YORKTON - It’s that wonderful time of year when the National Lacrosse League regular season is about to begin.
That means the Saskatchewan Rush have already been holding their training camp in preparation for the start to the regular season – a road game in Albany Saturday, Nov. 30.
The Rush will be looking to find their way back to the playoffs after going 8-10 in each of the last three seasons and missing a chance at the championship.
Derek Keenan, who is back behind the bench as co-head coach alongside Jimmy Quinlan thinks this will be the year to take a step back into the playoff picture, adding they have to be better.
“A team with the success we’ve had in the past, it’s a hard pill to swallow (missing the playoffs for three seasons),” Keenan told Yorkton This Week.
Certainly this year’s edition of the team is much changed from the last time the Rush won it all – the spring of 2018.
“There’s only three guys left from the championship year,” noted Keenan.
Now well-removed from the championship the Rush have been re-tooling, or rebuilding, for the last few seasons, a process which continued with a rather large roster starting training camp this year.
Keenan said it was “not necessarily by design,” adding he typically likes smaller camps allowing a team to get down to the business of implementing systems.
But this year with a backlog of draft picks because of the NCAA allowing a fifth year of play due to COVID, and a couple of players added in the dispersal draft of Panther City, “it made for a lot of bodies,” said Keenan.
The demise of Panther City will have an effect on the NLL, starting with some guys with years of league experience not having a spot this season.
“There’ll be some good players sitting at home,” said Keenan.
It also means more talent is spread around.
“I think the league is going to be tremendously competitive this year,” said Keenan, adding it will mean teams have “got to be prepared every game.”
And the bigger camp proved an asset this time.
“It worked out really well to be honest,” said Keenan, adding it allowed for full team scrimmage which allowed coaches “to see guys playing in game situations.”
Keenan said as the final roster is settled he is liking the team.
It starts in goal where veteran Frank Scigliano “gives you a chance to win every night,” offered Keenan, adding the netminder had a couple of off games last season, both against Halifax, games the entire Rush team struggled in.
Thomas Kiazyk is a guy Keenan likes too, pointing to a 13-8 preseason win over Las Vegas where he made 37 saves for the win.
“You just see a lot of upside in a guy like that,” said the coach.
While not making the cut Keenan said Saskatchewan-born Laine Hruska is likely to be back at some point too.
“At some point you’re going to need a third goalie,” he said.
The rest of the team looks solid as well to Keenan.
“I think now we’re deeper,” he said.
Certainly scoring looks diverse if the game against Vegas is an indication.
In that preseason effort Brock Haley scored the first two goals in the contest, with Robert Church scoring the next three in the opening quarter.
In the third, Marcus Needham, Brock Haley, Clark Walter and Matt Hossack all found the twine.
Zach Manns, Josh Zawada and Levi Anderson sealed the deal scoring in the fourth quarter.
The Rush also picked up an 11-9 win against the Toronto Rock in preseason action.
“I think theoretically we should score more,” offered Keenan. “. . . I think we’ve just got more on that end.”
On defence Matt Hossack arrives from Panther City, and Keenan said he expects the arrival to be big in ratcheting up the team ‘D’.
“He’s a top-three guy,” he said.
Matt Acchione also drew Keenan’s praise.
“Look at a guy that, you just know he can play,” he said.
The overall prospects have Keenan happy to be back behind the bench.
“I’m really excited about it, to be back on the bench – part of the coaching staff,” he said.
The home opener is set for Dec. 14 against the Halifax Thunderbirds.
