Rush Start 2011 Season On The Road
September 2, 2010 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Edmonton Rush News Release
Edmonton, AB--The Edmonton Rush, coming off the most successful campaign in franchise history, will open the 2011 National Lacrosse League season on January 8 against cross-Canada rival and five-time league-champion Toronto Rock.
The Saturday night matchup marks the start of a season-opening three-game road trip for the Rush, who will follow up with a January 15 game in Boston and a January 22 contest in Minnesota.
The Rush will make their Rexall Place debut for the 2011 season on January 28 when they play the first of four games against the arch-rival Calgary Roughnecks. The Rush will also host the Roughnecks in their only afternoon tilt of the season on February 20.
Edmonton's 16-game schedule includes home-and-home weekend series against West Division counterparts Calgary, Washington, and Colorado. The Rush will wrap up the regular season playing four of their final five games at home, featuring two contests against Colorado and the season finale versus Toronto.
"Three games on the road to start the season may seem difficult but I like it," offered Rush General Manager/Head Coach Derek Keenan. "It's a great opportunity to enhance team building and allows for more home games down the stretch when we are positioning for the playoffs.
"I do like that all three of our back-to-back weekend series are home-and-home games. They really make the most out of the rivalries and create a level playing field for all teams."
On top of their divisional matchups, Edmonton will face East Division teams four times during the regular season including a trip to Rochester to face the Knighthawks on February 26.
The Rush completed the 2010 NLL regular-season with a franchise-best 10-6 record and then in their first Champion's Cup playoff appearance, the Rush proceeded to beat the defending league-champion Calgary Roughnecks in the West Division semifinal. The club's best season in its five-year history concluded with a dramatic overtime loss in the West Division final to the eventual league-champion Washington Stealth.
The Rush are bringing a strong lineup into the '11 season with big-name returnees including 2010 NLL Transition Player of the Year and Team MVP Brodie Merrill, veteran goaltender Matt Disher, and top point-producers Gavin Prout, Ryan Ward, and Ryan Powell. Back for their sophomore seasons are last year's outstanding rookies Corey Small and Brett Mydske, along with home-town crowd favourite Jimmy Quinlan.
Edmonton Rush 2011 Schedule
Game Date Opponent Start Time (MT)
1 Saturday, Jan. 8 at Toronto 5:00 p.m.
2 Saturday, Jan. 15 at Boston 5:30 p.m.
3 Saturday, Jan. 22 at Minnesota 6:30 p.m.
4 Friday, Jan. 28 vs. Calgary 7:00 p.m.
5 Saturday, Jan. 29 at Calgary 7:30 p.m.
6 Friday, Feb. 11 vs. Washington 7:00 p.m.
7 Saturday, Feb. 12 at Washington 8:30 p.m.
8 Sunday, Feb. 20 vs. Calgary 2:00 p.m.
9 Saturday, Feb. 26 at Rochester 5:35 p.m.
10 Saturday, Mar. 5 vs. Washington 7:00 p.m.
11 Saturday, Mar. 19 at Calgary 7:30 p.m.
12 Friday, Mar. 25 vs. Minnesota 7:00 p.m.
13 Friday, Apr. 1 vs. Colorado 7:00 p.m.
14 Saturday, Apr. 2 at Colorado 7:00 p.m.
15 Saturday, Apr. 9 vs. Colorado 7:00 p.m.
16 Saturday, Apr. 16 vs. Toronto 7:00 p.m.
National Lacrosse League Stories from September 2, 2010
- Mammoth to Open at Home in 2011 Campaign - Colorado Mammoth
- Rush Start 2011 Season On The Road - Edmonton Rush
- Buffalo Bandits Announce 2011 NLL Schedule - Buffalo Bandits
- Calgary Roughnecks Release 2011 Season Schedule - Calgary Roughnecks
- Toronto Rock Announce 2011 Season Schedule - Toronto Rock
- 2011 Boston Blazers Schedule Released - Boston Blazers
- National Lacrosse League Announces 2011 Season Schedule - NLL
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