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The Saskatchewan Rush refused to be denied the ultimate prize a second year in a row.

After having their shot at a three-peat ruined in overtime at home a year ago, captain Chris Corbeil and his teammates displayed their resolve to get it back by going 14-4 during the regular season and earning the franchise its third title in four years with a 15-10 victory over the Rochester Knighthawks in the deciding Game 3 of the NLL finals Saturday night in Saskatoon.

Rochester led 1-0 after one quarter. Saskatchewan was up 6-4 after two and 10-8 after three.

Jeff Shattler scored four goals for the Rush and was named championship series MVP. Corbeil scored three goals and Ben McIntosh, Ryan Keenan, Curtis Knight and Matthew Dinsdale got two each. Mark Matthews had eight assists.

For the Knighthawks, Josh Currier scored four goals, Cody Jamieson three and Joe Resetarits, Austin Shanks and Eric Fannell one each.

Saskatchewan outshot Rochester 52-46.

Saskatchewan won Game 1 at home 16-9, Rochester won Game 2 at home 13-8, and home floor again proved to be a deciding factor in ] Game 3 of the best-of-three final series in front of a packed SaskTel Centre.

There was only one goal in the first quarter. Matt Vinc of the Knighthawks and Evan Kirk of the Rush exchanged save after save until Currier dove to put a bounce shot between Kirk’s legs with 44 seconds remaining. The offenses broke loose for nine goals in the second quarter.

“We knew this was going to be a dogfight,” Resetarits said in an on-floor interview as the break ended.

The Knighthawks came out barking, and barking loudly. After Currier and Shattler exchanged goals, the ‘Hawks jumped ahead 8-7 with three in a row. Jamieson started the rally when, positioned at the top of the attacking side to the left of Kirk, he planted a low shot in the far bottom corner of the net. Currier dove towards the crease to gain the angle he wanted and scored, and Jamieson barged around Kyle Rubisch at the crease and shot between Kirk’s legs.

The Rush responded with three in a row of their own. Shattler scored his fourth goal with a power-play bounce shot from the edge of the crease to the left of Vinc to tie it and Corbeil scored on a breakaway to put the Rush up 9-8. A behind-the-back goal by Dinsdale made it 10-8 for the Rush.

It was anybody’s game as the fourth quarter started.

McIntosh leapt into the crease and put a ball behind Vinc before crashing to the green carpet, making it 11-8, but the Knighthawks were not to be counted out.

Fannell scored from the left of Kirk and Currier got his fourth of the night as he was being crushed to the floor by two checkers at the front of the crease, leaving the Rush clinging to an 11-10 lead.

Knight and Keenan then beat Vinc from the middle of the attacking zone to make it 13-10.

Four minutes remained.

When Dinsdale made it 14-10 with a sidearm bouncer, the outcome was sealed. Rochester lifted Vinc for an extra runner and Corbeil scored into an empty net as Vinc tried to get back to the crease.

The Knighthawks had nothing to regret. They missed the playoffs the previous two seasons and started this season 2-6, yet, they made it all the way to the finals, and forced a deciding game to boot.

NOTES

Vinc’s 36th birthday was Saturday . . . Knight got back into the lineup after being a healthy scratch for Game 2. Dan Dawson sat out Game 3 . . . Rochester captain Sid Smith spent the championship series on injured reserve . . . Brett Mydske, Kyle Rubisch, Jeff Cornwall, Robert Church, Ryan Dilks, Mark Matthews, Matthew Dinsdale, Adrian Sorichetti, Jeremy Thompson, Ben McIntosh, Nik Bilic and Tyler Carlson were on the roster for all three Rush championship wins.