Rush Season Starts Saturday, January 3 in Buffalo
January 1, 2015 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Edmonton Rush News Release
Edmonton, AB--The Edmonton Rush were the big dogs of the National Lacrosse League in 2014.
Yet by the end of the campaign they were a dog without the bone they coveted so much.
The Rush ended the regular season with a stellar 16-2 mark sporting the league's best defense, the second-best offense, and impressive records for the best start to a season and the longest winning streak. Yet the Rush, who came up a game short of the Champion's Cup in 2012, couldn't get it done again in 2014 as they dropped out of the playoffs by losing the West Division Final.
The 2015 schedule gets under way for the Rush on Saturday night as they chug into Buffalo to meet the Bandits. As good as all the accomplishments of last season were, the Rush weren't crowned kings of the NLL. This year, nothing but the elusive championship will do for the Rush.
"No question," said Rush forward Zack Greer. "We know we have the group to win a Champion's Cup and that is the main focus for us this year. That being said, it is a process to get there and there will be steps we need to take along the way."
Assistant coach Jeff McComb was succinct in looking at his club's New Year's resolution.
"We're excited to get started and obviously we think we have some unfinished business from last year," said McComb, who, alongside fellow assistant Jimmy Quinlan will be filling in for GM/Head Coach Derek Keenan during his leave from the team.
"Derek has been great about allowing us to do our jobs at both ends of the bench during games so there will not be much change in terms of in-game teaching and technical things in Derek's absence. Where we will miss him and will have to compensate for is his ability to read the flow of games and suggest adjustments within the game.
"We will obviously also miss his leadership and his quiet confidence in his players, but we have a great leadership group on this team and I know they are focused on performing at their best for both Derek and the team as a whole."
And the Rush will start the year with basically the same roster that wrapped up 2014, save for a few noticeable changes. Star forward Curtis Knight is sidelined for the season due to a knee injury, but the Rush benefit in getting former team-leading scorer Corey Small back from a similar knee injury that forced him to miss all of the 2014 NLL season. The Rush will also prominently feature Ben McIntosh, the No. 1 overall pick from NLL Entry Draft.
The off-season wasn't about making overall changes to a lineup that was so good for the most part of last year. Instead, the Rush brass went about looking at making slight alternation rather than ripping up the fabric of the team.
"We didn't make a lot of changes to our roster with having a season like we did last year but at the same time we know we have to be better," said McComb.
"We didn't win it all and that's the objective in this league - to take home championships. When you don't do that you've got to look inside your group and try to make some changes whether that be system-wise or personnel-wise. We like our personnel so we're hoping we have some organic growth. We're a pretty young team with guys getting older and getting better and we're looking to tweak our systems a little bit to take us to the next level."
Whatever the tweaks turn out to be, the Rush will certainly look to maintain their prowess on the road. During a stretch over the 2013 and 2014 seasons, the Rush won 13 straight away from Rexall Place, and finished last year at 8-1 on the road. That success, figured Greer, can be directly attributed to the Rush's backbone defense anchored by three-time reigning NLL Defender of the Year Kyle Rubisch, along with the runner-up for the same award in 2014, Chris Corbeil, and Second All-Pro Team goaltender Aaron Bold.
"When Boldy and our "ËD' are playing so well in the opponents' barns, it gives us all confidence and allows us to stick to our game plan offensively," said Greer. "It takes a full team effort to win on the road and I think we have a solid group from top to bottom."
Fans can enter the 2015 Rush Bracket Challenge sponsored by Pizza Hut and Pure Canadian Game FREE of charge at Facebook.com/theedmontonrush or www.edmontonrush.com. An entry must be completed and submitted on or before January 2, 2015. Once the season has begun on January 3, 2015, no more entries will be accepted. Limit one (1) registration and entry per person and per email address. Full details of the 2015 Rush Bracket Challenged sponsored by Pizza Hut and Pure Canadian Gaming are located at Facebook.com/theedmontonrush and www.edmontonrush.com. (2015 Rush Bracket Challenge does not include exhibition games).
2015 Edmonton Rush Season Tickets are now on sale and single game tickets are now on sale. The Rush open the 2015 Season, Saturday, January 10, 2015 against the Minnesota Swarm. For more information, please visit www.edmontonrush.com or phone 780 732-RUSH to speak with a ticket representative and get your tickets to the 10th year of Edmonton Rush lacrosse.
National Lacrosse League Stories from January 1, 2015
- Rush Season Starts Saturday, January 3 in Buffalo - Edmonton Rush
- Toronto Rock Open 2015 Season Saturday - Toronto Rock
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
