Desert Dogs Come Up Short To Rush

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NLL Las Vegas Desert Dogs

Desert Dogs Come Up Short To Rush

January 11, 2025 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Las Vegas Desert Dogs News Release


Saskatchewan, SK - The Las Vegas Desert Dogs (1-5) embraced the snowy weather in Canada as they headed inside SaskTel Centre to face the Saskatchewan Rush (4-1) for their Week 8 matchup. The Desert Dogs were coming off their first win of the season last week, but the celebrations were short-lived as the Rush handed them a 15 - 9 defeat. Las Vegas is now 0 - 4 against the Rush all-time, with their struggles continuing to mount this season.

To open the scoring, Desert Dogs' Captain Connor Kirst went coast-to-coast and fired a shorthanded goal past the Rush goalie. This marked the third time the Desert Dogs scored first in a contest this season. However, the Saskatchewan Rush responded by scoring five consecutive goals to take a 5 - 1 lead. After conceding the fifth goal, Desert Dogs' starting goalie Landon Kells was replaced by backup Justin Geddie. Seeking to spark an early comeback, Adam Poitras scored his eighth goal of the season on the power play with a behind-the-back shot, ending the first quarter with a score of 5 - 2 in favor of Saskatchewan.

In the second quarter, the Rush scored first, but Jack Hannah, the leading goal scorer for the Desert Dogs, netted his first goal of the night while on the penalty kill- the team's second shorthanded goal of the game. This brings Las Vegas' total shorthanded goals to five on the season. Hannah then followed up with his second goal of the game, narrowing Saskatchewan's lead to 6 - 4. These two goals bring his season total to 14. However, the Rush responded with a strong offensive surge, scoring four consecutive goals to extend their lead to 10 - 4 to end the half.

The special teams continued to shine in the third quarter for the Desert Dogs, as Casey Jackson found the back of the net on the power play. Las Vegas faced an uphill battle, needing a massive second-half effort to mount a comeback. However, Saskatchewan made it nearly impossible by consistently responding to any Desert Dogs goal with one of their own. Still, the Pack refused to back down. Youngster Jackson Webster scored another goal in just his second NLL game, closing the gap to within five. Webster now boasts four goals in his first two professional starts. Jackson struck again in the third quarter on the power play, bringing the Desert Dogs' power-play success rate to an impressive 60% on the night. He capped off his three-goal period in spectacular fashion, executing a Superman-style leap from behind the net to bury the ball home. Although the Rush responded with a goal of their own, the Desert Dogs showed resilience, preventing Saskatchewan from building any scoring runs. The Pack still had their work cut out for them in the fourth as they trailed 12 - 8.

Las Vegas could not overcome the deficit as Saskatchewan continued to pile on the goals in the last quarter. Jonathan Donville did score for the Desert Dogs in the fourth, but it simply was not enough to spark a comeback. The Desert Dogs are back home inside Lee's Family Forum on PENTA Field for their next matchup against the San Diego Seals on Jan. 18 at 7 p.m. PST.

LVDD TOP SCORERS:

#67 Kyle Killen: 5 points (5A)

#33 Jack Hannah: 4 points (2G, 2A)

#21 Casey Jackson: 3 points (3G)

#3 Jonathan Donville: 3 points (1G, 2A)

#19 Adam Poitras: 3 points (1G, 2A)

Check out the Las Vegas Desert Dogs Statistics

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National Lacrosse League Stories from January 11, 2025


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