By Scott Zerr, Saskatchewan Rush,

Saskatchewan Rush (3-1) vs. Colorado Mammoth (3-2)

7:30PM (CST), Saturday, January 18, 2020

Co-op Field at SaskTel Centre, Saskatoon, SK

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The Saskatchewan Rush take a two-game winning streak into the first of back-to-back home games against the West Division-rival Colorado Mammoth.

Back on November 29th, the two teams opened the 2019-20 NLL season in Denver with the Rush taking a 9-8 victory. It was the first meeting between the two teams since the Mammoth upset the Rush in the 2019 West Division Semifinal. The West rivals will round out their season-series with a return engagement at SaskTel Centre on February 8th.

With their 12-9 win over the San Diego Seals last Sunday, the Rush (3-1) moved into sole possession of first place in the West with a one-half game lead over Colorado. The Mammoth had their three-game winning streak come to a halt with a 12-9 road loss in Halifax, leaving them one-half game up on third-place Calgary.

The Rush have won eight straight and 11 of its last 13 regular-season games against Colorado. Saskatchewan’s win in November lifted the Rush to an all-time record of 26-17 against the Mammoth. Robert Church notched eight points in that win (3 goals, 5 assists) with Ryan Keenan registering six points (2 goals, 4 assists) and Mark Matthews picking up five point (1 goal, 4 assists). Ben McIntosh chipped in one goal and Connor Robinson added a pair with Evan Kirk racking up 34 saves.

The Rush won a pair of 9-7 games against the Mammoth last season beginning with a February victory in Saskatoon behind three goals from Jeff Shattler, two from Mark Matthews and singles from Ben McIntosh, Marty Dinsdale, Chris Corbeil, and Brett Mydske. Two months later, the Rush won by the same score in Colorado as Ryan Keenan, Mark Matthews and Robert Church each scored a pair with singles going to Jeff Shattler, Scott Campbell, and Ben McIntosh. The Rush wrapped up the regular season with a 13-8 win over Colorado as they stormed out to an 8-0 lead and a halftime cushion of 11-1. Ryan Keenan (1 goal, 5 assists) and Marty Dinsdale (4 goals, 2 assists) each had six-point nights for the Rush. Mark Matthews posted a hat trick, Curtis Knight and Jeff Shattler both scored twice and Robert Church had one goal.

LAST GAME: Ben McIntosh scored four goals, including two of the Rush’s three power-play goals, as Saskatchewan defeated the San Diego Seals 12-9 last Sunday. It was the Rush’s three road win of the season. Mark Matthews (1 goal, 5 assists) and Evan Kirk (43 saves) were two big keys in the Rush’s success in Southern California. Marty Dinsdale and Ryan Keenan both scored twice with singles going to Jeff Cornwall, Chris Corbeil and Jeff Shattler.

ROAD WARRIORS: The Rush are a perfect 3-0 on the road so far this season - the only team in the NLL with three victories away from home. New England, Toronto and Calgary are 2-0 on the road, while Colorado and Philadelphia are 2-1.

MILESTONE MINUTE: Jeremy Thompson became just the sixth player in NLL history to reach 1,300 loose ball scoops in regular-season action - 1,231 of those with the Rush franchise. Thompson needs 10 more faceoff wins to reach 2,000 in combined regular-season and playoff action. All but 65 of those faceoff wins have come as a member of the Rush … After a four-goal outing against San Diego, the Rush’s Ben McIntosh needs just two more goals to reach 200 for his NLL career … Robert Church reached 100 power-play assists and Marty Dinsdale reached 100 assists during the win in San Diego.

NEW FACES: Austin Murphy made his long-awaited NLL debut for the Rush against San Diego. The 2017 fourth-round draft pick picked up one assist in the game and was all around the net. Murphy filled in for Connor Robinson, who was moved to the injured reserve. The Rush also added Saskatoon native Zach Gould to the practice roster … Former Rush goalie Tyler Carlson is the new backup in Colorado after moving over from San Diego last season. He is joined by onetime Rush defender John Lintz.

Statistically Speaking: The Rush’s Mark Matthews and Colorado’s Ryan Lee are both tied for eighth in league scoring with 22 points. Matthews is also tied for seventh in assists with 15 while Lee is tied for 11th in goals with eight … After going 3-for-4 on the power play against San Diego, the Rush are now ranked fourth on the man-advantage at 57.1% (8-for-14). The Rush’s Ryan Keenan is tied for fifth in league with three power-play goals while Mark Matthews is tied for fourth with six power-play assists … Colorado’s power play is ranked fifth at 52.4% (11-for-21). The Mammoth’s Jacob Ruest is second in the league with five power-play goals … The Rush and Mammoth are right by each other in the penalty kill department as well. Saskatchewan sits 11th at 46.7% (eight goals allowed in 15 shorthanded situations) and Colorado sits 10th at 52.3% (11 goals allowed in 23 shorthanded situations). The Mammoth’s Joey Cupido leads the NLL with two shorthanded goals … Colorado is the third-most penalized team in the league at 13.20 PIM per game. The Rush are at a league-low 8.00 PIM per game … Rush defenceman Kyle Rubisch is tied for fifth in the NLL with 40 loose balls alongside the Mammoth’s Robert Hope. Rubisch’s numbers have helped the Rush hit 313 scoops so far this season - behind only Halifax’s 337 of teams that have played only four games. Rubisch is also tied for sixth in defenceman scoring with four points. … Rush defender Ryan Dilks is tied for the league-lead with 10 caused turnovers. Fellow Rush Kyle Rubisch and Mike Messenger are tied for seventh with seven caused turnovers with Holden Garlent and Chris Corbeil in 10th with five caused turnovers … 2018-29: Last season, the Rush’s Mark Matthews finished in a tie for third in the NLL scoring race, knotting Georgia’s Lyle Thompson with 105 points. Matthews finished tied for seventh in assists (64) and tied for fourth in goals at 41 with teammate Ben McIntosh … Jeff Shattler of the Rush led the NLL with five game-winning goals … Saskatchewan ended the season with the top-ranked power play at 57.4%, scoring 31 goals on 54 power-play opportunities. That was the fewest opportunities in the league - 10 less than Georgia … Mark Matthews finished tied for seventh with nine power-play goals with Ben McIntosh right behind with eight. Matthews also finished tied for sixth with 17 power-play assists … The Rush’s Jeremy Thompson led the NLL with 208 loose-ball scoops and he wound up third in faceoff wins with 263 … Rush defenceman Kyle Rubisch was tops in the NLL with 45 caused turnovers.

By the Numbers: Rush goalie Evan Kirk is second in the NLL in both goals-against average (8.20) and save-percentage (.831). He and Colorado’s Dillon Ward are tied for second each with three wins on the year. Ward is fifth with a GAA of 9.18 and third with a .827 SVP. Ward also leads the NLL with 225 total saves … The Rush have given up only 33 goals on the season, second-fewest in the league. New England has surrendered a league-low 27 goals but the Black Wolves have only played three games … Colorado has scored the second-most goals in the NLL with 51, just two back of Halifax … The Rush have the league’s best goals-against per game at 8.20 while they are ninth at 10.0 goals scored per game. Colorado is fifth in goals-against at 9.60 and eighth with goals for at 10.20 … The Rush’s Robert Church is tied for third in Three Stars Award points with 10 (2 x First Star) … The Rush have outscored their opposition 11-7 in first-quarter play, while the Mammoth have been outscored 16-12 in first quarters … Colorado has a team shooting percentage of 16.3%, good for fourth in the league. Saskatchewan sits in 11th with a 13.0 shooting percentage ... 2018-19: Saskatchewan won the NLL attendance derby again last season with an average of 13,459 which was 413 better than Buffalo … The Rush finished the season first in the West with 222 goals. They were third in goals scored per game average with 12.33 and fourth in goals allowed at 11.22 per game … The Rush ended the regular season with 7-2 record at home and 9-3 versus the West. They were also 9-1 when leading after the first quarter, 10-0 when leading at halftime, 10-0 when leading after three quarters.

Rush vs. Mammoth - Season-by-Season Glance

2020

9-8 Rush win (Robert Church scores hat trick and adds five assists for eight-point night)

2019

*11-10 OT Mammoth win (Joey Cupido scores game-winner on unassisted breakaway)

13-8 Rush win (Ryan Keenan and Marty Dinsdale both rack up six points)

9-7 Rush win (Mark Matthews, Ryan Keenan and Robert Church each potted two goals)

9-7 Rush win (Jeff Shattler with the hat trick and Mark Matthews with five points)

*Denotes West Division Semifinal playoff game

2018

11-8 Rush win (Mark Matthews and Robert Church both notch seven-point games)

17-12 Rush win (Ben McIntosh racks up 10 points on two goals and eight assists)

13-10 Rush win (Ryan Keenan has first four-goal game in NLL)

2017

*11-10 Rush win (Mark Matthews leads with six points including four assists)

*18-9 Rush win (Adam Jones registers nine points featuring six second-half goals)

10-9 Rush win (Ben McIntosh notches hat trick plus one assist)

14-10 Mammoth win (Jamie Noble leads with seven points)

12-11 OT Rush win (Ben McIntosh racks up four goals including the overtime winner)

8-7 Rush win (Ben McIntosh scores two goals)

*Denotes West Division Final playoff game

2016

11-8 Rush win (Ben McIntosh and Curtis Knight each collect hat trick)

11-5 Rush win (Ben McIntosh scores four goals)

9-7 Mammoth win (Dillon Ward totals 47 saves)

12-10 Rush win (Mark Matthews racked up six points including four goals)

2015

13-10 Rush win (Mark Matthews & Marty Dinsdale both with seven-point games)

13-12 Rush win (Mark Matthews notches nine points including four goals)

11-7 Rush win (Mark Matthews & Zack Greer both with four-goal games)

2014

10-8 Mammoth win (John Grant Jr. paces attack with four goals)

12-11 Rush win (Cory Conway registers six points including five assists)

17-6 Rush win (Mark Matthews & Zack Greer each score five goals)

13-10 Rush win (Curtis Knight tallies three goals and three assists)

2013

9-7 Mammoth win (Tye Belanger makes 48 saves)

14-7 Rush win (Mark Matthews tops scoring with five goals)

2012

14-11 Rush win (Zack Greer leads the way with two goals)

11-7 Mammoth win (Adam Jones, John Grant Jr., and Jordan McBride each notch hat tricks)

13-12 Mammoth win (John Grant Jr. leads with five goals and four assists)

2011

13-6 Mammoth win

14-13 Rush win (Scott Evans leads with four goals and two assists)

7-6 Mammoth win (John Grant Jr. notches two goals and two assists)

2010

14-10 Mammoth win (Jamie Shewchuk collects nine points including four goals)

14-13 Rush win (Ryan Ward scores four goals and adds three assists)

13-9 Rush win (Ryan Ward notches hat trick plus four assists)

2009

11-9 Rush win (Ryan Benesch has eight-point game including five assists)

10-9 Rush win (Callum Crawford nets four goals and adds two assists)

10-9 Mammoth win (Jamie Shewchuk scores twice and adds two assists)

2008

14-11 Mammoth win (Dan Carey pots hat trick plus three assists

15-4 Mammoth win (Jamie Shewchuk notches seven points)

13-8 Mammoth win (Jamie Shewchuk produces seven points)

2007

16-9 Mammoth win (Jamie Shewchuk notches hat trick plus two assists)

16-7 Mammoth win (Dan Carey leads with two goals and three assists)

2006

15-10 Mammoth win (Dan Stroup collects six points including hat trick)

13-7 Mammoth win (Ben Prepchuk racks up six points including four assists)