Saskatchewan Rush complete jaw-dropping comeback over Halifax, advance to NLL final

Global News

12-05-2025

Sitting at a media table less than half an hour after sending the Saskatchewan Rush through to the NLL final with the biggest goal of his career, Austin Shanks confirmed he was motivated to eliminate his former team on Saturday night.
'I wanted to knock them out tonight,' Shanks said. 'I brought one suit and I wanted them gone tonight, tonight and move on to Buffalo.'
The Rush sniper delivered the dagger against the Halifax Thunderbirds in Game 2 of the NLL semi-finals at SaskTel Centre, advancing Saskatchewan to a series against the Buffalo Bandits that they've been building towards for years.
Shanks, who buried the power-play game-winner 1:40 into overtime against Halifax, put the finishing touches on one of the wildest comebacks in NLL history to send the hometown crowd into hysterics.
'A lot of people say we're young,' Shanks said. 'Maybe we're young and dumb, who knows? We just don't give up, we have so much heart, guys want it so bad. That was a wild ending, like, come on. The guys just worked so hard and gave us a chance, and we got it done.'
Story continues below advertisement
Down by a 9-7 count with less than a minute to play following a pair of Thunderbirds goals by Thomas Hoggarth, the Rush pulled goaltender Frank Scigliano for the extra attacker in the hopes of avoiding a winner-take-all Game 3 on Sunday.
Zach Manns found the back of the net with 44 seconds remaining to cut the deficit to 9-8, however, the Thunderbirds would gain possession with just 12 seconds remaining in a bid to wind out the clock and secure the Game 2 victory.
What ensued was a series of events that will be talked about in Rush lacrosse circles for years, as veteran Mike Messenger made a diving stab at Halifax's Ryan Terefenko, which caused a timely turnover along the far glass.
Get breaking National news
For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up
By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy
Saskatchewan's Ryan Barnable was then able to get it up the floor to NLL defensive player of the year nominee Matt Hossack, who buried the tying goal with just 5.7 seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime.
'The play Mike Messenger made to track down that loose ball, dive and hit (Terefenko's) stick was a game-saver for us,' Rush defenceman Holden Garlent said. '(Hossack) obviously will get the credit for the goal, but (Messenger) deserves all the credit for the hard-work play he made.'
2:09
Saskatchewan Rush on the doorstep of NLL Finals, hosting Halifax for Game 2 of semis
In overtime, Halifax forward Mike Robinson was charged with a five-minute major and a game misconduct for boarding on Rush defender Bobby Kidd III.
Story continues below advertisement
That five-minute power play would quickly be converted on by a laser beam of a shot from Shanks, securing the unlikely 10-9 comeback for Saskatchewan to sweep the best-of-three series over Halifax.
'The way we just won that game is pretty surreal, to be honest,' Rush co-head coach Jimmy Quinlan said. 'Being around the game for as long as I have, I feel like I've maybe been on the other end of one like that. Again, probably in the regular season. The magnitude of what we were up against and to come through, to execute and to make plays, it's pretty special.'
Saskatchewan's win has moved the team to a perfect 3-0 in post-season play after making its return to NLL playoffs for the first time since 2019.
Not since the team's dynasty years between 2015 and 2018 have the Rush experienced such playoff success, as they now prepare for their first NLL Cup championship series in seven years.
'The 2015 to 2018 (the team) was a dynasty,' Garlent said. 'They were unbelievable and even growing up watching those guys, I came into the league 2019-2020, so just a year after those championships. I see a lot of the same stuff that we're doing now that's resembled there. Obviously, going to the finals is going to be huge no matter the outcome for this group.
'Obviously, our end goal is to win the championship every single year.'
Story continues below advertisement
On the other side of the matchup will be the top-seeded Bandits, who are coming off a two-game sweep of their own last weekend over the Vancouver Warriors.
Winning the last two NLL titles and making their fifth consecutive trip to the league championship series, the Bandits have been the class of the NLL for the better part of half a decade.
A sense of belief and a little lacrosse magic is giving the Rush confidence they can finish the job, however, according to Garlent, with all the glory up for grabs.
'We know that we can run with Buffalo, we can play with Buffalo,' Garlent said.
'They've been there before, but I don't think it's too far of a task for us to accomplish. I'm excited about the opportunity.'
Tweet This
Click to share quote on Twitter: "They've been there before, but I don't think it's too far of a task for us to accomplish. I'm excited about the opportunity."
For Shanks, he was on the floor at SaskTel Centre in 2018 as a rookie when his Rochester Knighthawks fell in three games to the Rush.
Now a veteran in the league, his appetite to finally capture that elusive championship is equalled by the rest of the Saskatchewan dressing room.
'It adds to the confidence but this group is a confident group,' Shanks said. 'We're hungry, we want it. We want it bad.'
Story continues below advertisement
Game 1 of the NLL final will be held on Friday at 5:30 p.m. in Buffalo, before the series shifts to SaskTel Centre next Sunday with a 6 p.m. opening faceoff.
If necessary, a deciding Game 3 would be played on Saturday, May 24 in Buffalo.