Rush Face Two-Game Weekend
February 11, 2015 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Edmonton Rush News Release
Edmonton, AB---The Edmonton Rush have evened their record to start the 2015 National Lacrosse League season, and now face the division-leading Colorado Mammoth in a home-and-home weekend series.
Following consecutive losses to begin the year, the Rush have started to look like the team expected to challenge for the Champion's Cup. The Rush blasted Calgary two weeks ago, and last weekend earned their first home win of the campaign with an 18-9 pasting of the New England Black Wolves. The Mammoth suffered their first loss last weekend as they fell 16-13 in Vancouver, leaving them just 1 game up on Edmonton for top spot in the West Division.
Edmonton has won four of its last six against Colorado - two each at home and on the road - and this weekend's doubleheader marks the first games of four scheduled between the West rivals this season. The teams will meet again April 18th in Edmonton and then wrap up the regular season May 2 in Denver.
The Rush had a dominant fourth quarter against New England, blowing open a 12-9 game by outscoring the Black Wolves 6-0 in the final quarter. Highlighting the final stanza for the Rush was a natural hat trick by Zack Greer including a pair of goals coming 41 seconds apart.
While Greer finished with four goals and two assists, the Rush were led by powerful performances from Mark Matthews and Ben McIntosh. Both players finished with eight points - Matthews with a sock trick (six goals) and two assists, and McIntosh with four goals and four helpers.
Chris Corbeil, Jarrett Davis, Jeremy Thompson, and Cory Conway added singles for the Rush attack with Aaron Bold supplying 35 saves between the pipes.
The Rush won three of four meetings with the Mammoth last season, but Colorado's victory in the fourth and final clash snapped Edmonton's record-setting 14-game winning streak. John Grant Jr. scored four goals as Colorado took a 10-8 verdict which also ended the Rush's 13-game road winning streak.
Cory Conway led the Rush against the Mammoth with two goals and two assists, and Zack Greer added a pair of goals while Mark Matthews registered a goal and four assists. Brett Mydske, Curtis Knight, and Robert Church had Edmonton's other goals, with Brodie MacDonald coming on in relief on starting netminder Aaron Bold for just his second appearance of the season.
Earlier in the 2014 season, the Rush won back-to-back games against the Mammoth including their home-opener by a 17-6 count, which set Edmonton's franchise record for largest margin of victory. Zack Greer and Mark Matthews both fired home five goals in that lopsided win with Jarrett Davis adding a hat trick, Riley Loewen notching a pair, and singles going to Curtis Knight and Cory Conway.
Edmonton's Mark Matthews and Colorado's Adam Jones, two of the NLL's most dominant offensive stars, are currently tied for fourth for 13 goals. Matthews is also tied for 12th in league scoring with 28 points, while Jones and Mammoth teammate John Grant are tied for ninth with 28 points.
Rush vs. Mammoth - Season-by-Season Glance
2014
10-8 Mammoth win at Colorado (John Grant Jr. notches four goals)
12-11 Rush win at Edmonton (Cory Conway registers six points including five assists)
17-6 Rush win at Edmonton (Mark Matthews & Zack Greer each score five goals)
13-10 Rush win at Colorado (Curtis Knight tallies three goals and three assists)
2013
9-7 Mammoth win at Edmonton (Tye Belanger makes 48 saves)
14-7 Rush win at Colorado (Mark Matthews tops Rush scoring with five goals)
2012
14-11 Rush win at Colorado (Zack Greer leads Rush with two goals and one assist)
11-7 Mammoth win at Colorado (Adam Jones, John Grant Jr. and Jordan McBride all notch hat tricks)
13-12 Mammoth win at Edmonton (John Grant Jr. leads with five goals and four assists)
2011
13-6 Mammoth win at Edmonton
14-13 Rush win at Edmonton (Scott Evans leads the way with four goals and two assists)
7-6 Mammoth win at Colorado (John Grant notches two goals and two assists)
2010
14-13 Rush win at Colorado (Ryan Ward scores four goals and adds three assists)
13-9 Rush win at Colorado (Ryan Ward notches hat trick plus four assists)
14-10 Mammoth win at Edmonton (Jamie Shewchuk collects nine points including four goals)
2009
11-9 Rush win at Colorado (Ryan Benesch has eight-point night featuring five assists)
10-9 Rush win at Edmonton (Callum Crawford nets four goals and adds two assists)
10-9 Mammoth win at Colorado (Jamie Shewchuk scores twice and adds two assists)
2008
14-11 Mammoth win at Colorado (Dan Carey pots hat trick plus three assists)
15-4 Mammoth win at Colorado (Jamie Shewchuk notches seven points)
13-8 Mammoth win at Edmonton (Jamie Shewchuk produces seven points)
2007
16-9 Mammoth win at Edmonton (Jamie Shewchuk notches hat trick plus two assists)
16-7 Mammoth win at Colorado (Dan Carey leads with two goals and three assists)
2006
15-10 Mammoth win at Colorado (Dan Stroup collects six points including hat trick)
13-7 Mammoth win at Edmonton (Ben Prepchuk racks up six points including four helpers)
Moving on the Mammoth: The Rush are 9-15 all-time against the Mammoth but that record is somewhat deceiving considering they did not win a game against Colorado their first three seasons in NLL going a combined 0-7. Since then, the Rush have won three and lost three of the season series, highlighted by taking three of four games in 2014.
By The Numbers: The Rush have moved out the basement when it comes to goals scored as they've passed both New England and Rochester. Edmonton's 52 goals is still lowest in the West Division and a far cry behind Colorado's 70 but the Rush have surrendered only 40 goals - by far the best goals-against in the NLL ... On the subject of goals-against, Rush goalie Aaron Bold is second in the NLL with a GAA of 9.50 and he also sports the second-best save-percentage at .784 ... Bolstering the Rush's fine defensive numbers are Ryan Dilks who is tied for fourth in the league with nine caused turnovers, and three-time reigning NLL Defensive Player of the Year Kyle Rubisch who is tied for ninth with eight caused turnovers ... Jeremy Thompson leads the Rush with 31 loose balls, with Kyle Rubisch second at 24, one ahead of Chris Corbeil ... The Rush's Mark Matthews continues to hold down top spot in NLL Three-Star Voting with 16 points (2 x First Star, 2 x Second Star).
Statistically Speaking: Edmonton and Colorado are at opposite ends of the special teams' spectrum. The Rush have the league's penalty kill at 70.6% (five goals allowed in 17 shorthanded situations) but are seventh on the power play at 38.5% (10-for-26). Meanwhile, the Mammoth have the NLL's top power play clicking at a 57.1% rate (12-for-21) but they have the second-worst penalty kill at 50.0% (eight goals in 16 shorthanded situations) ... The Rush's Ben McIntosh, an early-season favorite for Rookie of the Year, and teammate Robert Church are tied for eight in th league with three power-play goals ... Mark Matthews leads the Rush and is tied for fourth in the NLL with seven power-play assists ... Colorado's John Grant is tied for sixth in the NLL with 19 assists ... Familiar faces - former Rush now with the Mammoth are Alex Turner, Ian Hawksbee and Tyler Codron.
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