PREVIEW: Rush vs Knighthawks (Dec.9)
Dec 8, 2023Saskatoon, SK –– On Saturday (Dec.9), the Saskatchewan Rush (0-1) and Rochester Knighthawks (1-0) will face off on Co-op Field at SaskTel Centre for the 2023/24 Home Opener.
The Rush are coming off an opening night loss against the Halifax Thunderbirds. The Knighthawks on the other hand, had a come-from-behind victory in their home opener against Calgary, winning 14-13 in front of 4162 fans. Since moving to Saskatchewan, the Rush are 8-3 all-time against the Knighthawks.
Saskatchewan was led by Zach Manns in week one who had three goals and three assists in his new-team debut. Robert Church had a hat trick to open the season, and Isaac Ngyou scored his first and second NLL goals at the Scotiabank Centre. Frank Scigliano and Laine Hruska split duties between the pipes, with Scigliano making 27 saves and Hruska stopping 21 shots.
Rochester features superstar Connor Fields who had four goals and six points to kick off the season, while Ryan Smith also matched his output with six points of his own. Defender Matt Gilray led the way with 11 loose balls against Calgary, while Rylan Hartley started the game, allowing eight goals on 14 shots. Riley Hutchcraft finished the game making 28 saves for the win.
These two teams met back in March of 2022, with the Rush winning 9-6 at home thanks to a five-goal performance from Ryan Keenan. Robert Church had three assists in that game and Mike Messenger tallied four caused turnovers.
Faceoff in Saskatoon, SK is at 7:00 p.m. CST. You can listen to the pre- game show on 92.9 The Bull starting at 5:30pm, watch the game live with Cody Janzen, John Fraser and Sabeen Ahmad on TSN+ and after the game, catch the post-game show on 92.9 The Bull for your drive home.
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Tickets to the game can be found here.