The Saskatchewan Rush edged out the Calgary Roughnecks 10-8 at the Scotiabank Saddledome in their first game under their new moniker.
Reigniting the rivalry the two teams shared while the Rush were National Lacrosse League champions in Edmonton, the Roughnecks sought to silence the defending champions with two first-quarter goals from Dan MacRae and Dane Dobbie. Ben McIntosh and Chris Corbell evened the score for the Rush, however relentless pressure from the host team took them up to a 5-2 lead heading into halftime.
Led by Zack Greer, Mark Matthews and Curtis Church, who had two goals apiece in the second half, the Rush stormed back with eight goals to Calgary’s three.
Curtis Knight had one goal and five helpers in the comeback.
The Roughnecks also had trouble creating offensive chances, registering only 17 shots in the final 30 minutes. Saskatchewan had 24 shots leading them to its first win of the 2016 season.
TSN 3 carried Saturday’s matchup in an effort to build more buzz for the league’s new team.
With a couple of weeks off, the Rush look to satisfy a thirsty sports town when they host Vancouver on Jan. 15 at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon for the home-opener.