Saskatchewan Rush heading to NLL championship final after dramatic OT win
Austin Shanks scored the game-winning goal in overtime Saturday night at Saskatoon's SaskTel Centre, giving the Rush a 10–9 victory over the Halifax Thunderbirds in Game 2 of their best-of-three semifinal.
The win completed a 2–0 series sweep and sends Saskatchewan to the NLL final against the two-time defending champion Buffalo Bandits.
Stunning comeback in final seconds
The Rush were down 9–7 with under a minute to play in regulation when they pulled off one of the most dramatic comebacks in franchise history.
Zach Manns scored with 44 seconds left to bring the Rush within one. Then, with under five seconds remaining, Matt Hossack tied the game off a turnover caused by Mike Messenger.
In overtime, Saskatchewan earned a power play. Shanks, who spent several seasons with Halifax, scored his second goal of the night to send the Rush to the league final.
WATCH | NLL recap of Saskatchewan Rush v. Halifax Thunderbirds:
Saturday's win sets up a rematch of the 2016 championship, when the Rush defeated Buffalo to claim their second NLL title.
The Rush last won the championship in 2018. Now, with home-turf advantage in Game 2, they'll look to reclaim the title in front of their fans at SaskTel Centre.
The series begins Friday in Buffalo before shifting to Saskatoon on Sunday. If necessary, a deciding Game 3 is scheduled for Friday, May 24, back in Buffalo.
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