
19:30:00
Calgary
Georgia
Fri, Mar 8
19:30:00
Saskatchewan
Buffalo
Sat, Mar 9
17:00:00
Colorado
Toronto
Sat, Mar 9
19:00:00
Albany
Rochester
Sat, Mar 9
19:30:00
Las Vegas
New York
Sat, Mar 9
22:00:00
Halifax
San Diego
Sun, Mar 10
15:00:00
Panther City
Philadelphia
WK
16
Fri, Mar 15
18:30:00
Panther City
Halifax
Fri, Mar 15
21:00:00
San Diego
Calgary
Fri, Mar 15
22:00:00
Las Vegas
Vancouver
Sat, Mar 16
19:00:00
Rochester
Albany
Sat, Mar 16
19:00:00
Toronto
Buffalo
Sat, Mar 16
19:30:00
Philadelphia
Georgia
Sat, Mar 16
20:30:00
New York
Saskatchewan
WK
17
Fri, Mar 22
20:00:00
Buffalo
Panther City
Fri, Mar 22
21:00:00
Albany
Calgary
Sat, Mar 23
19:00:00
Halifax
Toronto
Sat, Mar 23
19:00:00
Vancouver
Philadelphia
Sat, Mar 23
19:30:00
Saskatchewan
New York
Sat, Mar 23
21:00:00
Rochester
Colorado
Sat, Mar 23
22:00:00
Las Vegas
San Diego
Sun, Mar 24
17:30:00
Saskatchewan
Georgia
WK
18
Sat, Mar 30
13:00:00
Buffalo
Philadelphia
Sat, Mar 30
19:00:00
Halifax
Rochester
Sat, Mar 30
19:30:00
Toronto
New York
Sat, Mar 30
22:00:00
Vancouver
Las Vegas
WK
19
Fri, Apr 5
21:00:00
Saskatchewan
Calgary
Fri, Apr 5
21:00:00
Buffalo
Colorado
Fri, Apr 5
22:00:00
Panther City
San Diego
Fri, Apr 5
22:00:00
Halifax
Vancouver
Sat, Apr 6
19:00:00
New York
Rochester
Sat, Apr 6
19:00:00
Toronto
Albany
Sat, Apr 6
19:30:00
Las Vegas
Georgia
Sat, Apr 6
20:00:00
Calgary
Saskatchewan
Sun, Apr 7
16:00:00
Philadelphia
Panther City
WK
20
Fri, Apr 12
21:00:00
Philadelphia
Colorado
Sat, Apr 13
19:00:00
Rochester
Toronto
Sat, Apr 13
19:30:00
Calgary
Buffalo
Sat, Apr 13
20:00:00
San Diego
Saskatchewan
Sat, Apr 13
22:00:00
Colorado
Las Vegas
Sat, Apr 13
22:00:00
New York
Vancouver
Sun, Apr 14
16:00:00
Albany
Panther City
WK
21
Fri, Apr 19
19:30:00
Rochester
Georgia
Fri, Apr 19
22:00:00
Vancouver
San Diego
Sat, Apr 20
18:00:00
Colorado
Halifax
Sat, Apr 20
19:30:00
Albany
New York
Sat, Apr 20
20:00:00
Toronto
Saskatchewan
Sat, Apr 20
21:00:00
Panther City
Calgary
Sat, Apr 20
22:00:00
Buffalo
Las Vegas
Sun, Apr 21
15:00:00
Philadelphia
Rochester
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Rush Not Rushing to Hit the Panic Button

The Saskatchewan Rush are 0-2 and are tied for last place in the West Division through Week 2; that might not actually be a bad thing for this franchise.

But, let’s not get too far ahead of ourselves just yet. How did the Rush end up 0-2 to start this NLL campaign?

Following a gut-wrenching overtime road loss to the title-contending-hopeful Halifax Thunderbirds to start the season, the Rush lost another one-goal game a week later to the still-defending champion (albeit revamped since COVID) Calgary Roughnecks.

At the season-opener in Halifax, the Rush went back-and-forth with the Thunderbirds the entire night, never once falling behind by more than one goal. Were it not for an Eric Fannell stunner that shot past Shute, the Rush might have started this season in a different mindset that they are in now.

Then, to follow that tough break, the Rush had to face the last team to hoist the NLL Cup (who still have Curtis Dickson, Christian Del Bianco, and now, a healthy Jessie King), it doesn’t get much more challenging than that. Despite multiple comebacks from three goals down, the Rush again lost by the thinnest of margins due to a Zach Herreweyers goal in the final two minutes of the contest.

As much as those early-season losses were heavy shots on the chin, Rush defensemen Kyle Rubisch put some perspective on the losses.

“Both games could’ve gone either way – they were both one-goal games,” Rubisch said. “It’s not the start we wanted, but we feel we could’ve won both those games.”

So, that’s how the Rush got here. But, why might this last place, 0-2 spot not be the worst spot for them? Rush GM Derek Keenan explains that, thankfully, this is not unfamiliar territory for them to be in.

“We’ve had slow starts before,” Keenan said. “We’re not panicked; we’re not overly concerned. We knew that because of so many changes on offense, especially on that right side, it was going to be a work in progress, and that’s what happened. Last week, we saw a lot of improvement from Week 1 and we expect the same this week.”

Keenan is correct that the Rush have been in this situation with an 0-2 record before, and not too long ago, for that matter.

The last time was in 2017, and that year, the Rush made it to the finals but would come up short in the best-of-three series versus the Georgia Swarm. Only two years earlier, in 2015, the Rush were in the same spot. Yet, this time, they climbed out of that 0-2 hole and went on to win the championship against the Toronto Rock.

In the league’s 35-year history, a team has started the season 0-2 or 0-3 (a position the Rush could be in after Friday’s game) and then gone on to make it to the championship game nine times. The Rush have done it twice and have now set themselves up in a position to do it for a league-most three times.

One thing that makes them capable of such resiliency this year compared to 2015 or 2017 is the core group of players who have remained with the Rush since that 2015 championship run.

Mark Matthews, Robert Church, Chris Corbeil, Jeff Cornwall, Ryan Dilks and Kyle Rubisch were all on the floor celebrating the team’s victories both of those years. Mike Messenger and Ryan Keenan joined those names mentioned above for battle in 2017, as well as goaltender Pete Dubenski who was third-string to Aaron Bold and Tyler Carlson.

Most of those veteran players are defensemen, and defense has been a focal point of the Rush’s identity for many years. Head Coach Jeff McComb thinks that the defensive core and the new pieces in the back-end can help turn things around for the team.

“Having the defense that we’ve had in front of our goaltenders for some time has no doubt helped our goaltending situation,” McComb said. I think that with the plan we have from a defensive perspective, I think we can help our goalies out by telling them what shots they should expect to see mostly.”

Having solid goaltending between the pipes is obviously critical to a team’s success. The Rush have already matched up against some of the best current goaltenders in the game, such as Warren Hill and Del Bianco. Friday night, they’ll face arguably the hottest goalie in the league, the Vancouver Warriors Alex Buque.

Despite the final results over the last couple of weeks, McComb feels confident that Adam Shute, who has taken the reigns from Evan Kirk, can do the job between the pipes.

[Shute] played a few games for us a couple years ago when [Kirk] was hurt, and he was excellent,” McComb said. “I haven’t seen anything this year that changes that impression. I think he’s been excellent.”

The Rush understand that this 0-2 start has made their journey to the playoffs, let alone the championship game, a little more complicated than they would have preferred. And, even though it seems like it’s said every year, it really does feel like the West Division is as competitive as ever.

Rubisch, one of several Rush players who embodies a never-give-up attitude, believes that this weekend’s game will be a real-time evaluation of how competitive the team will be for this year’s NLL Cup.

“This weekend is going to be a real test to see if we can get back on the right page,” Rubisch said. “But, I think we know that the slow start – being off for so long – it’s not time yet to hit that panic button.”

 

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