Rush Gun for Second Straight
January 30, 2015 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Edmonton Rush News Release
The Edmonton Rush will look to build off their first win of the season as they tangle with the New England Black Wolves on Friday night at Crystal Field at Rexall Place in Edmonton.
Last Saturday's 16-8 verdict for the Rush against the Calgary Roughnecks was Edmonton's first victory of the 2015 campaign and moved them into second spot in the NLL's West Division, two games behind the undefeated Colorado Mammoth. And like last season, the Rush continue to boast the league's stingiest defense, having giving up a league-low 31 goals through three games and goaltender Aaron Bold ranked second in goals-against average at 9.67.
After a disappointing two-game losing skid, the Rush picked up their first win of 2015 by pounding the arch-rival Roughnecks at the Saddledome. Mark Matthews racked up eight points (3 goals, 5 assists) for the Rush and was one of three Rush players to notch hat tricks. Riley Lowen and Jarrett Davis each had three goals and two assists for Edmonton, while rookie Ben McIntosh (2 goals, 5 assists), Zack Greer (2 goals, 4 assists), and Robert Church (2 goals, 2 assists) did their parts in pacing the Rush attack. Cory Conway had Edmonton's other goal and he added three assists against his former club.
This will be the first-ever meeting between the two teams since the New England franchise relocated from Philadelphia for the 2015 NLL season. It will also be the Black Wolves' first road after playing three straight in their new den at Mohegan Sun Resort in Connecticut. The Black Wolves suffered their first loss last weekend when they dropped a 19-13 decision to the Minnesota Swarm.
Prior to the franchise moving to New England, the Rush had played against the Philadelphia Wings just three times and hold a 2-1 all-time record. Last February, as part of their 14-0 start to the 2014 campaign, the Rush clipped the Wings 8-6 in Philadelphia. Curtis Knight, Riley Loewen, and Robert Church each scored twice for the Rush with singles going to Chris Corbeil and Jeremy Thompson, who also racked up 15 loose balls in the game.
Most notably in the clubs' past meetings, the Rush's first-ever home-turf win came against the Wings. Trailing 9-6 after three quarters, Edmonton scored seven goals in the fourth including Randy Daly's game-winner with one second remaining to earn a 13-12 victory. Current Rush assistant coach Jimmy Quinlan had five goals in that game while Chris Gill racked up eight points (4 goals, 4 assists).
Mark Matthews (7 goals, 11 assists) leads the Rush in scoring with 18 points, five up on both Ben McIntosh (7goals, 6 assists) and Robert Church (6 goals, 7 assists). Matthews and McIntosh are tied for the team lead in goals with seven.
Kevin Crowley leads New England with 20 points including nine goals.
Rush vs. Black Wolves/Wings - Season-by-Season Glance
2014
8-6 Rush win at Philadelphia (Jeremy Thompson with one goal and 15 loose balls)
2009
19-14 Wings win at Edmonton (Merrick Thompson scores six goals)
2007
13-12 Rush win at Edmonton (Jimmy Quinlan notches five goals)
Super Savers: The Rush and Black Wolves have both benefitted from big-time goaltending so far this season. Edmonton's Aaron Bold, who made 32 saves last weekend against Calgary, is third in the NLL with a .780 save-percentage. Meanwhile, Evan Kirk of New England is ranked second in save-percentage at .782 and fourth in both goals-against average (10.94) and total saves (111).
Statistically Speaking: Robert Church is tied for third in the NLL with three power-play goals, while Mark Matthews is third with six power-play assists ... Edmonton's penalty kill is tops in the league at 71.4% (four goals against in 14 shorthanded situations). The Rush's power play is seventh at only 39.1% (9-for-23). Edmonton went 3-for-10 with the man-advantage against Calgary last weekend as Mark Matthews, Ben McIntosh, and Cory Conway all scored on the power play ... Riley Loewen tallied the Rush's first shorthanded goal of the year in the win over the Roughnecks ... New England's power play (40.9%) and penalty kill (53.9%) are both ranked sixth.
By The Numbers: Edmonton's Mark Matthews leads the NLL in Three Star points with 11 (1 First Star, 2 Second Stars), one point up on both Toronto's Josh Sanderson and Colorado's Adam Jones ... The Rush outscored Calgary 8-2 in the second half of the win last weekend ... Jeremy Thompson scooped eight loose balls against Calgary and is tied for the Rush team lead at 16 with Kyle Rubisch. Ryan Dilks is next with 15 ... Ryan Dilks is tied for fourth in the NLL with seven forced turnovers. Ben McIntosh is right behind on the Rush with six ... Calgary native Jesse Fehr, who played two games for the Rush in 2012, is currently on the Black Wolves roster.
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National Lacrosse League Stories from January 30, 2015
- Swarm fall on the road to Buffalo Friday night by a score of 15-12 - Minnesota Swarm
- Knighthawks Host Bandits in WNY Showdown Saturday - Rochester Knighthawks
- Stealth Ready to Return the Favour to Mammoth - Vancouver Stealth
- Toronto Faces Calgary Saturday at ACC - Toronto Rock
- Rush Gun for Second Straight - Edmonton Rush
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