Saskatchewan Rush earn playoff spot after win against San Diego

The Saskatchewan Rush have officially become the first NLL team to clinch a playoff spot this season, thanks to a win against San Diego.

After an action packed home game against the San Diego Seals on Saturday evening, the Rush came out on top with a final score of 10-9.

The Seals started strong with an early lead by scoring the first three goals of the game. Those goals were answered just before the end of the first quarter after the Rush’s Robert Church put a point on the board, followed by two additional goals from Austin Shanks and Josh Zawada to tie the game.

The next two quarters of the game were filled with lots of back and forth on the scoreboard. Thanks to another two goals from Church, in addition to Zach Manns, Matt Acchione, Ryan Barnable’s shooting skills, the Rush ended up leading 8-7 at the start of the fourth quarter.

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The Rush kept that lead for the final 15 minutes of the game. While San Diego managed to score on a power play in the final few minutes of the game, a goal from Matt Hossack on the Seals’ open net gave the Rush an important extra point. That extra point allowed Saskatchewan to take the win, despite another last minute goal for San Diego.

Goalie Frank Scigliano also showcased his skills at SaskTel Centre, as he made 39 saves out of the 48 shots on his net.

Now, Saskatchewan is at the top of the league with an 11-3 record. The Rush is preparing to face off in an away game against the Toronto Rock on Friday.