Rush players looking forward to pre-season tilt in Moose Jaw

Time is starting to run out if you are looking to purchase tickets for the Saskatchewan Rush’s pre-season game against the Calgary Roughnecks on Saturday at the Moose Jaw Events Centre. 

As of Tuesday morning, there were only about 600 tickets left available as the first-ever National Lacrosse League game in Southern Saskatchewan closes in on a sellout. 

It’s not just the fans that are getting excited about the game, so are the players. 

Forward Zach Manns is coming into his first year with the Saskatchewan Rush. He was acquired by the team in a blockbuster trade this off-season that saw star forward Mark Matthew dealt to the Toronto Rock in exchange for Manns, defenceman Adam Jay and a 2023 first-round draft pick which the Rush used to pick Levi Anderson. 

Manns said he is looking forward to playing in front of a packed house. 

“I was looking at just the tickets that have been sold for the game in Moose Jaw. It seems like the fan support there is going to be pretty great. So, it sounds like it’s going to be a great weekend,” he said. 

He added that playing in a smaller arena brings a completely different atmosphere for the players. 

“Those smaller arenas give off more of an intimate feel when you’re at the game. It’s always nice to have the crowd almost looking right over top of you. It brings a lot of energy and it can be a lot of fun,” Manns said. 

The game will wrap up the training camp for the Rush as they begin their regular season on Dec. 1 in Halifax against the Thunderbirds. 

Manns said training camp has been going great so far. 

“All of the guys on the team have been super welcoming and the coaches, the training staff, really everyone I’ve met has been really great so far, so it’s been a pretty seamless transition,” he said. 

Manns is coming off one of his best summers playing senior lacrosse in B.C. in the Western Lacrosse Association (WLA) with the Nanaimo Timbermen. He led the league with 89 points and 45 assists. He’s hoping that success will now carry over to the NLL season. 

“I always felt like I could get to that 80 to 90-point threshold in the WLA. I felt good to get there and I’m going to use that confidence that I had in the summer and bring it along here in the winter season,” he said. 

The Rush play their home opener at the SaskTel Centre in Saskatoon on Dec. 9 against the Rochester Knighthawks.