Shawn Slaght, All Lacrosse All The Time – A Division of the Edge of Philly Sports Network
A second-half comeback fell short as the Saskatchewan Rush were handed their fourth straight loss, 11-6 to the Calgary Roughnecks on Friday night.
Down 6-2 at the half, the Rush were able to go on a four-goal run between the second, third, and fourth quarters to get the Rush within one. However, Calgary’s five-goal run midway through the fourth would put the game away.
It wasn’t for lack of opportunities for the Rush. Calgary gave them seven man-advantages but there only capitalized on one of the power plays.
Jesse King and Tyler Pace had huge nights for the Roughneck. King ended the game with four goals and three assists, while Pace had a hat trick and five assists.
Roughnecks dominate first quarter
Calgary found success early and often in the first quarter. Picking up on a weakness, Calgary’s first four goals were top corner, far post shots against Alex Buque.
King got the Roughnecks on the board first by picking the top corner with 8:36 on the clock. Tanner Cook scored from almost the exact same spot 2:20 later to make it 2-0.
Ryan Keenan replied 49 seconds later to get the Rush back within one.
Jeff Cornwall burned his former team with 4:09 on the block in transition, once again with a high shot to the far post to make it 3-1. King rounded out the scoring with 58 seconds left in the quarter to give the Roughnecks a 4-1 advantage.
Calgary’s offense goes silent heading into the half
Calgary continued to pour it on to start the second quarter. Kyle Waters scored 2:23 into the second frame to extend the lead to four goals.
Tyler Pace found the back of the net at 7:01 but that would be the Roughnecks’ final goal for nearly 30 minutes of play.
Robert Church rounded out the scoring with 4:24 left on the clock to make it 6-2 in favour of Calgary at the half. Church’s goal would start a four-goal run for the Rush spanning three quarters as Saskatchewan looked to avoid a fourth straight loss.
Rush begin comeback
The third quarter was a defensive battle as both Buque and Christian Del Bianco came up huge to limit the scoring.
Saskatchewan finally broke the deadlock with 5:36 on the clock as Ryan Barnable tip-toes around the crease to make it 6-3.
The Rush’s lone power play came with 3:23 left to play in the quarter as Saskatchewan narrowed the lead to two goals.
Saskatchewan’s offensive woes continue
The fourth-quarter phenom Clark Walter rounded out the four-goal run 2:01 into the fourth quarter and suddenly the Rush were back within striking distance.
The wheels fell off midway through the fourth quarter as King scored with 9:47 to play to start a five-goal run for the Roughnecks. Dan Taylor scored from long-range 32 seconds later to extend the lead to 8-5.
Calgary only needed another 37 seconds for Pace to score on the power play to put the Roughnecks up by four. King scored his fourth goal at 7:24 followed by Pace 23 seconds later to make it 11-5. Pace’s goal ended the night for Buque as he was once again replaced by Eric Penney.
Dan Lintner rounded out the scoring on transition but Saskatchewan would be handed their fourth-straight loss 11-6.
Saskatchewan will look to end their four-game losing skid when these two teams meet again next Saturday night in Saskatoon.
Top Scorers
Calgary Roughnecks
Tyler Pace, 3g 5a
Jesse King, 4g 3a
Dan Taylor, 1g 2a
Saskatchewan Rush
Robert Church, 2g 2a
Dan Lintner, 1g 2a
Clark Walter, 1g 1a
Holden Garlent, 2a
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Shawn Slaght has been a sports reporter across the Canadian prairies for over 10 years and has experience covering everything from junior hockey to World Cup skiing to all levels of lacrosse. He is the Saskatchewan correspondent for All Lacrosse All The Time.
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