By Colton Swiderski

Rush face off with Calgary Roughnecks tonight

Feb 4, 2017 | 7:30 AM

When the Rush and the Roughnecks tangle, the results are tough, fast, high-scoring games.

Tonight, the 2-2 Saskatchewan Rush are in Calgary to take on the 3-1 Roughnecks in an important National Lacrosse League divisional game.

If the Rush win, they’ll be the first place team ahead of Calgary in their division. Derek Keenan, head coach and general manager for the Rush, said the Roughnecks are playing really well this season.

“It’s going to be a tough game for us,” Keenan said. “They’re a really good team top to bottom, good defence and goaltending, tons of weapons on offence. We’ll have our hands full.”

Calgary’s offensive threats include Curtis Dickson who has 14 goals and 11 assist so far in the season. Dane Dobbie and Jeff Shattler each have 20 points while Wesley Berg has 18 and Tyler Digby has 17.

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It’s expected that Frank Scigliano will be starting in net for the Roughnecks. In three games played Scigliano has allowed 30 goals for a 10.00 goals against average and a .754 save percentage.

With 51 goals scored through four games, Keenan said the Rush won’t be making any big changes or adjustments to defend.

“We’ll just play our team defence and win the time and space battles against guys like Dickson, Berg, Dobbie and Shattler,” he said. “They can all score, and can do it from the perimeter and the inside, so we’ll have some assignments to limit their space and timing so we can take away the middle of the floor and keep things to the perimeter.”

Leading the Rush in points and sitting third in league scoring is Mark Matthews, who has nine goals and 22 assists for 31 points in four games. Robert Church (19), Adam Jones (14), Curtis Knight (11) and Ryan Keenan (10) round out the top five point leaders for the Rush.

Getting his fourth start of the season for the Rush will be Aaron Bold. In three games played Bold is 2-1 with a .777 save percentage.

In the last three seasons, including playoffs, the Rush are 13-2-3 against the Roughnecks and have outscored them 218 to 170. Five meetings between the two clubs were decided by one goal.

Keenan said the Roughnecks average over 11,000 fans per game, making for a loud atmosphere, but the Rush have played well in the Saddledome in recent years.

“We seem to rise to the occasion there,” Keenan said. “The big thing going in there is to keep composure.” 

Calgary and Saskatchewan have one of the fiercest rivalries in the NLL which Keenan said has always been present.

“It’s a great rivalry. It’s bitter but it’s good too,” Keenan said. “They’re a good team and it’s always a good matchup against them.”

This is the first of four meetings for the Rush and Roughnecks this season. Back in December, the two teams met for a pre-season back-and-forth game which the Rush won 9-6.

Opening faceoff is at 9 p.m.

Email: colton.swiderski@jpbg.ca

On Twitter @coltonswiderski