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Published on April 7, 2012 under National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Edmonton Rush News Release


Edmonton,AB--The frequent-flyer points won't be missed. With almost one-half of the Edmonton Rush roster hailing from or living in Ontario, there'll be considerable less travel this weekend as the Rush have a home, err, road contest this Saturday in Toronto as Edmonton's leading point-getter, starting netminder, top two goalscorers and more players all living in the Greater-Toronto-Area.

And with many family and friends of the Rush players expected in attendance at the Air Canada Centre for the National Lacrosse League contest and the comforts of some home cooking prior to the game, it might feel like a home game after all for Edmonton. It'll be a marquee matchup as Edmonton (4-7) looks to continue its two-game win streak as it faces the Toronto Rock (6-6) in an all-Canadian contest Saturday afternoon (live on TSN2) at 4 p.m. MST.

"It's going to be nice to not jump onto a three-in-a-half or four hour flight for a game for a change," said defender Derek Suddons, who's racked up his share of air miles in his tenure with Edmonton.

"Especially for us it's a week off of travel which is huge and it's a nice break for the group of us," said Shawn Williams, who leads the Rush with 49 points into the contest.

Rather than a long flight into the YEG for most players on weekends, it will be a relatively short commute to the ACC for many of the players and the opportunity to ply their trade in Rush silks in front of close family and friends is a welcoming and comfortable situation.

"It's always exciting," said Suddons, the former Whitby Warriors standout. "Some immediate family will be there for sure to take it in. It's always nice to have some fans in the stands and playing close to home it's nice to have family come out and support you."

"It'll be nice," added Williams, who's from nearby Scarborough, Ont., but resides in Oshawa. "It's always special to play for your family and have friends there live at the game."

Playing lacrosse in Toronto is more than just ordinary for many of these players as the GTA is a mecca for box lacrosse and many of the stars have memorable moments playing the pro game in Canada's largest metropolitan area.

Suddons -- the 33-year-old defensive veteran who was acquired by Edmonton from Toronto in 2009 -- spent five seasons as a member of the Rock and celebrated a Champions Cup victory with the club in 2005 as the then-dynasty Rock club grabbed a 19-13 win in front of more-than 19,000 fans at the ACC for the title.

"That will always be a memorable moment in my mind," said Suddons, who earned the Cup title along with current Rush mates and former Rock players Jimmy Quinlan and Aaron Wilson. "But the last few years it's been all about the Edmonton Rush and trying to win games in the ACC."

Williams also has memorable experiences playing pro lacrosse in Toronto as the 37-year-old playmaker spent one season with the Rock in the club's inaugural campaign in 1999 and captured the NLL crown at legendary Maple Leaf Gardens.

"It was definitely a special experience," Williams said of playing at the old shrine at Carlton Street. "Growing up in Scarborough and always being down at the Gardens for Junior "˜A' hockey with the Marlies and the Leaf games. And then getting to play lacrosse in the Gardens was awesome and helping to start that whole (Rock) program was an honour and I'll never forget that last game there, for sure."

Fast forward to 2012 and the Rush players realize Saturday's contest against the defending Champion's Cup squad is pivotal for Edmonton's drive towards the playoffs in the back-half of the NLL season.

"It's going to be a real good matchup and it'll be a big challenge for us going into Toronto," said Suddons, who added some unexpected offensive punch with three points, including the game-winning-goal, against Philadelphia Feb. 24.

"Especially after having won a couple of games, we're slowly starting to put things together, but playing for 60 minutes as well."

"It's kind of a must-win situation for us and there's no better place to play in Toronto when you're playing in front of the country on TSN," chipped in Williams. "In the last two weeks we've come out on the good end and they have too, so it's going to come down to whoever sticks to their game plan and makes the fewest amount of mistakes that gets the win.

So, who has the home advantage?

Edmonton Rush (4-7) at Toronto Rock (6-6) ~ Saturday, April 7 ~Air Canada Centre~ TSN2 - 4 p.m. MT

For the first time in this National Lacrosse League season, the Edmonton Rush will carry a two-game winning streak into battle as they take on the Toronto Rock in the first of two meetings with their cross-Canada rival.

The Rush picked up their second straight victory this past Saturday as Aaron Wilson scored the game-winner against his former team to give Edmonton a 9-8 OT win over the Minnesota Swarm. Edmonton's victory, combined with the Swarm's fourth straight loss, leaves the Rush just one-half game behind Minnesota for third place in the NLL's West Division. The Rush, who have one game in-hand on the Swarm, are one game up in the standings on fifth-place Washington with two games in-hand on the Stealth.

Toronto currently sits second in the East, just one game behind division-leading Philadelphia. Following a three-game losing skid, the Rock have won two in a row including last weekend's 15-9 victory at Buffalo.

The trek to Toronto continues the Rush's search for their first win against the Rock on their home floor. The Rock hold an 8-3 all-time record against the Rush including a perfect 5-0 at the Air Canada Centre. Toronto won the first five meetings in franchise history against Edmonton but the clubs have gone 3-3 against each other since with each going unbeaten in home games. Edmonton and Toronto will face each other in the regular-season finale at Rexall Place on April 28.

Last season, the Rock, on the strength of a six-goal second quarter, handed the Rush a 13-7 setback in the season-opener for Edmonton. Garrett Billings and Kasey Beirnes each had two goals and two assists for Toronto, while Blaine Manning notched a goal and five assists, and Stephan Leblanc fired in three goals. However, the Rush rebounded in the regular-season finale last April, netting eight goals in the first quarter en route to an 18-14 victory at Rexall Place. Corey Small led the Rush attack with seven points while Scott Evans registered six. Small, Evans, and Ryan Ward each netted hat tricks and 11 different Rush shooters hit the back of the Toronto net.

The Rush had a dominant first half last week against Minnesota, racking up an 8-4 lead by halftime before being shut out in the second half. Aaron Wilson, who was traded to Edmonton by Minnesota during this past off-season, put the dagger in his former club as he pocketed the overtime winner with a brilliant individual effort just 1:57 into extra time. Wilson's winner was his second of the game, and he was joined in the scoring attack by Zack Greer, who had the hat trick, along with singles for Corey Small, Ryan Ward, Shawn Williams, and Jimmy Quinlan.

NLL ironman and 1,000-point career scorer Shawn Williams leads the Rush in scoring in his first season with the club. Williams stands sixth in the league with 38 assists and sits atop Edmonton's scoring chart with 49 points. Scott Evans is second in Rush scoring with 43 points and is second in goals with 21 - three behind Edmonton's top shooter Zack Greer. Ryan Ward is third in Rush scoring, just one point behind Evans, and he is second on the club with 30 assists.

Rush defender Kyle Rubisch is the NLL's leader in forced turnovers. Rubisch racked up five against Minnesota to take his league-leading total to 28 on the season. Teammate Jarret Toll is third in the league with 17 forced turnovers. Rubisch also leads the Rush with 106 loose balls including 11 last week against the Swarm.

Toronto's offense is anchored by Garrett Billings who is third in the NLL with 86 points and second in the league with 63 assists. Billings set a Rock record for points in a game last weekend against Buffalo as he recorded four goals and 11 assists for 15 points.

Rush vs. Rock - Season-by-Season Glance

2011

13-7 Rock win at Toronto (Blaine Manning notches one goal and five assists)

18-14 Rush win at Edmonton (Corey Small registers seven points including hat trick)

2010

16-7 Rock win at Toronto (Blaine Manning pots 10 points on five goals and five assists)

14-13 Rush win at Edmonton (Ryan Powell notches eight points including four goals)

2009

16-9 Rock win at Toronto (Lewis Ratcliff scores four goals with three assists)

16-12 Rush win at Edmonton (Andy Secore fires in five goals plus three assists)

2008

14-9 Rock win at Edmonton (Josh Sanderson picks up one goal and six assists)

14-9 Rock win at Toronto (Aaron Wilson registers four goals and one assist)

2007

12-9 Rock win at Edmonton (Aaron Wilson racks up one goal and four assists)

2006

14-8 Rock win at Toronto (Blaine Manning scores once and chips in 10 assists)

13-11 Rock win at Edmonton (Colin Doyle notches two goals and five assists)

Statistically Speaking: Giving up just eight goals last weekend against Minnesota has jumped Rush goaltender Aaron Bold to second amongst NLL netminders with a 10.58 goals-against average. Bold, who had a huge second half and overtime performance against the Swarm and ended up with 37 saves, ranks fifth in wins (four) and minutes played (652) and sits sixth in saves with 392 ... Jarret Toll, who sits second on the Rush with 63 loose balls, had his best performance on the faceoff dot against Minnesota going 15-3 against the Swarm ... Toronto's Stephan Hoar is fifth in the league with 99 faceoff wins ... The Rush's offense remains last in the NLL with 117 goals, but the defense is back on top with a league-best 123 goals-against. Toronto is tops in the East Division with both 146 goals-for and 145 goals-against ... The Rush and Rock are two teams that enjoy getting off to fast starts. Edmonton has outscored its opposition 40-28 in the opening quarter while Toronto holds a 76-61 edge on its opponents in the first half. Both teams struggle late in games, though, as the Rush have been outscored 38-24 in fourth quarters, and the Rock have been outscored 84-69 during the second half of their games ... Edmonton's power play sits at 34.0% with the penalty-killing at 53.5%. Toronto is at 49.4% with the man-advantage and 58.6% while shorthanded.

By The Numbers: Scott Evans leads the Rush and is third in the league with 50 penalty minutes ... After last weekend's win over Minnesota, the Rush are 3-6 against the rest of the West Division this season. Heading into the matchup in Toronto, the Rush are 1-5 on the road and 1-1 against the East. Both of Edmonton's games against the East have come against Philadelphia - a 12-10 win at home and a 16-15 loss on the road. The Rush have five games remaining this season including three against Eastern foes (two against Toronto and next weekend's home game against Buffalo) ... Toronto is 1-2 vs. West Division opponents this season. Good news for the Rush as the Rock have lost home games this season to Washington and Calgary. Toronto's win against the West came at Calgary ... Rush forward Aaron Wilson twice burned his current club when previously playing for Toronto. Over the course of two games in the 2007 and 2008 season, Wilson netted five goals and five assists against the Rush ... Former Rush Team MVP Pat Campbell has played just over 54 minutes between the pipes for the Rock but is saddled with an 0-2 record and 12.11 goals-against average ... Former Rush Brendan Thenhaus has 11 points in eight games with Toronto ... The 2012 NLL campaign was cut short for Sherwood Park product Blaine Manning who suffered a season-ending shoulder injury after appearing in just two games with Toronto.

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