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There was more than a lacrosse game going on at Saskatoon’s SaskTel Centre.

Some of the survivors of a bus-truck crash on a rural road 150 miles northwest of the city involving the Humboldt Broncos of Saskatchewan’s junior hockey league that claimed 15 lives were recovering in nearby Royal University Hospital while the Rush defeated the Colorado Mammoth 11-8 to clinch first place overall.

There was a moment of silence before the opening faceoff. Sask Strong was embedded in a Broncos decal on Rush helmets. Outside the arena, the Canadian flag was at half-mast and the Broncos’ green and yellow colors shone on the arena. A chant of “Let’s Go Broncos” arose from the crowd of 14,971 at the start of the fourth quarter.

“We competed for something bigger [Saturday],” Rush player Adrian Sorichetti said in a Twitter post afterwards. “Still have chills from our fans standing strong chanting Broncos. Our support and love will continue for those affected. #prayingforHumboldt”

Robert Church scored three goals and assisted on four, Mark Matthews had a goal and six assists and Ben McIntosh and Derek Keenan each scored twice for the Rush (12-3). Evan Kirk made 34 saves for the goaltending win. Ryan Benesch scored three times for the Mammoth, (10-6). They trailed 10-4 before getting close with a late four-goal run. Dillon Ward made 35 saves. 

“Our compete level was off-the-charts good,” Rush GM-coach Derek Keenan said. “We paid the price, we ran hard. Our power play was good, we got some timely 5-on-5 goals and Kirk was good in the net.”

The Broncos were on everyone’s mind.

“It’s such a tragedy,” Church said. “We wanted to do whatever we could to go out there and try to honor those who were lost and play with passion.”

Mammoth players were in the same mood, as Ward showed when he smacked his pads in time with the “Let’s Go Broncos” chant.

The Rush will be at home for the NLL West final Thursday, May 10, against the winner of a Calgary-Colorado semifinal.

“Having home-court advantage is huge,” McIntosh said. “It’s something we’ve been chasing all year. It’s sort of our first milestone to achieve for the year and now we go forward.”

Movin’ Up

Benesch’s four-point game upped his career points total to (396G, 428A) 924, moving him past Gavin Prout (922) into 11th on the all-time list.

“My Stick was Hot”

Georgia survived a torrid Toronto push to edge the Rock 11-10 and jump into a three-way tie for first in the NLL East with Rochester and Buffalo, all at 8-7.

Lyle Thompson scored five goals in a thriller that ranks among the best three games of the season.

“The team has a lot of trust in me and when the game is on the line like that I feel the ball should be in my stick so I can create something,” he said. “It doesn’t always have to be a shot. … My stick was hot so I’ll shoot.”

Jesse King scored the winning goal by leaping from behind the net and swinging the ball into the net with one hand on his stick with 52.9 seconds remaining. Mike Poulin stopped the next Rock shot and called time out with 29.4 seconds left. The Rock pulled Nick Rose for an extra runner but could not get another shot before time expired.

“I’m proud of the guys,” Swarm coach Ed Comeau said. “We kept our composure and battled back when they took the lead. We’re happy to get the win.”

Georgia swept the season series 3-0. Tack on its two playoff wins over the Rock last spring and it’s a 5-0 dominance.

Remaining games for the defending champions: at Saskatchewan on April 14, at home versus Vancouver on April 28, and at New England on April 29. Two wins should put them in the playoffs.

Heartbreaker for Rock

Toronto gave it its best shot but slipped into a fourth-place tie with New England. Both teams are 7-8.

Toronto trailed 6-2 in the second quarter and was up 7-6 after three. The score was tied four times in the fourth before King netted the winner.

The loss ruined a career-best effort from third-year pro Dan Lintner. A healthy scratch for the previous game, Lintner scored five goals. The Cornell grad put the Rock up 8-7 and 9-8 with identical goals that were sensational. On both, he leapt into the air as a pass was on its way and put the ball in the net before he hit the floor.

“It’s been a long time coming,” coach Matt Sawyer said of Lintner’s big game. “He’s somebody who deserves the success and everybody’s excited to see that. Dan knows how to put the ball in the net.  He came through for us pretty big [Sunday].”

Brad Kri, whose faceoff expertise helped keep Toronto in the game, hurt his right knee when King scored and had to be helped off by two teammates.

Schreiber Sits

Tom Schreiber did not play. GM Jamie Dawick said after his team’s home loss to Colorado the previous weekend that Schreiber would be in the lineup against the Swarm. It did not happen. Schreiber made the trip and participated in pre-game warmups.

“He’s just not ready,” Sawyer said.

Toronto, 5-3 when Schreiber hurt a knee Feb. 10, is 2-5 without him.

Wolves Bite Back

New England needed a win to keep alive its chances of making the playoffs and it got it, ending a four-game losing streak with a 13-12 home win over Calgary. The Black Wolves overcame a 6-2 deficit and pulled it out on a goal by Johnny Powless 47 seconds into overtime.

Calgary led 12-11 when the Black Wolves gained possession and took a timeout with 14.8 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter. Aaron Bold was replaced by a sixth runner. On the attack, Stephan Leblanc got a pass, cut into the middle, and buried the ball behind Christian Del Bianco with 6.3 seconds left.

Callum Crawford scored five goals and Kevin Crowley had his sixth consecutive three-goal game.

Longshots

Toronto and New England each have three games left and will each have to win at least two to make the playoffs.

The Rock are at home against Rochester on April 13, play in Buffalo on April 21, and finish up in Colorado on April 28.

The Black Wolves are at Colorado on April 14, at Rochester on April 21, and finish up at home against Georgia on April 29.

Scoring Race

With his seven-point game, Matthews has a league-best 94 points (26G, 68A). Dhane Smith has 91 (33G, 58A), Church has 90 (41G, 49A), Benesch has 87 (34G, 53A) and Joe Resetarits has 85 (31G, 54A).

Attendance

Attendance in Saskatoon is 102,338 with two home games left.

Average gate around the league: 1. Saskatchewan 14,619; 2. Colorado 13,657; 3. Buffalo 13,133; 4. Calgary 11,188; 5. Toronto 9,479; 6. Rochester 6,587; 7. New England 5,482; 8. Georgia 4,336; 9. Vancouver 3,484.

Week 19

Five games will be played on the third-to-last weekend of the regular season. All teams are in action. Saskatchewan plays twice. All times ET.

FRIDAY

ROCHESTER (8-7) at TORONTO (7-8) 7:30 p.m.

Rochester had a bye last weekend. Toronto comes off an 11-10 loss in Georgia.

This will be the third of three meetings. Toronto won 17-9 at home on Jan. 12 and 12-9 in Rochester on Feb. 10 so already owns the standings tiebreaker should these teams finish with identical records.

This game is so important to both of these teams that it will have the intensity of a playoff game.

“We have put ourselves in a position where the Rochester game is a must win pretty much,” say head coach Matt Sawyer.

SASKATCHEWAN (12-3) at VANCOUVER (2-13) 10:30 p.m.

Nothing is at stake because Saskatchewan clinched first place in the NLL West and overall with its 11-8 home win over Colorado, while Vancouver had a bye after being mathematically eliminated from playoff contention March 31 when it lost at home 13-9 to Calgary.

The Rush have already defeated the Stealth three times: 11-9, 16-9 and 16-10. A win would make them 9-0 within their division. With a month before the NLL West final at home, the most pertinent objective for the Rush now is to avoid becoming complacent.

Vancouver is 0-7 at home. Saskatchewan is 7-1 on the road.

SATURDAY

NEW ENGLAND (7-8) at COLORADO (10-6) 9 p.m.

New England is coming off its 13-12 OT win over Calgary on Sunday. Colorado lost 11-8 at Saskatchewan on Saturday.

New England is in dire need of another win to avoid irrelevancy in the NLL East, while Colorado, having already clinched second place in the NLL West, will get a good workout before a bye week followed by a home game against Toronto to close out its schedule.

This will be the second of two meetings. Colorado won 19-11 at New England on Feb. 18.

Colorado is 4-3 at home. New England is 3-4 on the road.

BUFFALO (8-7) at CALGARY (6-9) 9 p.m.

Buffalo, like every other team in its division, is battling for a playoff berth. Calgary is already locked into third place in its division.

Buffalo was idle last weekend. Calgary is coming off a 13-12 OT loss at New England.

This will be the second of two meetings. Buffalo won 13-8 at home on Jan. 6.

Calgary is 4-4 at home. Buffalo is 4-4 on the road.

GEORGIA (8-7) at SASKATCHEWAN (12-3 before Friday game vs. Vancouver) 9:30 p.m.

Georgia is coming off an 11-10 home win over Toronto, while Saskatchewan will have played at Vancouver the night before this one.

This will be the second of two meetings. Saskatchewan won 13-9 in Georgia on Jan. 6, which was a feel-good experience given the previous meeting resulted in the Swarm taking the Champion’s Cup away from the Rush in Saskatoon.

Saskatchewan is 5-2 at home. Georgia is 3-4 on the road.

“Throughout the course of the year from Day One they’ve been the best team in the league,” says Swarm coach Ed Comeau. “We’ve been playing our best lacrosse of the year and we’ll have to be at our best to compete against them.”

Time Travel

April 19, 2000: Buffalo’s John Tavares was named league MVP, ending Gary Gait’s five-year monopoly on the award, and Rochester’s John Grant Jr. was named Rookie of the Year.

April 15, 2006: Portland LumberJax defeated the Minnesota Swarm 13-8 to complete an 11-5 regular season. In winning the West, Portland became the first expansion team in league history to win a regular-season title.

2008 All-Rookie Team: F Craig Point, Minnesota; T Tyler Codron, Portland; T Jordan Hall, New York; T Bobby McBride, Chicago; F Jamie Rooney, Philadelphia; F Merrick Thomson, Philadelphia.