When the Saskatchewan Rush signed Austin Shanks to a two-year contract in the off-season, they expected memorable moments from the 30-year-old.
What was likely a little unexpected was how quickly one of the moments would come. Shanks delivered the overtime snipe for the Rush last Saturday to give Saskatchewan a 10-9 victory over the Albany FireWolves to open the 2024-25 National Lacrosse League season.
“That was a crazy game,” Shanks said post-game. “Back and forth going all the way to overtime, quite a few possessions. I was just the one to pot it, but it was all the guys working hard for me.”
Zach Manns led the way with four goals and an assist for the Rush in their Week 1 victory, heaping praise on their off-season splash and the impact he provided immediately to the lineup.
“That’s why we picked him up right there,” Manns said. “He’s a veteran player, he can shoot the ball at a very high level. He’s a very smart player, so he’s just another guy to add to our offensive arsenal and you can see why we added him.”
Opening the season with a 1-0 record for the first time since the 2022-23 campaign, the Rush saw goaltender Frank Scigliano step up with a number of key saves in overtime.
While on the offensive side of the floor, co-head coach Jimmy Quinlan said the team saw contributions from up and down the lineup in the midst of a quiet night from one of their brightest stars.
For the second year in a row, the Rush have been handed an early bye week with no games scheduled until their home opener versus the Halifax Thunderbirds in mid-December.
But that’s not a problem for Quinlan and the rest of the team, who are embracing the bye week after a couple of long days of travel to get to Albany to battle the FireWolves.
“Talking to some of the players they’re still trying to recover from the weekend,” said Quinlan. “For us to be able to get a good week in of fitness and get some video on Halifax, they play this weekend, I think it will be a positive.”
While rest is being prioritized, the training isn’t stopping for Manns and his teammates with the goal of carrying over the positive elements of their game in Albany to the rest of December.
“The biggest thing with our team is we’re always working,” Manns said. “Guys put in the time away from practice and games with the team, so there’s really no concern that way and I think it just gives us an extra week to prepare for Halifax. They kind of laid the boots to us twice last year, so that extra week maybe is going to be a good thing for preparation.”
Coming out of their bye week, the Rush will hold their home opener on Dec. 14 against Halifax at 7 p.m.