Minnesota Swarm vs Edmonton Rush: Game Recap

The Minnesota Swarm keep being written off by many in the lacrosse community, despite leading the league in scoring and keeping pace in every game they have played. Maybe a game against the Edmonton Rush, the top rated defense in the league, in which the Swarm showed not only can they played some defense, but that they can play elite level defense, will sway some folks to believe.

If you are an offensive purist, the type that wants hockey games to end 8-6, baseball games to end 13-11, or football games 75-60, this game wasn't for you. If you are a fan of gritty, hard-nosed defensive style play that makes every inch gained feel like a championship, this one was a gem. Both sides were hard on the ball, not giving anything up without a battle.

Both sides felt the pressure, too. The quantity of missed passes for both teams was astronomical. The neutral zone was a battlefield, with a good number of forced turnovers with checking and stick work. Battles in the corners lasted for tens of seconds, sometimes grinding the entire shot clock out just to win a looseball. In a game that would go on to be the second longest in NLL history, nothing came easy, and it took almost an entire over time quarter to settle it.

Early in the game, the Rush jumped out to good lead, at one point having the Swarm down 5-2 with under two minutes to play in the half. The Rush were boxing out well in front of Adam Bold, giving up absolutely nothing for chances, and when they did, Bold was there to make the save. Near the end of the half, the Swarm found a bit of a groove and added three in succession to tie the game.

Both goaltenders played lights out in the first half, holding their respective teams in the game, neither letting anything but the perfect shot get past them. The unstoppable force of the Swarm held in check, and the immovable object that is the Rush defense clashed and fought to a draw.

The second half would see more of the same, with the teams trading only a handful of goals, including an absolute snipe from Andrew Suitor to tie the game very late in the fourth quarter. Falling down, just inside the offensive zone, Suitor put a laser beam under Bold with just over a minute to play. In what would become the story of the night, the two teams would then grind out the last minute of play and head for overtime.

Without looking up the stats, it is safe to say that overtimes in the NLL generally don't last long. Being a sudden death process, and scoring not exactly at a premium in the NLL, all it takes is one shot, and it's over. Tonight, that wasn't in the cards. Possession after possession, the two teams traded blows, goalies coming up huge again and again. Tyler Carlson said that he just kept thinking that "every shot could be the one that makes you lose" and how he didn't want to let his team down.

Finally, with about two and half minutes before someone had to find a rule book to figure out what happens if there are no goals in overtime, Ryan Benesch circled the Rush net nearly untouched, stepped in front and put one over Bold's shoulder to end the game. That capped the hat trick for Benesch, who has yet to score less than three in a game this season.

After the game, the exhaustion was evident on the player's faces, some being asked if they could talk to press sitting down (which was obliged). Carlson, Benesch, and Joe Cinosky (who scored his first ever NLL goal) all talked about the adrenaline kicking in to carry them through the OT session. This could have been a situation where the number of rookies playing for the Swarm was a major advantage.

What was a noted weakness for the Swarm, their level of experience, now a dangerous weapon in their holster. Cinosky and Carlson noted that the rookies have all come in with no fear. They don't get "star-struck," as Cinoksy put it. They go out, play their game, and find way to win games.

Everyone interviewed spoke of the Rush defense being one of the best they've ever seen, and it truly was. Five guys setting up in front of Bold, limiting shots and making the shots from far less dangerous areas. If you follow hockey, it is very Jacques Lemaire-esque in its simplicity and technique. Keep the shots outside, give the goalie a good look, and let him do his job. On any given night, that defense is going to win them more games than they lose. Tonight just wasn't that night.

This one goes down as a 10-9 victory for the Swarm, who pull even at 2-2, while the Rush drop to 1-3 on the year. The Swarm sick around to cap off their double header weekend on Sunday. If you'rein the Twin Cities, grab your hound and head down to the X. It's dog day, and if you haven't taken in one of these games yet, you're missing out. Do yourself a favor and just go to one.