YORKTON - It was a rocky start, but in the end Saskatchewan Rush goaltender Thomas Kiazyk was all smiles.
Kiazyk was in his first National Lacrosse League start on the Rush’s home field Jan. 25, and the visiting Albany Firewolves gave him a rude welcome scoring the first four goals of the game.
But Kiazyk, 20, settled down and in the end emerged with his first NLL win as the Rush prevailed 17-13.
“It was kind of a long-time coming,” he said of the win in an interview with Yorkton This Week. ‘It feels really good. I was super happy about the team effort.”
Of course the start remains on the Ontario-born goaltender’s mind.
“Obviously the start of the game wasn’t what I’d envisioned,” he said,
But, Kiazyk’s Rush teammates didn’t let him get too far down after giving up four game-starting goals.
“They kept reassuring me . . . They kept telling me to calm down,” he said. “. . . It really helped me settle in.”
While it took some time Kiazyk said eventually things within the game “just kind of slowed down” for him, as he realized “I really had to focus on each shot.”
Kiazyk, who currently attends Carleton University, would finish the game making 39 saves.
Kiazyk said he learned he was starting a few days ahead of the game, and that got him going over scenarios in his head, something that in retrospect he said might have accounted for the poor start.
“I might have been a bit in my own head,” he admitted. “I felt like I had a lot of things going through my head early on.”
Once he settled it was a solid outing, allowing only nine more goals – and anytime an NLL netminder holds the opposition to around 10 goals his team has a shot to win.
Kiazyk, who won the Founders Cup in 2022 with the Nepean Knights, said as he looked back over the game, even after the start, there were goals he wish he had back because he felt he should have made the save, but added that is just goaltending.
“You try to be perfect every single shot,” he said.
It helped that the Rush played solid in front of Kiazyk throughout the game too.
“Defence . . . It’s been our backbone throughout the year,” he said. “I was super happy with the way they battled for me. I owe a lot to them.”
Robert Church led the team with five goals and five assists, while captain Ryan Keenan had nine points.
Next up, the Rush (5-2) take on Kyle Rubisch and the San Diego Seals (3-4) on Saturday, Feb. 1.
