Roadtrip: Champion's Cup

May 20, 2015 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Edmonton Rush News Release


The revenge factor is certainly not lost on the Edmonton Rush. While the players and coaches don't come right out and say it, there's nothing they'd like more than to knock off the Calgary Roughnecks en route to the Champion's Cup.

After last year's highly successful regular season, the Rush were eliminated from the playoffs in the West Final by the Roughnecks - a 10-minute, winner-take-all mini-game deciding their fate. A year later, the Rush are in position to take the Roughnecks out of the playoff picture, leading the West Final 1-0 with Game 2 set for Saturday in Calgary. A victory for the Rush will put them into the Cup final for the second time in franchise history as they chase their first league title.

In the 2014 West Final, the Rush were down a game heading home. This year, they are up a game and headed down the highway, but away from home the Rush seem more confident having gone 22-4 on the road over the past three regular seasons.

"It can't hurt our confidence knowing that we were able to grind out a tough victory in Game 1 against an opponent that knocked us out last year," said Rush defender John Lintz. "We understand that that win is irrelevant if we don't show up to compete on Saturday night.

"Rather than be intimidated by the situation, we are excited for the opportunity. I can't wait to suit up with my brothers and find a way to win in a loud, hostile arena."

It won't be an easy task eliminating Calgary in front of a raucous Saddledome crowd, but the Rush have done it before in both 2010 and 2012 when they bounced the highly favored Roughnecks out in a pair of West Semifinal showdowns.

"Despite the disappointment last year, I believe in the ability of this group to embrace the bigger stages," added Lintz, the lone Edmonton native remaining on the Rush roster. "We have had success in big games on the road in the last few years. We believe in our talent and systems over that of any other group in this league and if we compete as hard as we are capable we will not be disappointed with the result.

"The advantage we have over past years is experience. We are better prepared to embrace the challenges of tight games, officiating adversity, and hostile environments. This year has been difficult for our family on and off the floor, yet those challenges have well-prepared us for this moment."

Riley Loewen, who scored a key power-play goal for the Rush in Game 1, went through last year's West Final as a raw NLL rookie, but over that time the Rush have enjoyed a fair bit of success on the Saddledome floor. During the past two seasons, the Rush have won three regular-season games in Calgary and now the stage is set for the biggest road victory in team history.

"Playing Calgary any night is tough, especially at the Saddledome, but we'll take on the challenge and we're excited to play," said Loewen.

The Rush were 2-2 against Calgary during the 2015 regular season with both of Calgary wins decided by one goals including one overtime verdict. Edmonton's second regular-season win was by a mere two goals, while the other was a 16-8 blowout in Calgary which snapped the Rush's season-opening, two-game winless skid.

The provincial rivals are about as evenly matched as it gets so anytime opportunity knocks in Game 2 the Rush need to answer the door as quickly as possible.

"It's going to be a tight game. It's going to come down to making plays at the right time and limiting them as much as we can," offered Rush GM/head coach Derek Keenan.

The Loe-wen-down: Riley Loewen's power-play goal in Game 1 against Calgary was huge for not only temporarily restoring a two-goal cushion, but more importantly, put a halting to a Roughnecks' momentum swing that had brought about three straight goals for the visitors.

At the edge of the crease, Loewen somehow managed to find a small hole through the armor of Calgary goalie Frankie Scigliano when there appeared to be nothing to shoot at.

"There wasn't that much room to shoot at but Calgary's defender kept pushing in and giving me room when I would get the ball on the crease on the power play," recalled Loewen. "I finally thought I had enough room to catch the goalie of guard and sneak it in. Definitely had a bit of luck on my side. Special teams are huge and they'll play a big part in Game 2 as well."

Loewen, the Rush's second-round pick (11th overall) in the 2013 Entry Draft, has had some big games against the Roughnecks in his brief pro career. He notched his first NLL hat trick and had games of five and four points versus Calgary during his rookie season.



National Lacrosse League Stories from May 20, 2015


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