PREVIEW: Saskatchewan vs Georgia (Round 1)
Apr 21, 2025Saskatoon, SK – The Saskatchewan Rush host the Georgia Swarm in a single elimination quarterfinal game to kick off the 2025 NLL Playoffs presented by PlayNow on Co-op Field in SaskTel Centre, Saturday, April 26th at 7:30pm.
Neither of these teams are unfamiliar with each other, facing off 10 times since the Rush moved to Saskatoon in 2016. Saskatchewan took the first ever matchup 14-8 inside SaskTel Centre, but dropped the next three games against the Swarm, including the 2017 NLL Championship. In January 2018, Robert Church’s hat trick lifted the green machine to a 13-9 win in Duluth, but the pesky Swarm would take the next four meetings up until this spring.
On March 8th, 2025, the Rush would buck the trend against their eastern rival with an 8-7 win on enemy territory. Frank Scigliano was phenomenal, making 45 saves in the win, while Brock Haley and Ryan Keenan added two goals each, with Josh Zawada scoring the game winner.
Four familiar faces have seen the Saskatchewan vs Georgia rivalry from early days. Robert Church has 22 goals and 46 points in nine games, while Ryan Keenan has 9 goals and 17 assists in nine meetings as well. For the Swarm, their two-headed monster of Lyle Thompson and Shayne Jackson have combined for 42 goals and 62 assists in 10 games against the Rush.
Scigliano is 4-4 all time against the Swarm, but his last two outing’s against Georgia’s squad have been nothing short of spectacular. The savvy veteran has held them to just 15 goals, making 89 stops in the process, good for a .855 save percentage. In eight games against Lyle Thompson’s team, Scigliano has held the superstar to just 10 goals. Since making his playoff debut at age 20, the 6’4 netminder has a 3-6 record with Calgary and San Diego, posting an 11.27 GAA and .775 SV% in over 540 minutes of action, still on the hunt for his first NLL Cup.
The Rush vs Swarm rivalry runs deep. All the way back to 2006 when the teams first met inside of Rexall Place, where two goals from Jimmy Quinlan wasn’t enough as Minnesota took the game 7-6. The Edmonton Rush would go 7-6 all time against the Minnesota Swarm in the regular season between 2006-2015, with the most notable contest being a playoff matchup in 2012.
May 12, 2012. Just a week after hammering the #1 seed Calgary Roughnecks 19-11 in the West Semifinals, the #4 seed Edmonton Rush headed down to Minnesota to face the Swarm in the conference final. After a 6-10 regular season that included a 2-6 record on the road, the Rush got hot at the right time and their opponents felt the brunt of it. The squad that featured a balance of up-and-coming defensive stars and strong veteran leaders, pummeled the Swarm 15-3.
Saskatchewan enters the season as the #2 seed, with the Buffalo Bandits as the #1 seed. The last time that happened… 2016. And we all remember how that ended. Home floor advantage has been huge for the Rush inside SaskTel Centre, posting a 6-2 record, while only holding a 3-2 road record.
The single elimination quarterfinal game takes place on Co-op Field in SaskTel Centre on Saturday, April 26th at 7:30PM.
For Rush Nation looking to lock in their seats for the entire post season can do so with our Pay as you Play pricing, starting at $25 per seat.
Single game tickets can be purchased here.