The Vancouver Warriors’ late push is not enough to win over Saskatchewan Rush in the first game at home.

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The Vancouver Warriors can argue that they lost their first home game by a couple of inches a couple of times.

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Reid Bowering hit the crossbar 2v1 with 1:34 remaining and Adam Charalambides pitched it again with 1:16 left and the Warriors fell 10-9 to Saskatchewan Rush on Friday at Rogers Arena before an announced a crowd of 6,083.

Vancouver (2-1), seeking the franchise’s first three-game win streak since 2017, bounced back from a 9-6 deficit in the fourth quarter against a smart, veteran Rush team (1- 2), one built to run in a fourth National Lacrosse League championship in six seasons.

Vancouver, by contrast, is trying to trade a franchise that made the playoffs only once in the past seven seasons.

“This team doesn’t give up,” coach Chris Gill said of his Warrior charges. “Previous teams in this franchise would have packed it up, they would have had their heads down. There is too much character in this group to do that.

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“You cannot quit smoking in this group. We had our looks at the end. I am not disappointed. I’m not happy to lose, but I’m not disappointed with the heart and character of our group. “

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Vancouver was playing its first home match since February 29, 2020. The NLL closed shortly thereafter due to the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic.

There was talk of playing in a bubble last spring, but it never materialized.

It’s easy to wonder if the crowd on Friday was affected by concerns about the Omicron variant. The Warriors announced that the average attendance for their six home games in 2019-20 was 6,769, and it was 6,833 for nine games at Rogers Arena in 2018-19.

The NLL, which is still at the point where most of its players need day jobs to make ends meet, is off 10 days after this week for the holiday season. Vancouver is in the middle of a 21-day hiatus; They are scheduled to resume action by hosting the Colorado Mammoth on January 7 at Rogers Arena.

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The league and the Warriors specifically have some time to figure out how to deal with the problems Omicron creates. Without a doubt, the NLL will be inspired by the NBA and the NHL. The Warriors have been owned by the Vancouver Canucks since June 2018.

Gill is a Vancouver firefighter and admits that “he has been concerned about COVID for two years.” He also says he can’t let what happens or doesn’t happen regarding restrictions affect how he prepares his lacrosse team to advance.

“We’re going to watch this video and get it out and get the guys to exercise and get them ready and hope they have a great Christmas,” he said.

The Warriors’ loss on Friday turned out to be outscored 6-0 by the Rush in the second quarter. Gill connected it to Vancouver by losing the net and creating Saskatchewan transition opportunities. Four of Rush’s markers in that frame were scored by defenders.

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“If you find yourself on a track with that team, you’re not going to be successful,” Gill said.

Vancouver forward Keegan Bal added: “We made a lot of mental mistakes in that second quarter.”

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Bal scored four goals and two assists on the night, bringing the right-hander to 18 points, leading the team for the season. That had him for third place in the league going into National League action on Saturday.

Left-hander Mitch Jones chipped in three goals and two assists against Rush and is at 17 points.

Bal’s consecutive rebounding scores (second came with 4:44 left) cut Saskatchewan’s lead to 10-9.

“We have to be better for four quarters,” Bal said.

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Defender Matt Beers, who is the third all-time in regular-season games (157) in Warriors franchise history and a former team captain, played his first game against Vancouver since jumping into the Rush as a free agent. out of season.

It ended with an assist and two fumbles. His most notable play was a strong first-quarter grip on Vancouver forward Jordan McBride.

Forward Mark Matthews scored three goals for the Rush. Defender Mike Messenger had two goals and one assist.

Alex Buque made 35 saves for the Warriors, Adam Shute rejected 34 shots for Saskatchewan.

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