Rookie scorer finds the net twice in pro debut

Edmonton, AB --His first touch was a golden moment. Now, Kedoh Hill and the Edmonton Rush are hoping the rookie marksman can continue to make a difference offensively for the goal-starved lacrosse club early in the National Lacrosse League season. Hill, the 29th overall pick by Edmonton last summer, made his NLL debut Jan. 15 at Boston by leading the Rush with two goals and two assists in a 10-7 loss to the Blazers.

Remarkably, it was the manner that the six-foot, 150-pound product of the Junior A Six Nations Arrows made his opening statement in his first professional game. During his first shift of the game in the opening minute of play, Hill received a pass from teammate Bill Greer and the 20-year-old then buried his right-handed shot past stalwart netminder Anthony Cosmo, just 55-seconds into the contest, to open the scoring for the Rush. While he's scored a ton of goals in the amateur days, Hill's first professional snipe, off his first shot, will certainly be remembered.

"It was an amazing feeling," Hill said. "I couldn't believe it went in. I just shot it before he (Cosmo) was expecting it and it went into the net."

"I knew I had to get my first goal out of the way to get into the groove and as soon as I saw the fast break coming, I knew their guys were slow to change and I was wide open."

What made his 2011 season debut more special was having his parents in attendance in Boston for his first pro start, after they made the eight-hour trek from Six Nations, Ont., to Beantown.

"I was trying to give a gift to them," he said. "It was amazing they were there for me at the game and I wanted to give them a goal. It just happened to be in the end where they were, so it was really a great experience."

"Coach (Derek) Keenan let me know ahead of time that I was going to be playing and my family was really excited for me and wanted to see me play. My parents didn't hesitate to make the drive to Boston."

While he had his parents in attendance, he also had many family members and friends in Six Nations watching his first regular season game in Edmonton's silver and black jerseys.

"My family's been supporting me wherever I played," added Hill, who also fired three goals for the Rush in a pre-season tilt against Rochester in his hometown back in December. "It's all about lacrosse where I'm from and I've been playing since I was about three years-old."

Making the jump from the junior ranks to the pro game was an adjustment for the skilled forward as the size of players and speed of the game took some adjustments for the rookie.

"It was a new experience," Hill said, who fired 93 points, including 42 goals in 21 games last season in junior. "I knew I had to be fearless out there and not think about those things."

While Hill's exploits were a positive for the Rush, the newcomer's debut also came with a few hiccups as well.

"I noticed I have to be a lot smarter with the ball and without the ball," he said. "I know I have to be stronger and faster than those guys, too, so it's just a lot to learn."

"I thought he played well," said Keenan. "But, he made some mistakes, too and that's what going to happen with a young player, but, he's an exciting guy. He's got lots of skill and he's got some special talents that not everybody has."

Despite Hill's offensive output in the contest against Boston, the Rush fell to 0-2 early in the season and Keenan and the Rush are hoping the young scorer can continue to make a difference this weekend as Edmonton travels to Minnesota for an evening tilt against the Swarm at Xcel Energy Center on Saturday.

"He's a pretty cerebral kid and he studies the game and he'll be ready to go if called upon," said Keenan.

Fans can watch the game Saturday, January 22 on CITY TV. Game time 6:30 p.m. MST.

The Rush will make their Rexall Place debut for the 2011 season on January 28 when they play the first of four games against the arch-rival Calgary Roughnecks.

By Bruce Rakoczy