Rush Claimed Three NLL Weekly Awards
March 27, 2013 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Edmonton Rush News Release
Edmonton, AB---For the second time this season and second time in franchise history, the Edmonton Rush have claimed three of the National Lacrosse League's weekly awards.
With their stellar performances in weekend wins over Buffalo and Toronto, Corey Small, Aaron Bold, and Curtis Knight of the Rush were all handed weekly honors from the NLL. The trio not only helped the Rush win both games and extended their winning streak to five games, the key victories also clinched a playoff berth for the Rush who are the defending West Division champions and Champion's Cup finalists from 2012.
Small, the Offensive Player of the Week, ended the two games with six goals and five assists, while Knight, the Rookie of the Week, counted four goals and two assists. Bold, the Defensive Player of the Week, picked up both wins between the pipes and totaled 64 saves.
The Rush visited Buffalo for the first time this past Saturday and Small came up huge, finishing with a seven-point effort including four goals. Small aided the Rush's six-goal first quarter firing home three goals highlighted by a pair of markers just 54 seconds apart. Small, who also added nine loose balls in the game, completed his scoring barrage with a goal in the fourth quarter.
Knight, who was the Rush's second of two first-round picks in the 2012 NLL Entry Draft, notched a hat trick against the Bandits, coming up with a pair in the first quarter and completing the hat trick with a power-play marker in the third. At the other end of the floor, Bold kept the Bandits at bay with a 35-save performance.
On Sunday afternoon, the Rush ended a seven-game winless drought on the Toronto Rock's home floor at the Air Canada Centre with a 17-12 victory. Small scored twice in the fourth quarter and added two assists, while Knight supplied one goal and one assist.
Bold came up with 29 saves for his eighth win of the season, tying him for the league lead among goaltenders and tying him for the Rush franchise single-season record for wins by a goalie.
Small is now second on the Rush with 25 goals and third in points with 57, while Knight is third among NLL rookies in points (38) and fourth in goals (15).
Also of note from the Rush's weekend win in Toronto, it was the third time this season the Rush reached 17 goals in a road game. The Rush opened their 2012 road schedule with an 18-10 win in Washington on Jan. 20, and then earned an 18-13 win in Calgary on March 2 which snapped a 12-game regular-season losing streak against the Roughnecks.
Prior to this season, the Rush had never scored 17 or more goals in a regular-season road game, and had only topped that total once in any road game when they connected for 19 in last year's West Semifinal playoff victory over Calgary.
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National Lacrosse League Stories from March 27, 2013
- Stealth post-season "magic number" down to one - Washington Stealth
- Mammoth Activates Hawksbee, Sign Orsen - Colorado Mammoth
- Rush Claimed Three NLL Weekly Awards - Edmonton Rush
- Small, Hill, Bold & Knight Honored - NLL
- Hill Named NLL 'Transition Player of the Week' - Buffalo Bandits
- Philadelphia Wings Shoot for Playoff Berth in Weekend - Philadelphia Wings
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