Austin Shanks recorded a sock trick against his former team as the Saskatchewan Rush dominated Game 1 of the NLL semifinals, winning 16–7 over the Halifax Thunderbirds.
It was also Shanks’ first career playoff sock trick. On the faceoff dot, rookie Jake Naso held his own against Jake Withers, winning 15 of 28 draws.
The Rush have traditionally struggled in The Nest, but not on Saturday night. After Halifax opened the scoring, Saskatchewan responded with a five-goal run. The Rush are now 11–1 when the opposing team scores first.
Frank Scigliano continues to prove he can perform under pressure, stopping 41 of 48 shots in the win. He also got plenty of help from the goalposts and a strong Rush defence that absorbed shot after shot.
Drew Hutchinson started in goal for Halifax but was pulled in the third quarter after allowing nine goals.
Frustration boiled over for the Thunderbirds with 1:38 remaining, as they struggled to keep their composure. Halifax amassed 51 penalty minutes, and Saskatchewan capitalized by going four-for-twelve on the power play.
Game 2 is set for next Saturday in Saskatoon. If necessary, Game 3 will be played Sunday, also at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon.
Shanks Burns Former Team Early
The Thunderbirds struck quickly, scoring just 53 seconds into the game. Clarke Petterson converted a flip pass from Randy Staats to give Halifax their only lead of the night.
With an 11–1 record when the opposition scores first, the Rush didn’t panic—and it paid off. Clark Walter scored on an outside shot through a screen at 1:19, igniting a five-goal run.
At the 3:50 mark, Zach Manns went top shelf, picking the corner as the Rush scored on two of their first three shots.
Robert Church rifled home a shot at 9:56. Off a quick restart, Ryan Keenan found a wide-open Shanks a minute later to make it 4–1.
Shanks then snagged a pass from Brock Haley in traffic and scored at 12:08.
Staats momentarily stopped the bleeding for Halifax, scoring short side on a broken play with 1:50 left. Dawson Theede followed with a goal at 47.3 seconds to bring Halifax within two.
But Shanks responded with his hat-trick goal just 21.3 seconds before the break, diving from behind the net to give the Rush a 6–3 lead after the first quarter.
Defensive Battle in the Second
Both teams struggled to generate offence in the second quarter.
Thomas Hoggarth cleaned up a rebound from a Staats shot at 1:14, narrowing the score to 6–4.
The Rush answered with only one minute left in the half. In transition, Matt Hossack scored off a give-and-go with Walter, pushing Saskatchewan’s lead to 7–4 at halftime.
Rush Power Play Comes to Life
Discipline became a major issue for Halifax in the third quarter, and Saskatchewan took full advantage.
On a five-on-three power play, Keenan went top shelf, short side. Just 26 seconds later, Shanks scored on a bouncer to extend the lead to five.
At that point, Warren Hill replaced Hutchinson in goal for Halifax.
Ryan Terefenko briefly halted the run with a coast-to-coast shorthanded goal at 8:22.
But the Rush answered quickly. Shanks went low to high on the man advantage at 9:16, then scored his sixth goal—his sock trick—off a quick whistle at 2:08, giving Saskatchewan an 11–5 lead.
Mike Messenger capped the third-quarter scoring with 1:14 remaining, finishing a sensational solo effort in transition as the Rush led 12–5 entering the final frame.
Rush Dominate to Take 1–0 Series Lead
Halifax opened fourth-quarter scoring with Theede feeding Hoggarth inside at 4:28.
But the Rush responded once again on the power play. Church scored off a quick-stick pass from Keenan at 9:13.
In a last-ditch effort, Theede ripped a shot with an extra attacker on the floor at 11:55, cutting the deficit to six.
With 2:37 left, Matt Hossack found Manns for an empty-netter to make it 14–7.
Then Halifax lost its composure, leading to three penalty shots for Saskatchewan in the final 1:07 as the Thunderbirds were down three men.
Brock Haley buried the first penalty shot for the Rush’s 15th goal. He scored again on the second attempt at 1:01. Saskatchewan also made a goalie change, with Thomas Kiazyk playing the final minute.
With 10.7 seconds left, Mike Triolo took the third penalty shot but missed. Regardless, the Rush took Game 1 by a commanding 16–7 score to seize the series lead heading back home.
Top Scorers
Saskatchewan Rush
Zach Manns, 2g 7a
Austin Shanks, 6g
Robert Church, 2g 3a
Ryan Keenan, 1g 4a
Halifax Thunderbirds
Randy Staats, 1g 5a
Dawson Theede, 2g 1a
Clarke Petterson, 1g 2a
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