Rush Defeat Colorado Mammoth - First Win of the 2010 Season
Published on January 17, 2010 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Edmonton Rush News Release
Denver, Colo. -- Gavin Prout's return to Denver was successful for Edmonton as the Rush edged the Colorado Mammoth 14-13 in National Lacrosse League action Jan. 16 at the Pepsi Center.
Ryan Ward lead the Rush with four goals and three assists in the club's first victory of the season and Prout dished out seven assists in his first stop back to the Mile High City after an off-season transaction.
Edmonton improved to 1-1 on the season after dropping a 15-7 decision to Washington one night earlier in Everett, Wash., and Colorado fell to 0-2 with the loss.
Brodie Merrill (1G, 5A, and 14 loose balls), Ryan Powell (1G, 4A), Andy Secore (3G), Dean Hill (3G) and Jimmy Quinlan (2G) also scored for Edmonton Saturday night.
Ilja Gajic (4G, 3A), Brian Langtry (3G, 4A) and Jamie Shewchuk (2G, 5A) paced the Mammoth with seven points apiece in the loss, while Alex Gajic (2G, 4A) and Cory Conway (1G, 7A) both had big nights for Colorado.
The see-saw battle had the clubs locked at 4-4 after the first quarter before a five-goal second quarter from Edmonton sparked the Rush attack with a 9-6 lead at half-time.
Colorado answered back with a five-goal run in the third frame to hold an 11-10 lead before Edmonton went on a four-goal run of their own to lead 13-11 into the final quarter and was able to hold off a late Mammoth rally to earn the 14-13 victory.
Matt Disher was strong in net for the Rush, earning the win, while Andrew Leyshon was tagged with the loss for Colorado.
The Mammoth outshot Edmonton 54-37 in the contest and Colorado's power-play was on fire going 4-8, while Edmonton's was no slouch hitting the mark twice (2-6).
"It feels great," said Rush head coach/general manager Derek Keenan on the club's first win. "It was a difficult game and we didn't play very well last night."
"The guys just showed their character and we really got timely goals tonight. That was really key," he said.
Although Keenan was impressed with many players, the play of Prout, caught his eye.
"He was really good on a very emotional night for him," said Keenan. "He battled really hard tonight. He was a warrior out there. He quarterbacked us and gave us some grit in a tough building to play in."
The Mammoth opened the scoring as Langtry found the mark at 56 seconds in, before Hill answered back at 3:10 as he found himself alone in front. The Rush went up 2-1 as Ward converted from the left side of the goal at 4:53 from Prout.
Shewchuk tied the score 2-2 at 5:23, then Powell's one bouncer beat Leyshon just 26-seconds later put Edmonton up 3-2.
Ilja Gajic's sidewinder on the power-play tied the score at 3-3 before Ward's second marker of the game, a shorthanded goal at 8:22 put Edmonton back up 4-3.
The Mammoth power-play went back to work scoring at 12:37 as Nenad Gajic beat Disher during Ian Crashley's five-minute major to end the scoring in the first stanza.
Ward started the Rush scoring in the second frame just 59-seconds in, then Edmonton's power-play hit during Rich Catton's five-minute major as Secore's marker at 2:45 gave the Rush a 6-4 lead.
Langtry closed the score to within one goal at 8:09 on the Mammoth's third goal on the PP, before Merrill and Hill's markers then put the Rush up 8-5.
Langtry fired his hat-trick marker at 11:14 before Quinlan answered back for the Rush at 12:54 to end the scoring for the half with Edmonton leading 9-6.
Edmonton's Hill opened the second-half with a tally at 1:20 before Ilja Gajic netted three goals in a row and added an assist on another as the Mammoth clawed back to knot the score at 10-10 and then went ahead 11-10 with Cliff Smith's goal at 6:28.
The Rush answered back in transition as Secore fired his second goal of the contest to tie the score 11-11 at 10:29 on a sweet feed from Brett Mydske before Quinlan added to the run with his second, at 13:55 of the frame, to put Edmonton up 12-11.
Secore then notched another tally in transition as his shorthanded goal at 14:44 put the Rush up 13-11 to end the scoring in the third quarter.
Edmonton added to the run in the final frame as Ward netted his fourth goal, on the power-play at 3:07, to give the Rush a three-goal bulge, before the Mammoth found mesh on the power-play with a squeaker from Conway at 6:32 making the score 14-12.
Shewchuk left-handed tally with just 39-seconds remaining pulled Colorado back to within one goal, before Edmonton held on for the win.
The next action for the Rush is the club's home opener Jan. 23 at 7:00 p.m. versus the Buffalo Bandits at Rexall Place.
National Lacrosse League Stories from January 17, 2010
- Mammoth finish just short in 2010 home opener - Colorado Mammoth
- Rush Defeat Colorado Mammoth - First Win of the 2010 Season - Edmonton Rush
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