Saskatchewan Rush players mingled with fans during a noon rally Sunday after winning the NLL championship the previous night and will head to Arizona for golfing.

The quest to earn the franchise’s third title in four years was accomplished with a 15-10 victory over Rochester. Owner Bruce Urban treated his champions to trips to Las Vegas in 2015 and to Cancun in 2016. It’s Scottsdale this time. GM-coach Derek Keenan will give it a pass to sit in a boat on a favorite Quebec lake, hoping the fish he hooks don’t put up as much resistance as the Knighthawks did on Saskatoon’s SaskTel Centre floor.

Keenan has built one of the most formidable teams in league history, prompting some observers to throw around that dynasty word.

“We’re still relatively young,” Keenan said when asked about the team’s future. “We have six first-round draft picks over the next two years. There is a bright future for our team.”

It will lose two players in the July 16 expansion draft that will help stock new teams in Philadelphia and San Diego and captain Chris Corbeil doesn’t want to think about who they might be.

“The upcoming expansion draft made this championship all the more rewarding,” said Corbeil. “With the uncertainty that comes with expansion, it was important for us to win it this season. It’s unfortunate that we will be losing two members of this special group but, luckily, we’re well-positioned to add talent in the next couple of entry drafts. Despite the losses, I think we’ll be able to continue to compete for championships for years to come.”

Shattler Named MVP

Rush forward Jeff Shattler scored four goals and assisted on one in Game 3 after scoring three goals and assisting on four in Game 2 to earn the series MVP nod.

“I’ve been waiting for this feeling for a while,” he said as he celebrated with his teammates amid cheers from most of the 13,645 spectators. “We worked hard all season and we deserve it. We played well in front of this great crowd. I love playing in front of this crowd – the best fans in the league.”

Shattler, 33, of Iroquois descent, showed in the crunch why Keenan was quick to sign him when he became a free agent last summer. Shattler helped Calgary win the title in 2009 and was league MVP in 2011.

“These guys have been on the top of their game for a long time and I’m just happy they welcomed me into their family,” Shattler said between puffs on a cigar during the postgame news conference.

“It turned out to be a really good free-agent signing,” said Keenan. “That’s why we brought him here. Veteran guy. He really got his offense going in the playoffs. Clearly the MVP of the playoffs and I’m really, really happy to have him as a member of our group.”

Corbeil scored three goals in the finale and Curtis Knight, Ryan Keenan, Matthew Dinsdale and Ben McIntosh got two each.

“I couldn’t be happier for Jeff Shattler,” said Corbeil. “He was an absolute beast in the playoffs. He plays a complete game and does so many things well that don’t necessarily show up on the game sheet. He was the catalyst for our offense all series long.”

Shattler is the second player to be championship MVP in his first year with a team. Lewis Ratcliff got the award when the Washington Stealth won the title in 2010.

That moment...@SaskRushLAX pic.twitter.com/w68habEHCv

— Pat McKay (@PatMckayCTV) June 10, 2018

Timely Hat Trick

Corbeil assumed ownership of the loss to Georgia one year ago after a turnover on a pass he was unable to corral helped the Swarm wrest the title away from the Rush. Playing such a major role in regaining the championship was ultra satisfying.

“After the way things ended last year, we were really motivated through the whole season,” said the Rush captain. “This championship means a lot to us.”

As a defenseman, his primary role is checking, but when he sprints away on a breakaway, he usually finds his target because he has such an accurate shot.

“If you look at the three games, transition goals wound up being a difference,” said Keenan. “A lot of that stuff is created by our tenacious defense and the turnovers they create. Last night, defensively, we were pretty good.”

Corbeil was better than just good Saturday.

“I’m so fortunate to be part of such a special group,” he said. “All the credit in the world goes to Derek for putting together such a great team of not just great lacrosse players but also great people.”

The Quarterback

Mark Matthews scored only three goals in Saskatchewan’s four playoff games and that was because he was doing his usual marvelous job of quarterbacking the Rush offense. The 28-year-old lefty assisted on eight goals Saturday, lifting his post-season total to 19. He’d already set a regular-season assists record with 84, which should earn him the league MVP award.

The eight assists equal the single-game championship record shared by Kevin Finneran of the Philadelphia Wings versus Buffalo on April 16, 1994, and Rhys Duch of the Washington Stealth versus Toronto on May 15, 2010.

Third Ring for 14

Thirteen players earned a third championship ring with the Rush: Corbeil, McIntosh, Matthews, Dinsdale, Brett Mydske, Kyle Rubisch, Jeff Cornwall, Robert Church, Ryan Dilks, Adrian Sorichetti, Jeremy Thompson, Nik Bilic and Tyler Carlson. Dan Dawson helped Rochester win titles in 2013 and 2014, so he also gets a third ring.

Knight earned his second ring with the Rush and Shattler, who helped Calgary win the 2009 title, gets a second. Ryan Keenan, Mike Messenger, Matt Hossack and Evan Kirk are NLL champions for the first time.

Key Call

Saskatchewan was up 9-8 in the third quarter when what looked at first to be a goal by Rochester’s Cory Vitarelli was waved off by the referees. Kirk was falling into his dislodged net as Vitarelli shot the ball into it. Coach Mike Hasen challenged the ruling on the floor. After a video review, it was determined the ball never crossed the goal line.

“We got close and that challenge that didn’t go our way. ... [It] definitely knocked us down a couple of steps,” said Knighthawks forward Cody Jamieson, who scored three times Saturday. “Emotionally, it’s tough to come back from something like that.”

Never Too Much

Some players just can’t get enough lacrosse.

Ben McIntosh scored the winning goal for the Rush on Saturday night, was out of bed early to catch a two-hour flight to Vancouver and scored two power-play goals to help the Western Lacrosse Association’s Maple Ridge Burrards defeat Coquitlam 10-7 Sunday night. Shooting from the right side, he will be playing alongside Calgary Roughnecks star Curtis Dickson, who leads the WLA with 22 goals in five games.

'Awful Feeling'

Rochester led 8-7 in the third quarter, but could not hold the Rush off the rest of the way.

“It’s an awful feeling right now,” Hasen said in reflecting on the sting of defeat. “From where we were (a 2-6 start to the season) ... we weren’t supposed to be here. It was nice to be a part of but it sucks right now to not finish the way we wanted. This is a special group. The rollercoaster season we went through will make us stronger.”

Defenseman Sid Smith missed the series with an injury and Hasen made it clear how much the captain was missed.

“I would have loved to have had 79 on the floor,” said Hasen. “It would have made a difference.”

A Standout

Josh Currier was a postseason standout. The Peterborough, Ontario, product via Virginia Wesleyan, scored four goals Saturday to finish with a team-high 10 in five playoff games. Currier has become one of the NLL’s premier forwards in just three pro seasons.

Not-So-Happy Birthday

Nobody wanted to win the new NLL Cup more than Matt Vinc. Rochester’s all-world goalie pulled off his sweat-soaked pads on his 36th birthday without the fourth championship ring he craved. He made 37 saves. Kirk, who was sensational after the Rush regained the lead in the third quarter, also stopped 37.

Winningest Coaches

Career Playoff Wins:

1. Les Bartley - 18

2. Derek Keenan - 17

3. Mike Hasen - 15

4. Troy Cordingley - 14

5. Darris Kilgour - 12

“It wasn’t easy, but that makes it sweeter,” Keenan said after playoff win 17. “I felt good about this opportunity to be at home for Game 3 and we took advantage of that. It was a grinder of a game, but I think we maybe had a little more gas in the tank. I really believe we earned this. We were focused from the first day of training camp on winning this championship. Mission accomplished.”

The Oshawa, Ontario, resident has won three titles as a head coach, three as an assistant coach and three as a player. This was his 13th time participating in a championship-deciding NLL game.

Home Sweet Home

The home team prevailed in all three games of the championship series, which reminds us of the relevance of the regular season. Saskatchewan went 14-4, including 10-0 within the West Division, to finish first overall and earn home-floor advantage through the playoffs. That was important.

A 13-12 win in Calgary on Jan. 27, a 13-10 win at Colorado on Feb. 22, a 16-9 win at Vancouver on Feb. 20 and a 16-10 win in Buffalo on March 16 help explain why the Rush are the champions again today.

Incredible Streak

Rochester’s 13-8 Game 2 win extended its postseason home winning streak to 15 games. The streak began with a 16-8 win over Toronto on April 22, 2006, and at least six men in Blue Cross Arena for Game 2 played in that game.

Current Rochester coaches Mike Hasen, Mike Accursi and Pat O’Toole played for the Knighthawks that night as did current Knighthawks defenseman Scott Campbell, who was with the Rock at the time. Pat Merrill and Bill Greer, who represented the San Diego expansion team that won a halftime coin flip to get first pick in the September entry draft, also played in that 2006 game – Merrill for Toronto and Greer for Rochester.

The home streak includes a 4-0 mark in championship-round play.

Players' Pay

Since annual salaries cover only regular-season games, the NLL and the PLPA have a formula in their collective bargaining agreement to determine playoff pay. Each of the 40 roster players get 10 percent of gross ticket revenue of each game plus $350 per game. The minimum payment per player per game is $700. The greater the ticket revenue, the greater the individual check.

Game 1 of the championship series in Saskatoon:
$364,317 in paid ticket revenue on 10,308 paid tickets = $1,260.79 per player.

With 13,645 in the house for Game 3, the per-player take for the closing game would have increased.

Veltman Returns

Jim (Scoop) Veltman, who took a leave of absence from the coaching staff of the New England Black Wolves this season so he could travel to Europe and Africa with his family to participate in volunteer work, is returning as offensive coordinator.

Veltman, 52, played on eight championship teams during his 16-year playing career with Buffalo and Toronto. He is a high school P.E. teacher in the Toronto region.

“We feel that his extensive lacrosse background, combined with his teaching abilities and being a true student of the game, gives us the edge that we need to take the next step as an organization,” said GM Rich Lisk.

Time Travel

June 5, 2015: Mark Matthews scored five goals and Matthew Dinsdale’s goal with 62 seconds remaining was the winner as the Edmonton Rush defeated the Toronto Rock 11-10 to win the championship in front of a Rexall Place crowd of 12,275.

June 20, 2015: Owner Bruce Urban announces that the Rush will relocate to Saskatoon.

Season to Remember

The last season of a nine-team NLL featured some of the best displays of skill and athleticism in the 32-year history of the No. 1 professional indoor lacrosse league in the world. There is enough talent out there to ensure that the addition of two teams for next season will not water down the product, so we will look forward to 2018-2019 with great anticipation.