Rush expect close contest against speedy Mammoth

It was an ugly score: 18-9, in the playoffs, with a championship berth on the line.

The Saskatchewan Rush don’t expect history to repeat itself. Their Game 1 win over the Colorado Mammoth last Saturday was a tight scrap through three quarters that was decided by a wild 9-1 outburst in the fourth.

The same teams meet again Saturday in Game 2 (7:30 p.m., SaskTel Centre), and a win would propel the Rush into the National Lacrosse League final against Toronto or Georgia. If they lose, the teams will immediately play a 10-minute mini game to determine who advances.

“They were neck and neck with us the entire way, up until the fourth quarter,” said Rush defender Jeff Cornwall. “And in the fourth quarter, the only thing that really changed was a lot of our shots started to fall for us. They run fast and they move well. We’re expecting more of the first three quarters of that game to be played all of (Saturday), rather than that fourth (quarter), where we got a little bit lucky.”

Here are five things to know heading into Saturday’s contest.

1.

Regular-season rivalry Saskatchewan took three of four from Colorado during the regular season, but it wasn’t easy. The teams scored 41 goals apiece.

Saskatchewan was 12-6 during the regular season, while Colorado went 9-9.

2.

Old friends

Rush forward Adam Jones, who was traded from Colorado to Saskatchewan during the off-season for Zack Greer in an exchange of snipers, keyed Saturday’s win with six goals — all in the second half. He finished with nine points. Greer had a goal and two assists.

3.

Down south

In the NLL’s other series, the Toronto Rock are on the road against the Georgia Swarm, who won the opener 11-8. Georgia wins the series outright if they capture Game 2. If they don’t, the teams will play a 10-minute mini game. Georgia was a league best 13-5 this season, while Toronto was 9-9.

4.

Bye week

The two winners this weekend get an extra week of rest before squaring off in the NLL’s best-of-three championship series starting June 3.

5.

Scoring leaders Saskatchewan’s Mark Matthews was second in NLL scoring this season with 40 goals and 73 assists in 18 games. Colorado’s Callum Crawford was sixth with 36 goals and 62 assists.