A big weekend for the Halifax Thunderbirds
A big weekend for the Halifax Thunderbirds
Clarke Petterson of the Halifax Thunderbirds chats about making it to the semi-finals of the National Lacrosse League for the first time.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Global News
29-05-2025
- Global News
Saskatchewan Rush look back on breakthrough season, run to Game 3 of NLL finals
Sitting at the podium Saturday with a room full of media members in tow, it was a look of dejection on the face of Saskatchewan Rush captain Ryan Keenan which told the entire story. Finishing the 2024-25 National Lacrosse League season one win shy of a league title and picking up the pieces following a 15-6 loss to the Buffalo Bandits. 'Definitely not how we expected things to go,' said Keenan post-game on Saturday. 'You know, it sucks. I thought we were ready for the moment.' The Rush watched on as the Bandits raised the NLL Cup for the third year in a row on Saturday, falling in Game 3 of the best-of-three NLL championship series to see their season come to a heartbreaking end. Trailing only by one goal 7-6 at halftime in Buffalo, the Rush struggled to contain the Bandits' lethal attack in the third quarter with the home side burying eight unanswered goals over the final two quarters to secure the three-peat. Story continues below advertisement 'Honestly it really came down to 30 minutes of them playing really, really well and us not playing very well,' said Rush co-head coach and general manager Derek Keenan on Tuesday. 'That's really what it came down to.' It's a crushing end to the 2024-25 season for the Rush, who pushed Buffalo to a deciding third game in the series after a narrow 11-10 victory a week prior at SaskTel Centre in Game 2. According to rookie forward Brock Haley, the team is taking some solace in the fact they pushed Buffalo to the brink and got to push their season into late May. 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 'Everyone was just really excited to continue to have another week with the fellas,' said Haley. 'That was one thing we were preaching in the locker room, just play for another week with each other and that's what we did. 'We played until the last possible game we could. It didn't go our way, but that's sports.' Despite the loss, it was a breakthrough season for Saskatchewan following a trio of 8-10 seasons dating back to 2022 and a playoff drought which stretched back to 2019 before the Rush returned to the post-season this spring with a 13-5 regular season. 2:07 Saskatchewan Rush stave off elimination with gutsy Game 2 victory in NLL Finals What followed was a 13-9 quarter-final win over the Georgia Swarm, before sweeping the Halifax Thunderbirds in the second round which included one of the NLL's greatest last-minute comebacks in Game 2 to advance to the championship series against Buffalo. Story continues below advertisement 'I think I'm most proud about our resiliency throughout the year,' said Rush transition threat Jake Boudreau. 'We had a lot of games where we were down at (halftime) and came back, or the bounces weren't going our way and we always stayed in the fight. That's a great characteristic of our group.' Five members of the Rush were celebrated with NLL year-end awards including Matt Hossack for league defensive player of the year, Frank Scigliano for goaltender of the year, co-head coach Jimmy Quinlan earning the Les Bartley Award for coach of the year, Derek Keenan winning GM of the year, and Keegan Bell picking up NLL teammate of the year honours. Putting together the franchise's best season since winning it all in 2018, Haley said it was a memorable first year as a professional and one which proved doubters wrong. 'We were written off at the start of the year,' said Haley. 'I don't think anyone in the lacrosse world thought the Rush were going to be as good as we were, or even go to the finals. Just to kind of prove everybody wrong and show what we can do, and show that we're going to be here for the next five or 10 years.' 'We got a lot of young guys, we got a young core and we're hungry.' Constructing a Rush championship dynasty in the mid-2010s, Keenan believes there are parallels between this group and the one which began knocking on the door of greatness over a decade ago. Story continues below advertisement 'Way back in 2012 when we were still in Edmonton, we had a 6-10 team actually that went to a final that year and lost to Rochester by a couple of goals,' said the Rush general manager. 'We were just building then and it's a little bit reminiscent of that, although I think we're way ahead of the curve on that one.' Experiencing the pain of getting so close to their end goal, the Rush say it's a difficult lesson to learn losing the way they did in Game 3 to Buffalo. However, it's a loss they feel will only lead to better days in the years to come. 'Now we know what it takes seeing Buffalo,' said defenceman Jerrett Smith. 'Obviously they've done it three times in a row, but I think we somewhat have the blueprint now and ideally we get back there.' According to Keenan, the next steps will be determining the future of his role with an expiring contract as Rush general manager, as well as inking new contracts for the team's coaching staff.
Global News
25-05-2025
- Global News
Magical season ends with Game 3 loss in NLL finals for Saskatchewan Rush
Despite their best efforts, the magic finally ran out Saturday for the Saskatchewan Rush as the dynastic Buffalo Bandits dashed the team's hopes for a National Lacrosse League title. The Bandits would hold the Rush off the scoresheet over the final two quarters of Saturday's Game 3 tilt in Buffalo. The hosts taking contest at KeyBank Center to earn a third consecutive NLL championship by a 15-6 final score. After keeping their season alive with a Game 2 victory on their home floor last Sunday, the Rush came out firing in the final and scored the opening goal for the third straight game, courtesy of Austin Shanks. At the midpoint of the first quarter, they held a 3-2 lead. But that soon vanished as the Bandits went on a 5-0 run through the final three minutes of the first quarter and the opening five minutes of the second quarter. Story continues below advertisement Putting the Bandits up to a 7-3 lead were goals from Chris Cloutier, Ian MacKay, Kyle Buchanan and a pair from Josh Byrne. Saskatchewan, however, countered before halftime with Robert Church's first two goals of the series, as well as a Ryan Keenan marker to cut the Buffalo lead to 7-6 at the break. 2:07 Saskatchewan Rush stave off elimination with gutsy Game 2 victory in NLL Finals Coming out of halftime, however, the Bandits would take full control of the game, scoring six times in just over 11 minutes with Byrne and Cloutier completing hat-tricks. Dhane Smith also got on the board with a pair himself. Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The Rush gave up two more goals in the fourth quarter from Buchanan and Cam Wyers and failed to find the back of the net themselves. At the end, they watched Buffalo raise the NLL Cup for a third-straight season. Scoring seven goals and 12 points over the course of the series, MacKay took home NLL finals MVP honours. Story continues below advertisement The Game 3 loss ends Saskatchewan's 2024-25 season, which saw the Rush return to NLL playoffs for the first time in six years and go 4-2 over the course of their run to the NLL championship series.
Global News
19-05-2025
- Global News
Saskatchewan Rush stay alive in NLL finals, tie up series with tight Game 2 victory
It took until the final buzzer on Sunday night, but the Saskatchewan Rush will get one more opportunity to play together and attempt to claim box lacrosse's greatest prize. The Rush defended their home floor in Game 2 of the National Lacrosse League finals, holding on for an 11-10 victory over the Buffalo Bandits to avoid elimination and force a winner-take-all Game 3 of the series. 'We just want to win,' said Rush forward Austin Shanks, who led the way with three goals and five points Sunday. 'We don't care who shoots the ball, who scores the goals, who does what. We all grind for each other and we're so happy for each other's success.' Shanks scored Saskatchewan's final two goals of the night to give the Rush an 11-9 lead with 3:08 remaining over the Bandits, who would cut the gap to 11-10 when Kyle Buchanan scored with 1:05 left. Story continues below advertisement The Rush were able to fend off Buffalo's late charge with goaltender Matt Vinc pulled, including a Holden Garlent blocked shot at the buzzer to secure the win. When asked what it took to keep their season alive, Shanks said it was the defensive effort in the fourth quarter that stepped up when needed. 'Our goalie and defence, they've been the heart of this team and the backbone of this team all year,' Shanks said. 'They made huge stops, they pushed the ball, they bring a ton of energy. They allowed us to get some more opportunities.' Tweet This Click to share quote on Twitter: "They made huge stops, they pushed the ball, they bring a ton of energy. They allowed us to get some more opportunities." Get daily National news Get the day's top news, political, economic, and current affairs headlines, delivered to your inbox once a day. Sign up for daily National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy Rush goaltender Frank Scigliano made 40 stops in the win, which has set up a winner-take-all Game 3 against the Bandits to decide the 2025 NLL Cup. Leading 5-3 midway through the second quarter off a goal from Zach Manns, the Rush would not regain the lead until the fourth quarter, with both sides either tied or within a single goal of each other for most of the night. 'It was a hard game,' Rush co-head coach and general manager Derek Keenan said post-game. 'I didn't think we were at our best at times, but we just hung around long enough for these guys to make some plays in the fourth quarter. I also thought that the goal (Jake) Boudreau got at the end of the half was huge.' Story continues below advertisement 3:26 Saskatchewan Rush begin NLL finals over May long weekend That goal from Boudreau came with just 0.9 seconds left on the clock before halftime, levelling the score at 6-6 for Saskatchewan heading into the break. Shanks said the goal was a big turning point after three consecutive goals from Buffalo. 'Stopping their runs is massive,' Shanks said. 'They can go on runs and stopping them is huge. They were on a bit of a run there and for (Boudreau) to score that in transition, for our defence to get up there going into the locker room just gave us some energy.' Sunday's win at home has tied up the best-of-three series after Buffalo earned a 12-10 victory over Saskatchewan on Friday night in Game 1 of the NLL championship. Very little has separated the two finalists over the pair of games, with the Bandits only outscoring the Rush by a 22-21 margin. Story continues below advertisement For Keenan, the difference Sunday was their forwards finding that last goal to give them a needed two-goal cushion late. 'If you compare the two games, on Friday night Buffalo made some plays in the fourth quarter when they really needed it and we didn't,' Keenan said. 'That's really the difference and it's a very, very fine line. It's going to be tough in there next week, but we'll be prepared.' With the series now shifting back to Buffalo, the Rush have wrapped up their play at SaskTel Centre this season with a perfect 3-0 record at home in the playoffs following Sunday's win. Improving to 9-3 overall this year at home, the Rush secured the Game 2 victory in front of a season-high 8,216 fans, which Shanks said gave the team a big boost over Buffalo — something they'll look to carry over next weekend with a shot at their third NLL championship since moving to Saskatchewan in 2015. 'It's home floor,' Shanks said. 'It's a pride thing, it's an energy thing. We just grind, grind, grind for 60 minutes and home or away, we're going to take that championship next weekend.' The Rush and Bandits will square off on Saturday at 2:30 p.m. for Game 3 from KeyBank Centre in Buffalo to decide who will be raising the 2025 NLL Cup.
