YORKTON - The Saskatchewan Rush advanced to the NLL Championship final Saturday and they did it in dramatic fashion.
The Rush were up a game in their semi final set with Halifax but trailed the Thunderbirds on Co-op Field in Saskatoon by two, with less than a minute remaining.
Then Zach Manns got the Rush back within one with 44 seconds left.
Still it looked like a game three might be needed Sunday.
But Saskatchewan kept pushing, and with 16 seconds left and their net empty, Mike Messenger caused a turnover, allowing the ball to spring free to Ryan Barnable who passed up to Defender of the Year finalist Matt Hossack, who faked high, shot low, and tied the game with mere three ticks left on the clock.
The game went to overtime where with a man advantage Austin Shanks scored for the Rush to eliminate Halifax and move on to the final with a 10-9 win.
While a thrill for fans watching, it was just as exciting for players – at least on the winning side.
“It was absolutely crazy,” said Zach Manns in an interview with Yorkton This Week Monday. “It was probably the most unreal final of a lacrosse game I’ve ever been part of.”
Manns said as unlikely as the comeback and win might of seemed to most, the team always felt it was possible.
“It shows we have no quit in the locker room,” said Manns.
That said everything had to fall into place just at the right time too, starting with a huge effort by Mike Messenger to knock the ball away from the Thunderbirds to start the play that led to the tying goal.
“Mike Messenger made probably the defensive effort of our season,” said Manns.
So how does a player stay focused as the seconds drain?
“It’s a tough thing. You can’t really look at the clock,” said Manns adding you try to get the play in your head before the whistle, and then rely on “the internal clock” to make sure the shot is made before time runs out.
The Rush now face Buffalo in what is a rematch of the 2016 NLL Championship.
It will be the Rush’s first final since 2018, when they finished off a period of three titles in four seasons.
The Bandits finished the regular season in top spot in the NLL with an 11-4 record, the same as the Rush. But Saskatchewan are underdogs as the Bandits are in the final for the fifth straight year, and are defending champs.
Manns said they don’t worry about how others might view their chances.
“We’re a special team, with special players and special coaches,” he said, adding their only focus “is on ourselves.”
So what will it take to win it all?
“It’s just going to take a complete effort,” said Manns, adding they want that effort to mean a few more goals. They lost 9-7 to the Bandits in their most recent meeting, and Manns noted seven goals is rarely enough to win a lacrosse game. “But, we do have a fantastic defence and goaltender so anything can happen.”
Saskatchewan will travel to Buffalo for Game one of the best-of-three Friday night at 7:30 p.m.
Game two is in Saskatoon May 18, and a Game three (if necessary back in Buffalo May 24).
