YORKTON - Frank Scigliano looks to be the Saskatchewan Rush’s goaltender of choice, at least through the 26/27 season.
The Rush and Scigliano have agreed to a contract extension for the next two season keeping the Coquitlam product in green.
Scigliano said staying in Saskatchewan was a pretty straight forward decision on his part.
“Ever since I was brought in by the Rush I’ve felt welcome,” he told Yorkton This Week in a recent interview.
So when Rush GM Derek Keenan mentioned the possibility of an extension Scigliano said he was ready to listen.
“For myself it made sense. It was a very easy decision,” he said.
It was a natural fit for the Rush too given at the time of the inking the 33-year-old was having one of the best seasons of his 13-year career, posting a league-leading 9.95 goals against average and a save percentage of .787, and had helped the Rush secure a playoff spot.
Scigliano is obviously the Rush’s man in net, and the veteran said that helps in regard to being comfortable in Saskatchewan.
“The coaching staff has a lot of faith in me,” he said, adding he knows he’s the team’s number one so he can concentrate on just being game ready knowing he’ll be the guy.
Part of Scigliano’s role is also mentoring the Rush’s young back up Thomas Kiazyk.
“Me and Thomas have a great friendship on and off the floor . . . There’s always tricks of the trade I can lend to him,” said Scigliano, adding he feels comfortable as a mentor. “. . . I kind of look at myself as a leader.”
Scigliano said certainly life as a pro netminder is an adjustment for young goalies, so they need sage advice at times.
“It’s not very easy coming into the pro league,” he said, pointing to things like a bigger net to guard and a smaller stick to use.
Scigliano said he recalls when he was a rookie with Calgary Mike Poulin was the guy in the Roughneck net, and he was a huge help showing him the ropes.
As for the current Rush team it was been strong defensively this season, their 156 goals allowed through 15 games tied for second best in the NLL, and that of course is good news for Scigliano.
The Rush netminder said the defence comes from how the team approaches games.
“We’re going to work hard. The goal is to try and play a 60-minute game,” he said. “We’re tough to play all over the floor.”
It starts by the team knowing what is expected of them, said Scigliano.
“Everyone has a role on the team and they’re doing it,” he said.
A big part of that starts at the face-off dot where Jake Neso has been masterful.
“I think for a team to hold possession for longer periods of time is important,” offered Scigliano, adding the face-off has become increasingly a key component of possession.
“It’s a craft of its own and Jake is really good at it.”
While there are games left to play in the regular season, a return to the NLL playoffs looms for the Rush.
How far the Rush go is really up the team, which must stay true to themselves, said Scigliano.
“We’re going to have to keep working hard,” he said, adding “our defence is well-built and defence goes a long way.”
Saskatchewan initially picked up the 6’4 netminder in a deal with San Diego, that sent Kyle Rubisch and two draft picks to the Seals. The Rush haven’t had a goaltender play the majority of minutes for three straight seasons since Evan Kirk did so between 2018-2020.
