The series switches to Edmonton on Friday, June 5. If a third game is necessary it would be in Toronto the following Saturday.
The Toronto Rock’s mission was to crush the Rush.
On this night, however, the Edmonton Rush did the crushing, and the Rock crumbled.
The Edmonton Rush came into Toronto’s house Saturday night and pushed them around.
At one point in the second half, “The Locomotion” played on the loud speakers during play, and Toronto took some inspiration from Little Eva with a goal by Colin Doyle.
They should have put that song on a loop.
Edmonton overcame an early 2-0 deficit and pounded the Rock 15-9 in Game 1 of the best-of-three National Lacrosse League championship at the Air Canada Centre. Game 2 is in Edmonton on Friday, with Game 3, if necessary, back in Toronto June 13.
Edmonton outworked Toronto right from the start and found holes in the Rock’s defence.
Were they surprised how strong the Rush came out?
“We shouldn’t have been,” Doyle said post-game. “I mean, we knew what they were capable of. I certainly hope it wasn’t a case of us underestimating them.”
Doyle felt this was the worst game of the season for Toronto.
Head coach John Lovell didn’t even recognize the team wearing the Rock colours.
“That wasn’t the team I know,” he said.
He said he couldn’t single out any one player for blame.
“There were mistakes by 16 guys,” he said.
And Rock goaltender Brandon Miller was pulled not once but twice.
“I don’t think he made the saves that Brandon normally makes,” Lovell said.
The coach didn’t give up totally on Miller.
“Brandon is one of the reasons we’re here in the first place,” Lovell said. “So he needed an opportunity to go back in and see if we could rally around it.”
Mark Matthews, of Oshawa, Ont., and Robert Church led Edmonton with three goals each. Matthews was the league’s second-leading scorer during the regular season.
Matthews had two words to describe his team’s victory: “Work ethic.”
He said the Rush came in with a game plan to outwork Toronto, and they succeeded.
Edmonton played the up-tempo offence and pressure defence that makes them so dangerous.
“When we sit back and play a more traditional style, we’re not a very good defensive group,” Rush head coach Derek Keenan said. “When we play at a high tempo, and make teams play faster, then we’re better.”