The Saskatchewan Rush were able to pick up a 9-6 win on Saturday night at the Sasktel Centre to get a split of their two games with week.
Eric Penney pitched a shutout in the first quarter as the Rush took a 5-0 lead. Penney stopped all 13 shots he faced in the quarter.
Jeff Cornwall got the scoring going at 7:33. After Rochester hit the post, Jordie Jones-Smith picked up the rebound, passed it off to Cornwall who buried it past Joel Watson.
About two minutes later, Josh Currier picked a corner with the shot clock winding down to make it 2-0.
Matt Beers would score at the 12:07 mark on transition as he dove into the crease and went five-hole on Watson.
Marshall Powless would round out the first quarter scoring with his first career NLL goal as he ripped a shot with 18 seconds left in the frame.
Knighthawks get on the board
The Knighthawks would get on the board when Turner Evans’ shot fooled Penney 35 seconds into the second quarter.
Ryan Smith would add a power play marker at 3:47 and Charlie Bertrand would finish off the three-goal run for Rochester to make it 5-3.
At 7:59, Ryan Keenan was just trying to get a shot on net from an awkward angle with the shot clock running out. The shot sneaked through Watson’s five-hole and the Rush were back in business.
Keenan would strike again with 12 seconds left in the quarter to make it 7-3 for the Saskatchewan Rush at the half.
Fists fly in the second half
Sparks would fly to behind the second half with Rush captain Chris Corbeil dropping the gloves with Bertrand.
Rochester got on the board first in the second half with Smith breaking down the wing and beating Penney at 7:42 of the third quarter to get the Knighthawks within three.
Robert Church would then find Keenan cutting down the middle for the Rush’s eighth goal at 9:19.
At the end of the third quarter, the Rush were ahead 8-4.
The Rush killed a pivotal two-man penalty kill at the end of the third and into the fourth, but Holden Cattoni would get the better of the Rush at 2:01 to make it 8-5.
Keenan would get his first career five-goal game, sniping at shot at 10:52 to restore the Saskatchewan Rush’s four-goal cushion.
Smith would reply for Rochester to make it 9-6, but that’s a close as the Knighthawks would get.
Top scorers
Saskatchewan
Ryan Keenan, 5g 1a
Mark Matthews, 4a
Robert Church, 3a
Rochester
Ryan Smith, 3g
Holden Cattoni, 1g 2a
Turner Evans, 1g 2a
Rush head coach Jeff McComb addressed the media after the game:
Rush forward Ryan Keenan after his five-goal game:
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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