Rush 11, Roughnecks 12

Another thrilling lacrosse weekend for the Edmonton Rush! Sunday matinee games can be a mite unpredictable. The crowd , while supportive, is generally unused to a Sunday afternoon game. The beer drinking, general hooting and hollering, and the sometimes violent emotions thrust onto the field seem odd for a weekend afternoon. But thousands of Edmonton Rush fans, not to mention a few dozen Calgary Roughnecks fans, headed into Rexall Place for yet another Battle of Alberta.

These things can get pretty violent very quickly, as can most battles of Alberta. The whole us vs. them angle, north vs. south, older former champions vs. young upstart, really gets people's bloodlust going. Today was no different. I was a few minutes late getting to the arena, and by the time I was seated, I'd missed a Rush goal and Roughnecks goal. But I wasn't to be disappointed. The violence began right off the bat and continued throughout the first half. While the second half was a little more controlled, what violence there was was notable in its severity.

Lest you think the game was one big bloodbath, I'll not here that as sports go, it was about as physical a game as I've ever seen in all the time I've been season ticket holder. While a previous game had anger and frustration simmering below the surface, both teams decided to lash out today.

Ultimately, we lost this very suspenseful match by one goal, but it wasn't just any goal we lost by. No, we lost by a goal that was not counted as one, and one which the Edmonton Rush bench was not permitted to challenge. Apparently, teams have a certain time limit after a call has been made in which to challenge said call. The Rush, according to the officials, did not make their challenge in time. It was hotly deliberated, though, by both Rush players and the Rush bench, and all the while the crowd is seeing what is obviously a goal on the replay and booing vociferously.

I hope those officials got out okay, because the Edmonton crowd was unhappy with several of their calls. Not that the officiating was favouring one team or another, but it seemed a little capricious as to what infraction would actually be called for which team. While Calgary got several "illegal substitution" calls (ie. too many men on the field), they got a penalty shot when Edmonton was called for the same infraction in the 4th quarter.

None of it slowed down the game. In fact, it might have fueled the animosity between the two teams. There were many instances of jostling and poking, and many an unkind word was exchanged between individuals. One Calgary player spent a couple of minutes beaking off to a Rush player, but did he get some kind of "unsportsmanlike conduct" penalty? Nope, though each team got one for what I (and much of the crowd) thought could have been for something a little more serious.

I've never seen so many bench minors and double minors called in a single game, but I find it remarkable that the officials could call so many penalties and not seem to favour one team over another. I think that if they were to call the game more consistently, both teams would have ended up with a few more penalties, so thank goodness for small favours? The biggest penalty came at the end of the game, when the Rush's powerhouse goal-scorer, Scott Evans (91), took on Calgary's Mike Carnegie in a knock-down drag-out slugfest. While Evans was clearly the victor, he also got the PIM to show for it: a roughing double-minor, an instigator minor, and a fighting major. That's an 11-minute penalty that thankfully came with only 22 seconds left in the game. Carnegie got away with just the 5-minute major for fighting.

Both Edmonton's Matt Disher and Calgary's Mike Poulin were amazing in their respective goals, andboth teams showed off their best today. The best news is that Edmonton's new offensive line is finally clicking. The difference between the Rush offense today and their first couple of games this season are like night and day. They're completing more complex passes, they're communicating far better on the field, and they're taking a few more risks in powering through their opponent's defensive line to get into scoring position.

This is not to say that they need to get into scoring position all the time. Despite being outshot 55-42, Edmonton only lost by a single goal. Scott Evans had a miraculous 5 goals and 1 helper on the night, while Corey Small (15) supported the team with 7 assists! Calgary's powerhouses responded in kind, with Jeff Shattler scoring 3 and assisting with 5, and Scott Ranger with 2 goals and 4 assists.

Our next home game is Saturday, March 5 against the Washington Stealth again. We play the Knighthawks in Rochester this Saturday. Go Rush!