Rush players feel at home in Saskatchewan ahead of Saskatoon opener

Fans have been waiting more than seven months for a chance to cheer on their team at Sasktel Centre, and the Saskatchewan Rush are finally back this weekend.

After a disappointing season where they missed playoffs, the Rush are off to a good start this year.

Wrapping up their exhibition with wins against the Toronto Rock and Vegas Desert Dogs, the Rush won their regular season opener in style.

“That was a close one through and through,” said Cody Janzen, manager of communications and play-by-play broadcaster for the Saskatchewan Rush.

“You’re tied up in the first quarter, at half, the third quarter, obviously overtime gets forced. So, it was one of those back and forth battles, but you kind of like getting into those early. It’s a little adversity that kind of feels like it brings the group together.”

Some key pieces have returned from last year, but there’s also some new faces looking to help carry the load this season, like overtime hero Austin Shanks who came from Halifax in the offseason.

“You’ve got guys like Robert Church, Ryan Keenan, Zach Manns, those are three big names from last year,” said Janzen.

“But then in the offseason, you go and add an Austin Shanks, one of the best right-handed forwards in the game. You add Matt Hossack, one of the best defenders.”

Janzen says the team is focused on getting to the postseason.

“You’ve got a lot of guys who are in their prime,” he said. “You’ve got a lot of young players who are looking to make a name for themselves, so it’s definitely a time for the team to kind of gel together and make that push for the playoffs.”

Maybe the biggest change this season is that Rush players will be calling Saskatoon home for the season.

“There will be six guys actually living locally, which is really cool to have for a team,” said Janzen.

Most players in the NLL fly into a city for the weekend game rather than living in their team’s city.

“Jake Boudreau, Zach Manns, Jerrett Smith, Levi Anderson, Brock Haley and Mike Messenger all living locally, which is huge.” Janzen told CTV News.

“Having guys who are fully committed to the Rush, to Saskatchewan; wanting to live here — it's a great thing for the league, the team and the community of Saskatchewan.”

The Rush will try to improve their record to 2-0 when they host the Halifax Thunderbirds Saturday night at Sasktel Centre.

And fans will get plenty of entertainment on top of the game, says Janzen.

“Whether it’s having a drum line here at halftime, which is going to be super cool, they’re also giving away a chance to win $10,000 for a couple of fans to do a shoot to win. It’s never just the lacrosse game going on.”