Stick with the game plan. Never let up.
That was the mantra for the Georgia Swarm after scoring seven straight goals spanning the third and fourth quarter to overcome a four-goal deficit en route to an 18-14 win over the Saskatchewan Rush at Infinite Energy Arena in Duluth on Sunday.
The victory in Game 1 of the National Lacrosse League Championship Cup finals series leaves the Swarm one win shy of winning the franchise’s first NLL title. They travel to Saskatchewan for Game 2 Saturday at 9:30 p.m. (EDT). Saskatchewan is the two-time defending NLL champion.
Five observations from Game 1:
Comebacks: The Swarm twice came back from large deficits, first from three goals down in the second quarter to tie 7-7, and then from four down in the third as part of an 11-2 run that turned a four-goal deficit into a five-goal lead late.
Swarm forward Jordan Hall said it was a matter of getting the game going in their direction and then keeping the pressure on.
“It was that momentum thing; you just start to feel it,” said Hall, who finished with a game-high five goals and eight total points. “(Forward) Shayne (Jackson) was just like, ‘Let’s go, let’s go, let’s go.’ And we just started getting after it. Don’t change it until it stops working.”
They certainly didn’t, keeping the same game plan throughout the second half until the Saskatchewan defense finally broke. Jackson was also a big part of the Georgia attack, scoring both of his goals in the second half and finishing with six points.
Saving the day: Georgia goaltender Mike Poulin entered the game with a league-leading .827 save percentage in the postseason. But in the first half, his inability to hold the Rush in check was a big part of why the visitors went into the locker room with a 9-7 lead
His first-half save percentage was only .609, well below both his regular-season number of .781.
But in the second half, Poulin was far more like himself, shutting down Saskatchewan for nearly 13 minutes from the third well into the fourth quarter and notching a second-half save percentage (.815) that nearly equaled his league-best overall postseason number
“I don’t think they had too many shots and I still gave up 14,” he said. “So it’s kind of a funny one. Our defense, down the stretch, was unbelievable for me. They gave me every opportunity to succeed. I just had to be the lucky guy in there, playing behind them.”
Lending the assist: The Swarm had no problems sharing the ball, amassing 29 assists on 18 goals. That was part of a constant sustained passing attack, moving the ball around the perimeter patiently while waiting for the right opening to appear. Very little was forced, especially during their big second-half run to take over the game.
Better late than never: In the third quarter, Georgia failed to score for the first nearly nine minutes, extending a scoreless drought that stretched more than 14 minutes and led to falling behind 11-7.
But starting with Hall’s goal with 6:01 left in the third quarter, the Swarm scored the final four goals of the quarter to tie the game 11-11 and then continued the pressure into the fourth quarter to extend a large lead. A combination of some impressive goal-keeping from Poulin and sticking with their aggressive offensive game plan helped push the momentum into their favor.
Powered Play: The biggest difference between the two teams in the first half may have been Saskatchewan's ability to capitalize on its two power play opportunities. The Swarm not only failed in its one chance, but surrendered a shorthanded goal.
Both of those power play goals came off the stick of Mark Matthews. The first came with 2:16 left in the first quarter, tying the game at 3-3. Matthews followed that with another strike with less than 10 seconds left in the period, handing Saskatchewan its first lead headed into the first intermission, 4-3.
The Rush added two more power play goals in the second half to give Georgia something to work on going into Game 2.
