Saskatchewan Rush one win away from NLL championship

WATCH: The Saskatchewan Rush are one win away from a trip to the NLL championship final as more than 5,000 fans are expected to show up.

The Saskatchewan Rush are one win away from a trip to the NLL Championship final.

After a dominant performance last weekend in game one of the NLL semi-final playoff round against the Halifax Thunderbirds, the Saskatchewan Rush are back in Saskatoon, preparing for the weekend.

Led by six goals from Austin Shanks and a nine-point effort from Zach Manns, the Rush took game one by a 16-7 score.

“Really, it was probably our complete 60-minute effort to date,” said Frank Scigliano, goaltender. “So we’re just going to try and build off that now that we’re back at home. And obviously, it’s a place where we’re comfortable, being at SaskTel Centre. We’re just going to try and do a lot of the same this week.”

Finalist for 2025 NLL Coach of the Year, Jimmy Quinlan, says it’s all about composure and discipline this weekend.

“I think sometimes you can be guilty of looking at the score, and it’s 16-7,” said Quinlan. “But really, for the most part, that was a tight game, highly contested. We were able to kind of pull away in the third, and then things kind of got silly, which allowed us to extend our lead. So I expect them to come out full value, they’re a team that always starts fast. They can get on top of you pretty quick, and they like to score in bunches.”

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Now the Rush need a win to close out the Thunderbirds for a chance at their first trip to the NLL Championship final since 2018.

“It’s a huge opportunity for us,” said Derek Keenan, general manager. “And we need to take advantage of that now because you just never know what’s going to happen going forward. And I’m positive the team we’re playing tomorrow night, Halifax, are going to bring it. And so we’re going to have to be at our very best.”

Described as a young, energetic, if not inexperienced team, the Rush do have some players with the experience necessary to get past their current opponent.

“I think we have a lot of energy, which is really important,” said Matt Hossack, defender. “You need that energy to either match or exceed other teams at times. But I think the really important part is we have that energy, but we have it with purpose. We’re intentional with everything we do and where we’re putting our time and energy. And guys have learned throughout this year and in the past, where or when it’s most important to use that.”

The Rush have four players nominated for individual NLL awards: Derek Keenan for General Manager of the Year, Jimmy Quinlan for the Les Bartley Coach of the Year, Matt Hossack for Defensive Player of the Year, and Frank Scigliano for Goaltender of the Year.

“That’s just a credit to all of them, right from top to bottom,” said Keenan. “The fact that they’ve trusted me with the plan that I’ve had the last couple of years, and I appreciate that. Obviously it’s gratifying to see, but I just feel happy for the guys.”

Hossack says it’s an honour to be considered in a group of elite defenders, including his brother and current Halifax Thunderbird Graeme Hossack.

Graeme has won the award three times.

“It’s a really cool feeling to be put in that category with all those other guys,” said Hossack. “Having played with a lot of the guys that have won that award in the past, and guys I’ve looked up to for a long time and most of my career.”

For goaltender Frank Scigliano, it’s the first nomination in a career that started back in 2012.

But he credits the players in front of him for the nod.

“It’s nice obviously, I don’t think about it too much though,” said Scigliano. “The main focus is trying to take the next step here. I thank a lot of my teammates, you look at last week, I think I counted about 20 blocked shots. So it’s by committee right now.”

Quinlan says the individual milestones happen so often that his players don’t worry too much.

“Every week it seems we’ve got a guy who gets a milestone, be it 100 points, 200 points, some cases 400 points,” he said. “We don’t know. And again, I think that’s kind of the nice fun thing about our group. I don’t think we’ll say too much, I think it’s well deserved. I think the guys in our room know what we have. And for us, it’s really about making sure we’re ready to play and making sure we’re doing the things that are moving us forward.”

Game two starts at 7:30 Saturday night at SaskTel Centre.

If necessary, game three goes at 6:00 on Sunday night.