The Saskatchewan Rush put on the pressure in search of getting even, but the Georgia Swarm held their own and got a 13-10 victory on Jan. 27 at Infinite Energy Arena in Duluth, Ga.
Georgia’s quick start put the Rush in a deep early hole. The Swarm grabbed a 5-0 lead just over seven minutes in and Saskatchewan goalie Evan Kirk was pulled in favour of Adam Shute.
The Swarm used a 6-1 first quarter to stay ahead of the defending National Lacrosse League (NLL) champions.
Saskatchewan continued to trail by five goals after the second and third quarters before mounting a comeback attempt in the fourth.
Refusing to go down without a fight, the Rush went on a three-goal run, putting the score at 12-10 in the Swarm’s favour in the last quarter. The Swarm (5-2) held on and sealed the deal with an empty-netter.
Rush forward Jeff Shattler wound up recording a seven-point effort with two goals.
Randy Staats led the Swarm’s offence with two goals and seven assists.
Adam Shute, who replaced Kirk between the pipes, played the remaining 52:39 minutes and made 28 saves.
Swarm goalie Mike Poulin kept 46 shots out of the net.
The Rush (3-2) are on the road for a second straight week as they take on the Toronto Rock (5-1) next on Feb. 1.