PREVIEW: SASKATCHEWAN VS HALIFAX (DEC.14)
Dec 11, 2024Saskatoon, SK –– The Saskatchewan Rush (1-0) and Halifax Thunderbirds (0-1) will battle it out on Co-op Field at SaskTel Centre on Saturday, December 14th.
The Rush are coming off a 10-9 OT win over the Albany FireWolves where Austin Shanks scored twice including the game winner. Zach Manns led the way on offence with four goals and an assist, while Brock Haley had two goals and three assists. Between the pipes, Frank Scigliano stopped 49/58 for an .845 save percentage to open the season. The Rush could be without defender Connor McClelland who is currently on the IR with an upper-body injury.
Ex’s and O’s: Saskatchewan’s major free agent signing, Austin Shanks, spent his first six seasons in the NLL with the Halifax Thunderbirds organization after being selected 5th overall in the 2017 draft by Curt Styres.
Halifax’s season opener saw them fall to the Calgary Roughnecks 18-17 at home in a seesaw battle. Clarke Petterson and Randy Staats led the way with nine points each. In goal, Warren Hill stopped 38/55 for a .691 save percentage in his first start of the season. The team was without Jake Withers who was suspended for the first game of the season.
Goals Galore: The explosive purple and orange offence didn’t skip a beat this summer despite some key subtractions as both Petterson and Staats tallied nine points in their season opener.
Faceoff from Co-op Field is at 7:00PM Sask time. Viewers in Canada can watch the game on NLL+, TSN+ and CTV2 Atlantic, with those in America on ESPN+ with Cody Janzen, John Fraser and Sabeen Ahmad on the call. Following the game, Rush fans can catch the official post-game show live from the turf with Janzen and Fraser during team autographs.
Join Rush Nation this weekend as Saskatchewan and Halifax battles it out on Co-op Field for the home opener presented by SaskTel! Tickets can be purchased here.