THE CANADIAN PRESS
EDMONTON — Dean Hill led the way with a hat trick as the Edmonton Rush won their third straight game, defeating the Calgary Roughnecks 14-11 in National Lacrosse League play on Saturday night.
Andy Secore, Brett Mydske, Gavin Prout and Scott Stewart each had two-goal games, while Brodie Merrill, Ryan Ward and Scott Tinning had the other goals for the Rush (3-1).
Scott Ranger, Dane Dobbie, Kaleb Toth, Tracey Kelusky and Josh Sanderson each scored twice and Jeff Moleski added a single tally for the defending NLL-champion Roughnecks (1-3), who have lost three in a row.
Edmonton got off to a quick start as Stewart bounced a shot past Calgary goalie Matt King on the first shot of the game just 39 seconds in.
Calgary responded with a power-play goal from Sanderson before Edmonton went ahead by two goals, scoring just nine seconds apart on a clear breakaway goal by Merrill, quickly followed by a tally by Hill.
Edmonton went up 4-1 on a goal by Mydske, prompting the Roughnecks to switch goalies, yanking King in favour of Chris Levis.
The move seemed to spark the Roughnecks as they scored three goals to tie the game by the end of the first quarter. Dobbie and Kelusky sandwiched a rather odd goal from Moleski, who was awarded a goal on where the net would have been after it had been knocked askew by Rush goal Matt Disher.
Calgary went up 5-4 early in the second quarter on a goal by Toth and looked to have compounded the problem when defender Ian Crashley cross-checked Toth following the goal for a five-minute penalty.
However, the Rush turned the situation around as they were able to score a pair of short-handed goals from the sticks of Prout and Ward during Calgary’s lengthy advantage to go ahead 6-5, keeping the Roughnecks from scoring in the process.
Calgary came back with a quick pair of goals from Ranger less than a minute apart to surge back into the lead, 7-6.
Secore sent it to the half tied 7-7 with a Rush power-play goal.
Secore’s second of the game put the Rush back on top five minutes into the third frame, but it was even again five minutes later on Dobbie’s second.
Goals by Hill and Tinning put Edmonton up 10-8 heading into the fourth.
Edmonton made it a three-goal lead just 11 seconds in on Mydske’s second of the contest, before Calgary bounced back with goals by Toth and Kelusky to make it 11-10.
The teams traded goals before Hill scored his hat trick goal to restore the two-goal Rush edge.
Stewart scored just under the four-minute mark for Edmonton to give them some late insurance.
Disher was outstanding in the Edmonton net, facing 56 shots.
The Rush had 34 shots in the match.
The two teams will play a rematch next Friday in Calgary.
Notes: It was the first of three meetings between the two teams in 2010… The Roughnecks have had the upper hand in the history of the series, winning 10 of the previous 13 meetings… The rivalry reached its pinnacle in March of last year. After the Roughnecks held a 14-3 halftime lead, a line brawl erupted early in the third quarter, which had nine players receive fighting majors and misconducts… Calgary won an exhibition game over Edmonton 15-12 in Lethbridge, Alta., in December… Edmonton Brodie Merrill continues to be one of the NLL’s best at collecting loose balls, third in the league with 35 scoops coming into the game, and with one less game played than the two players ahead of him… Both Calgary goalies, Matt King and Chris Levis, used to play for Edmonton… Calgary captain Tracey Kelusky hit the 300-goal plateau in the game.