Glaves and company improving the back-end

Edmonton, AB-- The improvement continues on the Edmonton Rush back-end early into the 2010 National Lacrosse League season.

After conceding 15 goals - against in the season opener versus the Washington Stealth and allowing 13 goals against Colorado Jan. 16 at Denver's Pepsi Center, the Rush defense settled in at home against Buffalo last Saturday, holding the Bandits to a season-low seven tallies against and allowing 42 shots on net in the 11-7 victory at Rexall Place.

And as the defensive numbers continued to fall, the victories on the campaign climbed as Edmonton improved to a 2-1 mark last weekend.

"Our defense has improved every game and the guys are getting more comfortable playing with another and our systems are really starting to jell now," Rush defensive coach Jeremy Tallevi said.

"With so many new players, we've just been trying to build confidence in each other and the guys are starting to do that. Winning a couple of games definitely helps our confidence, too."

"The whole team had a real good game against Buffalo and the defense is jelling pretty quickly," said Rush defender Rory Glaves.

"I thought it would take a bit longer, but, we've tried hard to get that chemistry together through training and in games and it's working."

Glaves, the 28-year-old unsung veteran of the Rush back-end, sees the overall confidence growing in Rushland. 

"Right now, we're going out and having confidence in each other and confidence in our goaltending as well and it's working for us," he said. "It's been a great team effort and it's exciting to be part of this and fun to be out there playing again."

Glaves, the six-foot, 196-pound defender from Niagara Falls, Ont. -- who last week was given the task of covering one of the premier scorers in the NLL in Buffalo's Mark Steenhuis -- held the sharpshooter to only three assists in the game. 

"Rory did a tremendous job on Steenhuis and he's a very difficult guy to guard," said Rush head coach/GM Derek Keenan of his stalwart defender. "He had a fabulous effort out there." 

"Glaves did an incredible job guarding him," hipped in Tallevi. "He really contained him through the game and held him to without a goal."

Steenhuis has given defenders fits across the NLL, firing a league-best 51 goals in 2009, however Glaves and company kept the Buffalo goalscorer in check.

"That’s part of my game I take great pride in," said Glaves, named the Rush top D-man in 2008. "When you’re called upon to cover a marquee player, I take that very seriously. 

"I'm not exactly a real flashy player. I just try to do my job out there.

"It's fun to be in that role and I had a great time covering him the other night," he added.

Those two players are not new to each other, though. The tandem were part of an impressive junior squad with the St. Catharines Athletics that won Minto Cups in both 2001 and 2003. 

"I have a lot of respect for him and I'm pretty familiar with his style, said Glaves, now in his sixth NLL season. "He's a tough guy to cover. He's quick. He can shoot from the outside or he can get down low and one on one. Covering that guy is definitely a job for the whole unit and the nice thing is everyone here can do the job and you know you have help there when needed." 

While goaltender Matt Disher clearly had his best effort in net against the Bandits, the Rush defense made their case in the contest, giving the keeper space to follow the ball, as well as not allowing a power play marker in five Buffalo man-up attempts.

"We allowed him to see the ball better," said Keenan of Disher’s play against Buffalo. "We've screened him a lot in the earlier games."

"You try to be as physical as you can help to clear the front of the net on rebounds without taking penalties," said Tallevi of his squad's league-low 33 PIMs and the league's third-best penalty kill unit. "So far we've been able to do a great job at that."

The ball pressure defense and efforts to improve on not screening Disher were elements the Rush wanted to be better in as the season went along, according to Tallevi.

"It's something we've worked on and after our first two game we felt we needed to improve on."

Edmonton looks to improve on their 2-1 mark in the standings this weekend, as well, as the next action for the Rush is their first regular season battle against the defending Champion's Cup winning Calgary Roughnecks Saturday, Jan. 30 at Rexall Place.