Rush rides a 5-3 record at midway point

Edmonton, AB -- Midway through the National Lacrosse League season and the Edmonton Rush is thankfully in unfamiliar territory. Is this the time to ask questions?

Winning streaks? Check.
Come from behind victories? Check.

Undefeated at home? Check.

All true.

After winning back-to-back games for the second time this campaign, the Rush enters their bye weekend for Week #9 of the season, on a roll. And after the roller-coaster ride the franchise has gone through in the first four seasons, the revamped 2010 edition hits the halfway mark of the current campaign with their arms clearly raised in the air.

With the overhaul of players and coaches in the off-season, the organization had high expectations going into this campaign and the Rush so far have responded with a roar, boasting the third-best record in the NLL with five wins against three losses to sit in second place in the West Division. The recent two-game win streak -- fuelled by Andy Secore's overtime winner in a come-from-behind 12-11 thriller Feb.27 at Rochester and a hard-fought home win over Toronto the week before -- bumped the Rush up the ladder with the NLL elite teams and are ranked fifth-best in the league by NLL Insider.

"I'm pretty happy with it. Five and three is a good mark for us at this point of the year," said Rush head coach/GM Derek Keenan. "I talked with our guys about how our wins were good and our losses were bad and Saturday (at Rochester) could've turned into a bad loss if we didn't stick through it in the second half."

The comeback road win against Rochester is only one highlight of the success of the new-look Rush. Although the club has a modest 2-3 mark on the road this year, Rexall Place has been a haven for Edmonton as the Rush sports a perfect 3-0 record at home after victories over Calgary, Buffalo and Toronto.

"Those are some of the top teams and we have to take them down to be at the top," said Secore. "Rochester was probably the most gutsy win of them all in overtime and we just dug deep. "I definitely like where we sit at five and three," he said. "We've had a tough schedule with a lot of road games in the front half."

With six of the club's first nine games away from Edmonton, the Rush look to take advantage of a homey second half of the season laden with dates at Rexall Place, including three consecutive weekends of home games starting March 20 against Boston when MMA star Randy Couture will be in attendance.

"With the five home games remaining that's good for us and hopefully we can keep that undefeated home win streak intact," Secore said. "Playing at home is always a bonus. Especially down the stretch."

And after the recent success at Rexall against the likes of Calgary and Toronto, the Rush find themselves two-games above .500 for the first time in franchise history and a swing in the standings from seasons gone by.

"Definitely, the success is big," he said of the club's place in the fixture. "We don't want to look at the past but with the skill and players we had coming into this year we figured we'd have a winning record."

Secore also admits the veteran lineup and balanced attack from leading scorers Gavin Prout and Ryan Ward, to the goaltending and defense, has made a world of difference this year.

"We have a lot of character and a lot of depth as well," he said. "The O started a bit slow but we're jelling now at the half-way point. There's no excuses from here on in, we have to be ready to go down the back half of the season.

"We have (Matt) Disher making some big saves for us back there and our D is big and are just punishing guys so that's been great.

"I think just we're playing as a team. We don't have a lot of guys blowing it up offensively with goals and we're really well-rounded," he added. "Our defense is playing big for us and our transition is getting two or three goals a night for us so that really helps us on the scoreboard."

The transition game was a facet Keenan wanted to improve when he took over the team and the play of Scott Stewart and Brodie Merrill have more than addressed that concern with their play at both ends.

Merrill, a perennial league all-star, has performed admirably in several areas for the Rush. He leads the club in loose balls, sits third in team scoring and has added an element of veteran leadership.

"Brodie's a real winner," Secore said. "He puts it out on the floor every game.

"He plays almost half the game for us. He's running up and down. Getting points for us and picking up loose balls. He can do it all. He's one of the best players out there night in and out."

As the rigours of the NLL campaign has hit the Rush lineup -- Merrill and the rest of his teammates will enjoy the bye weekend -- before competing in their sixth road game of the season March 13 at the Colorado Mammoth.

"I like where we are at," Keenan said. "It's nice to have a little rest because we're pretty banged up right now. We need to get healthy and a week off is great for us. We're re-group and get a really good practice in at Denver and obviously 5-3 at the midway point is a good mark for us."

Edmonton returns home March 20 for a 7 p.m. start against the Boston Blazers at Rexall Place, with a special guest appearance by mixed martial arts legend, UFC Hall of Famer, and Edmonton Rush fan Randy Couture.

The Rush will host a media opportunity with Randy Couture, Friday, March 19 at 3:00 p.m. at River Cree Casino.