Robert Church scored just 44 seconds into overtime as the Saskatchewan Rush extended their winning streak to eight games with a 9-8 win over the Vancouver Warriors on Saturday night.
The Rush came out on top in a back-and-forth, grind-it-out battle between two of the top teams in the league. Saskatchewan remains in first place at 9-1, while the Warriors drop to 6-3.
As expected, it was a goaltending battle between Christian Del Bianco and Frank Scigliano. Both faced 40 shots, with Del Bianco making 31 saves and Scigliano stopping 32.
Saskatchewan’s depth was also on display Saturday night, as Levi Anderson had one of his best games as a pro with two goals and three assists for five points.
For Vancouver, Adam Charalambides led the way with a six-point night, including a hat trick.
First Quarter
The first quarter went scoreless until the 2:24 mark, when Levi Anderson’s sidearm shot through the middle found the back of the net.
After Saskatchewan had a pair of goals waved off, Adam Charalambides tied the game with a fake before beating Scigliano at 5:45.
The Warriors took the lead when Jesse King drove to the net and scored off a bounce at 6:42.
After a third video review waved off a Vancouver goal, Keegan Bal scored shorthanded on an outside shot that appeared intended to kill the clock, making it 3-1 after the first quarter.
Second Quarter
Anderson scored his second of the game 2:15 into the second quarter, picking up a rebound off the end boards and catching Del Bianco out of position.
Vancouver restored its two-goal lead when Marcus Klarich dove to the net at 3:06. There were conflicting calls on the floor, and after a fourth review, it was ruled a good goal.
Charalambides put the Warriors up by three with a low bounce shot at 4:50.
Saskatchewan cut into the lead when Brock Haley sliced through the defence at 6:24.
Zach Manns then got on the board at 5:20 with a twister to narrow Vancouver’s lead to 5-4.
The Warriors went back up by two when Steph Charboneau missed the net on transition, but Bal picked up the rebound with 1:21 left on the clock.
However, Robert Church went far side four-on-four with 31.2 seconds remaining to make it 6-5 for Vancouver at halftime.
Third Quarter
Saskatchewan wasted no time tying the game. Off a turnover in transition, Adam Jay got the ball to Matt Acchione, who beat Del Bianco at 3:23.
The remainder of the quarter went scoreless until 2:54 was left on the clock. Manns found an opening and charged to the net to put the Rush ahead 7-6 heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter and Overtime
The back-and-forth battle continued into the fourth quarter.
Charalambides scored on a low-to-low shot just 39 seconds into the fourth quarter to tie the game 7-7.
With time ticking down, Charalambides found King tiptoeing the crease at 7:39 to give Vancouver an 8-7 lead.
In desperation mode, Manns dove from behind the net with 1:42 left on the clock to tie the game 8-8 and send it to overtime.
In overtime, Church got an open look 44 seconds into the extra frame and went five-hole on Del Bianco to give the Rush the 9-8 win.
Robert Church, Zach Manns, Levi Anderson and Jimmy Quinlan spoke after the game:
Top Scorers
Saskatchewan Rush
- Zach Manns, 3g 3a
- Ryan Keenan, 5a
- Levi Anderson, 2g 3a
- Robert Church, 2g 2a
Vancouver Warriors
- Adam Charalambides, 3g 3a
- Jesse King, 2g 1a
- Keegan Bal, 2g 1a
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