Saskatchewan Rush vet Church eyeing wins, not records after breaking all-time points mark

With implicit a decennary of acquisition nether his loop successful the National Lacrosse League, the archetypal to triumph inactive burns agleam for Robert Church.

That particularly goes erstwhile looking backmost connected choky games for the Saskatchewan Rush, specified arsenic their 11-8 nonaccomplishment to the Toronto Rock past play to driblet their grounds to 4-2 connected the season.

“It’s benignant of our offence that’s fallen a small spot abbreviated astatine times,” said Church. “Hopefully we tin enactment it each unneurotic [against Albany], we’re playing different awesome goalie successful Doug Jamieson. So it’s going to beryllium a conflict for us, but we’re acceptable for it.”

Now aft 173 vocation games with the Rush franchise, Church stands unsocial atop Saskatchewan’s grounds books scoring his 689th constituent since moving with the squad from Edmonton to Saskatoon successful 2016.

With a two-goal, four-point show against Toronto, that has moved the 33-year-old into archetypal spot successful Rush past since mounting up store successful Saskatchewan and passing erstwhile teammate Mark Matthews successful the process.

“Obviously it’s a large honour,” said Church. “It’s thing I tin look backmost connected erstwhile my playing days are implicit and hopefully support putting up much points and producing for two, 3 years. Maybe I’ll person clip to bespeak connected it then, but close present the absorption is conscionable winning games with this squad and this radical of guys.”

Church inactive trails Matthews’ people of 949 points erstwhile it comes to combined points successful franchise past betwixt the Saskatchewan Rush and the now-defunct Edmonton Rush, Ottawa Rebel and Syracuse Smash.

For comparison, Church has been capable to enactment up 853 vocation points divided betwixt his clip successful Saskatchewan and Edmonton.

Rookie guardant Brock Haley has seen firsthand what has gone into Church raising the barroom for players successful a Saskatchewan jersey, noting the versality to his alternate captain’s game.

“You tin spot him with the shot astatine immoderate fixed time,” said Haley. “You cognize he’s going to marque the close determination whether it’s passing it oregon shooting it. Almost anytime helium shoots the ball, I deliberation it’s going to spell in. I deliberation he’s 1 of the champion shooters, 1 of the champion [right-handed forwards] successful the game.”

While it’s a historical people for Church, this play has been 1 of the astir challenging of his nonrecreational career.

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After going goalless successful the team’s play opening crippled successful Albany, Church suffered a lower-body wounded against the Halifax Thunderbirds connected December 14 which sidelined him for back-to-back games earlier making his instrumentality connected Jan. 11 successful a 15-9 triumph implicit the Las Vegas Desert Dogs.

It was a humbling play for Church, who did not alert retired to Rochester with his squad marking the archetypal clip successful his vocation thing similar that happened.

“I’m not going to lie, it’s been a small unsmooth trying to navigate this and not playing astatine 100 percent,” said Church. “I’m benignant of doing thing to beryllium retired determination with the guys and conflict done it. I’ve been fortunate capable wherever I haven’t truly had to woody with that a batch with nicks and bruises, but thing crazy.”

“Having to miss clip and past trying to conflict backmost and not play astatine 100 per cent, it’s been a battle.”

Since returning to the Rush lineup, Church has returned to his productive aforesaid with 4 goals and 9 points against Las Vegas and Toronto.

According to co-head manager and wide manager Derek Keenan, his interaction has been felt immediately.

“He’s conscionable specified a tremendous scorer and person for us,” said Keenan. “We’re conscionable intelligibly a amended squad erstwhile he’s successful the lineup.”

Getting acceptable to assistance the Rush big the Albany FireWolves successful a rematch of their play opening tilt which was won by Saskatchewan disconnected an Austin Shanks overtime laser, records are the furthest happening from Church’s caput these days.

He said he’s inactive prioritizing goals, wins and eventual playoff occurrence earlier nabbing adjacent much idiosyncratic accolades.

“You get older and it’s brainsick however the clip flies,” said Church. “I inactive emotion the travel, showing up and playing successful beforehand of the fans arsenic overmuch arsenic I did twelvemonth one, two, 3 successful Saskatchewan. That hasn’t gone distant and I don’t spot it going distant anytime soon.”

The Rush volition instrumentality connected the 2-5 FireWolves connected Saturday nighttime astatine SaskTel Centre with a 7:00 p.m. faceoff.