One win away.
That’s how close the Saskatchewan Rush are to securing their second National Lacrosse League championship in as many years.
The green and black entered hostile territory in Buffalo, and took game one 11-9 in front of a sold out crowd at the Niagara Center.
The Rush worked behind forward Robert Church and his five-point night, sealing the victory with three unanswered goals in the fourth quarter.
Mark Matthews found the back of the net for the sixth time in the 2016 playoff run before Adrian Sorichetti made it 2-0 Saskatchewan with a coast-to-coast effort. Sorichetti blasted a shot top corner, much to the dismay of the Buffalo crowd.
Matthews continued where he left off in the second frame, beating Anthony Cosmo with a snapshot on the man advantage. Church registered his second assist of the evening. The 3-0 lead ended up being the biggest one of the night, as both NLL juggernauts went toe-to-toe the rest of the way.
Saskatchewan’s power play unit had a successful game, scoring twice on three attempts.
The Rush limited Dhane Smith the best they could, shadowing the top goal scorer in the NLL throughout the tilt, but this task is easier said than done. Smith finished the game with six points - three goals and three assists, and played a big part in their four goal surge in the second quarter.
With Saskatchewan taking a 4-2 advantage, Smith assisted on three of four unanswered tallies for the Bandits, handing them their first lead of the game. It was short-lived, however, as Zack Greer answered under a minute later before Jarrett Davis tied the game up. Davis fought off a defender before tucking home a rebound to make it a 6-6 ball game.
Smith scored two in the third while Saskatchewan’s more balanced attack struck twice, providing the platform for an exciting game one finish.
In the fourth quarter, Ryan Benesch of Buffalo ignited the Niagara Center, finding a quality scoring lane before firing a shot past Aaron Bold. 9-8 Bandits.
The Rush trailed in the fourth quarter, a rare sight, but not for long.
Church found himself wide open in the slot in the fourth quarter. McIntosh made the best out of the scoring chance, hitting him with a pass before number 17 watched his shot trickle over the goal line.
The tally seemed to have provided the spark Saskatchewan needed.
Davis then spotted McIntosh at the top of the crease before he was able to make it 10-9 Rush. The green and black put the game to bed just 50 seconds later. Greer flew in from the right wing before hitting mesh, scoring his second of the game and third point of the night. Bold held it down the rest of the way, en route to the game one victory.
The netminder finished with 43 saves.
Game two of the series now goes Saturday night at the SaskTel Centre. Saskatchewan is expecting a sell out as they look to hoist the Champion’s Cup.
