Edmonton Rush (2-6) At Toronto Rock (5-4)
March 20, 2008 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Edmonton Rush News Release
Edmonton, AB--This is the second meeting of the season between the Edmonton Rush and Toronto Rock and the fifth encounter between the two clubs since the Rush joined the National Lacrosse League in 2006.
The Rock, who have captured the NLL Champion's Cup five times, hold a 4-1 record against the Rush including a 14-9 victory in Edmonton which marked the Rush's home opener this season. Toronto is 2-2 in its last four games and the Rock are coming off a 14-10 home-floor loss to the New York Titans.
Meanwhile, the Rush enter this matchup on a modest two-game winning streak coming off a road win in Portland - the team's first under new GM/Head Coach Bob Hamley - and then following that up with a dramatic 10-9 overtime victory at Rexall Place against the defending NLL champion Rochester Knighthawks. That win was the Rush's second OT victory in team history and second OT win on their home floor (the first coming last season against Portland).
The overtime decision also marked the debut of several new faces in the Rush lineup - all of whom played key roles in the victory. Mike Hominuck, who came to the Rush in a recent trade with Minnesota, had an impressive first showing as he collected three goals including the OT winner and a team-high nine loose balls. Lindsay Plunkett, who arrived at the same time as Hominuck in trade with Chicago, picked up one goal and one assist while Brenden Thenhaus, another recent acquisition coming over from Philadelphia, also registered one goal and one assist.
The win over the K-Hawks - in the first-ever meeting between Edmonton and Rochester - also marked another big game for Jimmy Quinlan who notched two goals and three assists which moved him just one point back of Rush leading scorer Mike Accursi.
Accursi, who managed two assists in facing the club he led to the NLL title last season for the first time, leads the Rush with 29 points and he has a team-leading 19 assists. Plunkett is tops among Rush shooters with 12 goals (11 coming while with Chicago). Quinlan and veteran Dan Stroup are next with 11 goals while Accursi and last year's Rush Team MVP Chris Gill each have 10. Stroup and Gill lead the Rush with four power-play goals apiece while Accursi and Quinlan both have picked up seven assists while on the man-advantage.
Team Captain Chris McElroy, who joined Quinlan, Accursi and Stroup on the West Division team for the 2008 NLL All-Star Game last Sunday afternoon at Rexall Place, leads the club with 57 loose balls - two more than Ian Hawksbee.
The Rush continue to get some strong play from rookie Steve Hutchins who has made an immediate impact since coming into the lineup three games ago. The Rush's top pick from the 2007 NLL Entry Draft has two goals and six assists and he was named the NLL's Rookie of the Week for his efforts in the road win at Portland.
Goaltender Curtis Palidwor he has climbed to fourth in the league with a .773 save-percentage and he is ranked seventh in the NLL with an 11.35 goals-against average.
Special teams have been a struggle for the Rush all season as they rank last in both power play and penalty-killing. The Rush have scored the fewest power-play goals in the NLL and are 16-for-44 (36.4%) with the man-advantage. The Rush's penalty-killing has surrendered 17 goals in 30 shorthanded situations (43.3%). Edmonton has not scored or given up a shorthanded goal this season.
Ben Prepchuk, who has three goals and 11 assists on the season, is the only member of the Rush currently on Injured Reserve having missed the past three games.
The Rock are again led by veteran sniper Blaine Manning as the Sherwood Park, AB, native has 18 goals and 28 assists for 46 points. East Division All-Star Bob Watson, one of the league's longest-serving netminders, has the third-best goals-against average at 10.39 and he is ranked second in save-percentage at .778.
Toronto's power play is eighth in the league at 21-for-54 (38.9%) but their penalty-killing has moved up to second in the NLL having allowed just 19 goals in 52 shorthanded situations (63.5%). The Rock have scored twice while shorthanded and given up one shorthanded goal.
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