Saskatchewan Rush heading to NLL championship final after dramatic OT win

Jeffery Tram · CBC News

· Posted: May 11, 2025 3:15 PM EDT | Last Updated: 3 minutes ago

For the archetypal clip since 2018, the Saskatchewan Rush are backmost successful the National Lacrosse League title final.

Austin Shanks scored the game-winning extremity successful overtime Saturday nighttime astatine Saskatoon's SaskTel Centre, giving the Rush a 10–9 triumph implicit the Halifax Thunderbirds successful Game 2 of their best-of-three semifinal. 

The triumph completed a 2–0 bid expanse and sends Saskatchewan to the NLL last against the two-time defending champion Buffalo Bandits.

Stunning comeback successful last seconds

The Rush were down 9–7 with nether a infinitesimal to play successful regularisation erstwhile they pulled disconnected 1 of the astir melodramatic comebacks successful franchise history.

Zach Manns scored with 44 seconds near to bring the Rush wrong one. Then, with nether five seconds remaining, Matt Hossack tied the crippled disconnected a turnover caused by Mike Messenger.

In overtime, Saskatchewan earned a powerfulness play. Shanks, who spent respective seasons with Halifax, scored his 2nd extremity of the nighttime to nonstop the Rush to the league final.

WATCH | NLL recap of Saskatchewan Rush v. Halifax Thunderbirds:

Saturday's triumph sets up a rematch of the 2016 championship, erstwhile the Rush defeated Buffalo to assertion their 2nd NLL title.

The Rush past won the title successful 2018. Now, with home-turf vantage successful Game 2, they'll look to reclaim the rubric successful beforehand of their fans astatine SaskTel Centre.

The bid begins Friday in Buffalo earlier shifting to Saskatoon connected Sunday. If necessary, a deciding Game 3 is scheduled for Friday, May 24, backmost successful Buffalo.