PREVIEW: Rush vs FireWolves (Dec.31)
Dec 29, 2023Saskatoon, SK –– The Saskatchewan Rush (1-2) and Albany FireWolves (3-0) will battle it out in a New Year’s Eve classic on Sunday, December 31st.
The Rush are coming off a 17-5 win against the Las Vegas Desert Dogs. Ryan Keenan tied a team record with nine assists in the victory, while forwards Patrick Dodds and Robert Church each had seven points, plus Zach Manns lit the lamp four times. Frank Scigliano posted an .884 save percentage in the game, making 38 saves for his first win as a member of the Saskatchewan Rush.
TERRIFIC TRIO: Saskatchewan has three players (Manns, Keenan, Church) tied for the team lead in points with 17.
Before Christmas, Albany dumped Philadelphia 15-10 in the Wings arena. Rookie Alex Simmons had eight points in the win, Ethan Walked had a hat trick and Tye Kurtz had three assists. Former Rush forward Marshall Powless had a goal and an assist. Goaltender Doug Jamieson made 38 saves in the win. This season, the Oshweken, ON product has a .754 save percentage.
YOUTH MOVEMENT: Two of Albany’s three top goal scorers in Alex Simmons and Tye Kurtz are rookies in the National Lacrosse League.
Saskatchewan is 0-1 all-time against Albany. On January 8th, 2022, the Rush fell 10-5 at MVP Arena in front of 4651 fans. Robert Church had a hat trick in the loss, while Mike Messenger and Bobby Kidd III had assists.
TUNE IN: Faceoff on Co-op Field at SaskTel Centre is at 7:00 p.m. CST. You can listen to the pre-game show on 92.9 The Bull with Cody Janzen, John Fraser and Sabeen Ahmad starting at 5:30 pm. Viewers in Canada can watch the game on TSN+ and those in America My4 Albany (WNYT) and ESPN+. A 30-minute post-game show can be heard on 92.9 The Bull following the game with Cody Janzen and John Fraser.
Tickets to the game can be found here.