The Vancouver Warriors (5-5) are ready to unleash their inner heroes this Friday on Marvel Superhero Night, facing off against the Saskatchewan Rush (8-2) in their only regular-season meeting.
The Warriors are coming off a big 12-8 victory in Vegas against the Desert Dogs. Keegan Bal led the charge with nine points (2G, 7A), while Adam Charalambides followed with six (2G, 4A) and 15 shot attempts. Meanwhile, 22-year-old Marcus Klarich kept pace with Vancouver’s hot offence, tallying four goals and an assist. The game also marked goaltender Aden Walsh’s fifth win of the season, turning away 34 shots on net.
Some big milestones were hit in last week’s game, with Bal pushing past 300 career assists and 500 points, and veteran Riley Loewen hitting the 400-point milestone.
As expected, the defensive powerhouse Vancouver Warriors dominated in the win. Owen Grant was a force, blocking four shots, scooping up seven loose balls, and causing five turnovers. Grant sits third in the NLL for blocked shots at 18. Meanwhile, Alec Stathakis held his own in the faceoff circle, finishing 14-10.
On the other hand, the Rush are riding high after a dominant 17-9 win over the Rochester Knighthawks. It was an all-around team effort, with standout performances from Austin Shanks (4G, 3A), Robert Church (4G, 2A), Zach Manns (2G, 3A), Ryan Keenan (5A), and Clark Walter (3G, 1A). In net, Frank Scigliano stopped 39 of 48 shots, finishing with a 0.812 save percentage.
Saskatchewan’s victory adds to an already strong season as they continue to take down tough opponents, including a recent win over the Calgary Roughnecks 16-13. But the biggest challenges still lie ahead. After facing Vancouver on Friday, the Rush will take on the league-leading Buffalo Bandits (7-1), followed by matchups with the Georgia Swarm (5-4), Calgary once more, and two meetings with the 6-4 Colorado Mammoth.
Offensively, the Rush have been powered by Manns, Church, Keenan, and Shanks, who’ve combined for 177 points, accounting for 54% of the team’s total points.
On the backend, Matt Hossack has been a steady defensive force, leading the league in caused turnovers with 25, while adding 17 blocked shots. Between the pipes, Scigliano has been solid, winning six of eight starts this season.
The Warriors and Rush are well-acquainted, having squared off 12 times since 2019, with the Rush holding the upper hand with nine wins. Their rivalry goes beyond just matchups, with several Warriors players having suited up for the green and black in the past. Jeff Cornwall, Ryan Dilks, Brett Mydske, Matt Beers, and Riley Lowen have all donned the Rush colors before joining the Warriors.
Several British Columbia-born players will take the floor for the Rush during Friday’s game. Keep an eye on Clark Walter from Port Coquitlam, Zach Manns from Victoria, Robert Church and goaltender Frank Scigliano from Coquitlam, Bobby Kidd III from Port Moody, and Mike Messenger from Surrey.
Adam Jay, a Victoria native was originally drafted by Vancouver in 2016 after winning a BCJALL championship with the Delta Islanders. Additionally, Keegan Bell from Port Coquitlam previously suited up for the Warriors, appearing in three games over two seasons before being signed by the Calgary Roughnecks in 2023.
The Rush will likely be missing a few players due to injury, including their faceoff specialist Jake Naso, and defenceman Isaac Ngyou and Jerrett Smith. The Warriors will be without defenceman Beers again this week.
Rogers Arena will host Marvel Superhero night this Friday at 7:00 p.m. PST. Grab your tickets for the game here, or watch it on NLL+ and TSN+.
