Right from the opening game of the 2024-25 National Lacrosse League season, Frank Scigliano has been dialled in for the Saskatchewan Rush — even if he’s counting fewer sheep than usual, celebrating the birth of his first daughter in January.
“It’s fun, honestly,” Scigliano said. “I credit my wife, she lets me do what I love to do and makes it easy, honestly. Maybe a little bit of a lack of sleep, but I get some of my best sleeps here.”
The 33-year-old goaltender is balancing not only time as a new father this spring but also the rigors of a playoff stretch drive for the Rush with just two games left before the post-season.
Acquired in a blockbuster deal in the summer of 2023 with the San Diego Seals, Scigliano has been a solidifying presence for the Rush and is in the midst of one of his best statistical seasons as a pro.
Going forward Rush fans can expect to see much more of the man dubbed “Frank the Tank” inside SaskTel Centre as well, with Scigliano coming off signing a two-year contract extension.
- Junior hockey player’s sex assault sentence a ‘wake up call’ to young men, advocate says
- Jays call up outfielder Clase and reliever Fisher
- Can watching NHL playoffs give you a heart attack? What the science says
- Oilers rally for NHL-record 5th straight time, beat Golden Knights 4-2 in 2nd-round playoff opener
The deal will keep Scigliano in Rush green and black through the 2026-27 NLL season, serving as mentor for rookie goaltender Thomas Kiazyk in the process. Kiazyk filled in for two games while Scigliano was away for the birth of his daughter.
Get breaking National news
Rush co-head coach and general manager Derek Keenan said the move shores up the team defensively for the next two seasons as they look to chase league titles in the process.
Scigliano has been one of Saskatchewan’s most consistent players in 2024-25, posting a 9-4 record with a league-best 9.81 goals-against average among goalies who have played at least 300 minutes.
According to forward Clark Walter, that leadership has extended throughout the entire Rush dressing room.
“He’s playing unbelievably this year and he’s a great guy,” Walter said. “He’s been in the league for a long time and obviously he’s from B.C. so I get to chat with him a lot. A lot of conversations about his past and what he’s done to get to where he’s at.
“I look up to him a lot, I’m happy to have him on our team and learn from him.”
In the middle of his 13th season tending goal in the NLL, Scigliano is still searching for that elusive league championship and will be front and centre for the Rush as they make their long-awaited return to the post-season this month.
He will be leading the Rush onto the floor in front of the fan base that used to root against him and is now embracing him as one of its own.
“When I came in here as an opponent, this building was always rocking,” Scigliano said. “The last couple of weeks, you’ve kind of seen that again. People are starting to show up, fill the stands up and we really feed off of something like that, right?”
Coming off a 10-6 loss to the Calgary Roughnecks on Friday, the Rush will play their final road game of the regular season on Saturday afternoon, visiting the Colorado Mammoth.
They’ll wind up the regular season on April 19, hosting the Ottawa Black Bears, before hosting the NLL quarter-finals between April 24 and 27.
Comments