The Saskatchewan Rush are 0-2 this season at home following a 12-6 loss at SaskTel Centre to the Colorado Mammoth Saturday night. The Rush jumped ahead early in the first quarter before falling behind to a Colorado team that scored five unanswered goals in the second quarter. “We stopped playing. I think we thought it was going to be easy.” said Rush Head Coach Derek Keenan following the game. Keenan says his team had too many defensive breakdowns and that his players didn’t play hard enough on offense in the 12-6 loss. Colorado was coming off short rest after having played a Vancouver team that beat them 7-5 the night before. Keenan did say that his team had more grit and energy in the second half, although being down and with good goaltending from Colorado’s Dillon Ward, they’re a tough team to come back on. The Rush have two weeks off before returning to action at home on Saturday, February 8th when they host the Colorado Mammoth in a re-match of Saturday’s game. The broadcast on 92.9 The Bull will begin at 6:30 and the play-by-play will get underway at 7:30 p.m.
Below is the media release from the Saskatchewan Rush…
The Saskatchewan Rush got off to a quick start but they couldn’t hold back an avalanche from the Colorado Mammoth.
Colorado scored five unanswered goals in the second quarter and wound up with a 12-6 win on Saturday night at SaskTel Centre. The season-series between the two West Division rivals is now evened up and they’ll settle the issue right back on Co-Op Field on February 8th. The Mammoth’s win also ended their eight-game losing streak against the Rush in regular-season action.
The Mammoth (4-3) were sparked by five goals from Chris Wardle and a 53-save performance from goaltender Dillon Ward. The Rush (3-2) got two goals apiece from Ben McIntosh, including his 200th career regular-season marker, and Jeff Shattler.
Saskatchewan blazed out of the gates, kicked off by Ryan Keenan’s goal just 35 seconds in the game. The Rush then added two straight power-play goals – McIntosh with a quick-stick strike from the edge of the crease and Mark Matthews with a shot from the top of the slot that found the top corner past Ward.
But after closing the gap before the end of the first, the Mammoth rumbled their way into a huge momentum swing in the second quarter. Back-to-back goals from Eli McLaughlin were quickly followed by two straight goals from Wardle, giving him a first-half hat trick. Joey Cupido, who doomed the Rush’s playoff hopes with the overtime winner in last year’s West Division Semifinal, upped the Mammoth lead with 41 seconds left in the opening half with a long-range shot that eluded Rush goalie Evan Kirk.
The Mammoth added two more in the third and then put the hammer down in the fourth beginning with Wardle’s fifth of the night with a sidearm rocket from outside. Ryan Lee made it 11-5 and McLaughlin rounded out the visitors’ scoring with hat-trick tally.
