Watching the Saskatchewan Rush allow so many goals in losing the opener of the best-of-three NLL final 18-14 was shocking.

The Rush built a reputation as a stingy outfit on their way to winning the 2015 and 2016 championships, so it was jaw-dropping to witness what took place Sunday. Sure, the Georgia Swarm have the league’s most lethal attack, but they could never have dreamed of stuffing the Rush net to this extent with the Champion’s Cup at stake.

Head coach Derek Keenan was perplexed, and he wasn’t pointing an accusatory finger at his defensemen alone.

“We had too many unforced errors and turnovers and we gave them way too many easy possessions that wore our defense down,” he said. “We’ll make some adjustments. We’re a better defensive team than that and we need to take care of the ball better.”

Game 2 is at 7:30 p.m. ET Saturday in Saskatoon, where the Rush are 9-1 this year.

“It’s a hostile environment,” says Swarm head coach Ed Comeau. “We said, ‘They came to play in The Hive and we’re going into a hornet’s nest.’

“It’ll be tough there but we’ll take that game and see what happens.”

What happened Sunday was that, after being down 11-7 in the third quarter, Comeau’s crew went on a seven-goal run and outscored the reigning champs 11-3 the rest of the way. Jordan Hall scored five goals, including a crease dive dandy that ignited the seven-goal rally.

“That’s the acquisition of the year, man,” winning goalie Mike Poulin said of the off-season trade that inserted veteran lefty Hall into the Swarm lineup. “There’s so many different personalities and Jordan has come in and fit right in, not just as a piece but as the glue that brings all the pieces together. I don’t know where we’d be without him. I really don’t. He’s been unbelievable.”

Poulin and Aaron Bold each made 36 saves. One of every three shots evaded Bold. One in three and a fraction evaded Poulin.

KEY SAVE

It was 11-11 to start the fourth quarter. Georgia quickly went up 13-11. Mike Poulin then made a shoulder save on a Jeff Cornwall breakaway and Miles Thompson then scored a seventh straight Swarm goal to make it 14-11.

KEY GOAL

Saskatchewan got a five-minute manpower advantage when Jordan MacIntosh was sent off for high sticking 5:14 into the fourth quarter with his team up 14-12. Mark Matthews made it 14-13 at 6:06 with his third goal, but then Miles Thompson scored a short-handed goal at 7:50 and the Swarm pulled away.

ROOKIES SHINE

Swarm coach Ed Comeau can’t say enough about the work of first-year checkers Bryan Cole, Connor Sellars and Leo Stouros.

“We’ve got three rookies at the back door and they’ve been playing like they’ve been in the league for a lot of years,” said Comeau. “Our defense gets overlooked. People talk a lot about our offense because it’s been so good all year but defense takes some time to get together and figure stuff out. They’ve been getting better, especially the last third of the season.”

Cole, from Oakville, Ontario, via the University of Maryland, was the fourth overall selection in the 2016 entry draft.

Sellars, from Brampton, Ontario, via North Carolina’s Belmont Abbey, was selected 10th overall.

Stouros, from Kitchener, Ontario, via Colgate University in central New York, was selected 17th overall.

STREAK ENDS

The Rush loss ended a nine-game playoff winning streak going back to a mini-game loss to Calgary in the 2014 NLL West final.

NUMBERS DON’T LIE

A goals-against analysis of the Rush over the last four regular seasons indicates gradual erosion.

In 2014, the Rush allowed a league-low 157 goals before losing to Calgary in the West final. They were plus 63 after subtracting goals against from goals for.

In 2015, the Rush allowed a league-low 177 goals in winning their first championship. They were plus 64.

In 2016, 190 goals were scored against the Rush. They were down to plus 43 but that was still best in the league.

In 2017, the Rush allowed 212 goals, which was fourth-best in the league. They slipped to plus 19.

ATTENDANCE

The 7,642 in the 10,500-seat Infinite Energy Centre in the Atlanta burbs was the lowest attendance number for a championship-round game since 5,200 watched in the Langley Events Centre in British Columbia as the Rochester Knighthawks defeated the Washington Stealth 11-10 on May 11, 2013. That was the last time the title was decided in a one-game showdown.