Title Image
Image
Caption
Robert Church road via Sask. Rush website.jpg
Portal
Title Image Caption
The Rush season ended in front of 19,000+ fans on Saturday (Photo via saskrush.com)
Categories

The Saskatchewan Rush were unable to disrupt a dynasty on Saturday, losing 15-6 to the Buffalo Bandits in Game 3 of the NLL Finals as the hometown Bandits won their third straight title in front of a raucous crowd of over 19,000.

The game got off to a fast start as an exciting first quarter finished 3-3. Buffalo gained momentum from there to build a lead in the second quarter, but Saskatchewan battled back to make it 7-6 Bandits at the half.

The Bandits came out firing in the second half to put Saskatchewan on their heels. Buffalo scored six goals in the third quarter and another two in the fourth, shutting out the Rush in the second half on their way to hoisting the trophy for a third year in a row.

Despite the tough result, Rush forward Austin Shanks finished as the leading scorer in the playoffs with 18 goals and 32 points. That was the final highlight for the Rush in a season that included a second-place finish behind Buffalo, return to the postseason, and an undefeated run in the playoffs while at home.

The successful season in Saskatchewan no doubt lit the fire for Rush nation to cheer their team on all season long. While crowd sizes pale in comparison to the first few seasons of the Rush, a successful season in 2024-25 will hopefully be enough to get back to the 14,000 person crowds SaskTel Centre is capable of when the Rush hit the floor.

Portal