Rush vs Roughnecks Tonight
January 24, 2015 - National Lacrosse League (NLL)
Edmonton Rush News Release
Edmonton, AB--- For the first time in 2015 and the first time since the drama of the 2014 National Lacrosse League playoffs, the Edmonton Rush will clash with the arch-rival Calgary Roughnecks on tonight..
It is the first of four meetings in the Battle of Alberta slated for this season. The Rush will host the Roughnecks on Sunday, March 8, with the teams then playing a weekend home-and-home series on April 10 & 11.
Both teams will enter this game looking for their first victory of the season as they uncharacteristically find themselves winless and at the bottom of the West Division. The Rush seemed on their way to win last weekend as they took a commanding 9-3 lead over the visiting Minnesota Swarm. However, the Rush let things get away as the Swarm scored 11 of the next 12 goals including nine in the fourth quarter en route to a 14-10 decision at Rexall Place.
Mark Matthews, Robert Church and rookie Ben McIntosh all had two goals in the loss for Edmonton, with singles going to Riley Loewen, Chris Corbeil, Jarrett Davis, and Zack Greer.
Meanwhile, the Roughnecks dropped their second in a row in falling 14-13 in overtime on the road in Colorado.
The Rush are 8-24 all-time in regular-season meetings against the Roughnecks, but 2014 marked the first time the Rush won the season series by a 3-1 count.
The Rush have not played the Roughnecks since the teams met in last season's West Division Final. After dropping the opening game of the two-game series 12-11 in overtime, the Rush returned home for Game 2. The Rush amassed an 8-2 advantage in the first, setting two records on the way - an NLL record for the fastest five goals in needing only 90 seconds to pull that off, plus a franchise-tying mark for most goals in a single quarter. The enormous lead gave the Rush enough cushion to hold off a late surge and take a 15-13 decision, forcing a mini-game to decide the series. However, the Rush's bid for a spot in the Champion's Cup final fell short as they fell 2-1 in the mini-game.
Mark Matthews notched hat tricks in both playoff games against Calgary, and added four assists in Game 1 to finish with seven points. Also scoring for Edmonton in Game 1 were Robert Church and Zack Greer, with two apiece, and singles for John Lintz, Curtis Knight, Riley Loewen, and Nik Bilic.
In Game 2, Curtis Knight, Nik Bilic, and Zack Greer each scored twice, with singles going to Riley Loewen, Chris Corbeil, Jarrett Davis, Ryan Dilks, John Lafontaine, and Cory Conway. Zack Greer had the Rush's lone goal in the mini-game.
Prior to last season's West Final defeat, the Rush were unbeaten in two previous playoff meetings with the Roughnecks.
The Rush won the first three meetings between the teams during the 2014 regular season, scoring 15 goals in each victory. Edmonton took a 15-11 verdict at the Saddledome as Curtis Knight piled up eight points on five goals and three assists, while former Roughneck Cory Conway burned his former team by racking up seven assists. Rookie Riley Loewen, with a hat trick, and Robert Church, who notched two goals and four assists, helped pace the Rush attack. Mark Matthews had two goals and two assists, with goals from Chris Corbeil, Jarrett Davis, and Zack Greer rounding out Edmonton's scoring.
In the first clash of the season, the Rush scored five goals in both the second and third quarters on their way to a 15-8 victory over Calgary. Curtis Knight and Mark Matthews each scored four goals with Matthews picking up his fourth of the night on a fourth quarter penalty shot. Chris Corbeil notched a hat trick for Edmonton with Robert Church adding a pair, and singles going to Jarrett Davis and John Lafontaine.
In Round 2 of the 2014 Battle of Alberta, the Rush scored seven goals in the second quarter on their way to a 15-7 win. Zack Greer led the Rush with a first-half hat trick, while Cory Conway haunted his former mates, registering five points including a pair of goals coming 1:53 apart (one on the power play). Chris Corbeil, with two unassisted goals, Mark Matthews and Curtis Knight, with two apiece, Ryan Dilks, Jeff Cornwall, Nic Bilic, and Jeremy Thompson added goals to the Rush attack.
Calgary avoided its first-ever season-series sweep to the Rush with a 14-13 OT win in the second-last week of the regular season. Chris Corbeil and Mark Matthews both had had tricks for the Rush but it wasn't enough as Curtis Dickson's seven-goal game included the Roughnecks' game-winner coming 4:13 into overtime. Robert Church and Zack Greer each scored twice for the Rush in the loss with Curtis Knight, Jeff Cornwall, and Jarrett Davis adding singles.
Mark Matthews leads the Rush in scoring so far this season with 10 points including a team-high six assists. Robert Church is next with nine points, while rookie Ben McIntosh is on top in the goal-scoring derby with a team-high five.
Calgary's Shawn Evans sits third in league scoring with 18 points (7 goals, 11 assists).
Rush vs. Roughnecks - Season-by-Season Glance
2014
*2-1 Roughnecks win at Edmonton (Shawn Evans scores both goals in mini-game clincher)
*15-13 Rush win at Edmonton (Mark Matthews notches hat trick)
*12-11 OT Roughnecks win at Calgary (Curtis Dickson pots four goals plus two assists)
14-13 OT Roughnecks win at Edmonton (Curtis Dickson scores seven goals including game-winner)
15-11 Rush win at Calgary (Curtis Knight records eight-point game including five goals)
15-7 Rush win at Calgary (Zack Greer notches first-quarter hat trick)
15-8 Rush win at Edmonton (Mark Matthews tallies seven points including four goals)
2013
12-11 OT Roughnecks win at Edmonton (Shawn Evans caps 10-point game with OT winner)
18-13 Rush win at Calgary (Ryan Ward sets Rush reg. season record with 10 points)
9-8 Roughnecks win at Calgary (Curtis Dickson scores four goals including game-winner)
18-15 Roughnecks win at Edmonton (Jeff Shattler tallies two goals and adds six assists)
2012
*19-11 Rush win at Calgary (Ryan Ward sets Rush record with 11-point game)
9-6 Roughnecks win at Edmonton (Shawn Evans racks up four goals and two assists)
16-9 Roughnecks win at Calgary (Shawn Evans pots five goals including penalty shot tally)
13-10 Roughnecks win at Edmonton (Curtis Dickson with four goals and three assists)
12-8 Roughnecks win at Calgary (Curtis Dickson nets hat trick plus two assists)
*denotes playoff game
2011
19-14 Roughnecks win at Calgary (Jeff Shattler totals nine points with one goal and eight assists)
15-11 Roughnecks win at Edmonton (Dane Dobbie collects three goals and six assists)
12-11 Roughnecks OT win at Calgary (Mike Scherman pots the game-winner)
12-11 Roughnecks win at Edmonton (Jeff Shattler notches hat trick plus five assists)
2010
*11-7 Rush win at Calgary (Ryan Ward notches nine points including eight assists)
13-8 Roughnecks win at Calgary (Josh Sanderson picks up three goals and three assists)
14-13 Roughnecks OT win at Edmonton (Josh Sanderson earns hat trick including game-winner)
14-11 Rush win at Edmonton (Dean Hill notches hat trick and adds one assist)
*denotes playoff game
2009
10-9 Roughnecks OT win at Calgary (Curt Malawsky notches the game-winner)
22-10 Roughnecks win at Edmonton (Dane Dobbie collects 11 points including seven goals)
14-13 Roughnecks win at Edmonton (Tracey Kelusky racks up eight points including four goals)
2008
11-9 Rush win at Edmonton (Jimmy Quinlan pots four goals plus one assist)
18-7 Roughnecks win at Calgary (Kaleb Toth registers nine points including four goals)
12-8 Roughnecks win at Edmonton (Curt Malawsky registers four goals and one assist)
2007
13-12 Roughnecks win at Edmonton (Kaleb Toth and Lewis Ratcliff each with four points)
13-12 Rush win at Calgary (Chris Gill sets club record with six goals)
17-11 Roughnecks win at Edmonton (Tracey Kelusky collects two goals and seven assists)
2006
11-9 Roughnecks win at Calgary (Lewis Ratcliff scores five goals)
12-9 Roughnecks win at Edmonton (Kaleb Toth and Tracey Kelusky each with seven points)
12-11 Rush win at Calgary (Pat Campbell earns player of the game with 54 saves)
16-9 Roughnecks win at Edmonton (Lewis Ratcliff notches four goals and two assists)
Rough on the Roughnecks: Curtis Knight, who is sidelined for all of the 2015 season due to a knee injury, led the Rush with 20 points including 12 goals against Calgary during the regular season in 2014. Mark Matthews was next with 16 points including nine goals, while Riley Loewen and Chris Corbeil each had seven goals. Cory Conway racked up 13 assists in those four games against his former team.
By The Numbers: Edmonton has scored a league-low 18 goals through two games, but the Roughnecks have given up a stunning 30 goals through two games - the most of the seven teams who've played twice so far ... Calgary netminder Mike Poulin is eighth in the league with a whopping 17.45 goals-against average, and ranked last among starters with a .633 save-percentage ... Despite giving up nine goals in the fourth quarter last weekend, Rush goalie Aaron Bold is currently second in the NLL with a 10.50 goals-against average and third with a .772 save-percentage Mark Matthews is tops on the Rush with six points in Three Star Voting. He has picked up second star honors in both games this season ... Kyle Rubisch leads the Rush with 13 loose balls, one up on Robert Church and two up on both Riley Loewen and Ryan Dilks ... Calgary's Geoff Snider is currently second in the NLL with 32 loose balls.
Statistically Speaking: Of Mark Matthews' six assists, four have come on the power play ... Robert Church leads the Rush and is tied for third in the NLL with three power-play goals ... Ryan Dilks is tied for fourth in the NLL with six forced turnovers. Chris Corbeil is second on the Rush and tied for ninth in the league with four forced turnovers ... Edmonton's power play is currently clicking at a 46.2% clip (6-for-13) but the Rush have given up two shorthanded goals. The Rush's penalty killing is near-perfect at 80.0% (eight kills in 10 shorthanded situations) ... Calgary's power play stands at 55.6% (5-for-9). The penalty killing has been suspect as the opposition has scored on seven of 10 chances but the Roughnecks have scored two shorthanded goals.
The Rush return home to Crystal Glass Field at Rexall Place Friday, January 30 against the New England Black Wolves at 7:30 pm. Tickets are available by calling the Rush office at 780 732-RUSH.
National Lacrosse League Stories from January 24, 2015
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- Black Wolves Drop First Game of the Season - New England Black Wolves
- Rock Suffer First Loss of 2015 Season - Toronto Rock
- Rush vs Roughnecks Tonight - Edmonton Rush
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