By Scott Zerr
EdmontonRush.com

Ryan O'Connor couldn't remember the last time he scored an overtime winner.

He certainly hadn't managed to come up with one as a professional before Friday night.

"Does Tyke or PeeWee count?" laughed O'Connor who found the back of the Portland LumberJax net 5:52 into OT - a shot that gave the Edmonton Rush a 9-8 victory.

The win was a critical one for the Rush. It gave them another home-turf triumph - three now on the year after not managing one in 2006. It gave the Rush their first overtime victory following last week's extra-frame loss in Arizona and the dramatic defeat against San Jose in the franchise's first-ever game. But most importantly, the win put the playoffs in definite reach for the Rush.

The Rush (3-4) are just a game back - with two in-hand - of third-place Calgary (5-4), a full game up on fifth-place San Jose (2-5) and 21/2 games clear of last-place Portland (2-8). Edmonton can improve its grip on a playoff spot and muster up the first winning streak in team history with a win over San Jose on Friday, Feb. 23.

"Our goal is to get into the playoffs so to be ahead of Portland is huge," said O'Connor, who allowed his club to breathe a sigh of relief after the Jax' second-half comeback forced OT.

"Lacrosse is always a game of momentum and they were able to rally and we couldn't get the momentum back," added O'Connor. "We have to learn how to play with a lead and this was a good learning experience in how to do it."

The Rush had perhaps their best half in team history in the opening 30 minutes. They dominated in every aspect - Curtis Palidwor supplied standout goaltending and the defence was solid while the offence scored 5-on-5, notched a power-play goal and potted a pair while shorthanded. All of that gave the Rush an impressive 5-1 lead at the break.

"One of the huge points of this game was that we were able to carry over the momentum we had built in the last two games," said Rush GM/Head Coach Paul Day.

"We had one of our best games against Arizona and then to lose in overtime, that can be damaging. But we carried the momentum we had from there into the first half of this game and really took it to them. Had it not been for (Portland goalie) Dallas Eliuk it could have been over right away."

The Jax didn't go away easy thanks to their goaltender's heroics. Eliuk's 48 saves paved the way to a Portland rally spearheaded by former Rush forward Tyler Heavenor who scored three of his team's seven second-half goals. His third of the night came with 2:36 to go in the fourth quarter and ultimately forced overtime.

The Rush were able to get their edge back in OT, however, and put the pressure on until O'Connor finally put the axe into the LumberJax with his fourth goal of the season. Despite giving up a comfortable lead and winding up in the sudden-death situation, Day liked much of what he saw from his ever-improving club.

"At halftime, the message was that everyone was paying the price whether it was locking things down on defence, picking up loose balls or blocking shots," noted Day.

"That is a key to our success as we're trying to gain our identity. For us, there's never going to be anyone who comes through the dressing room door expecting to score six or seven goals every night. It has to be a team effort every night."

One look at the scoresheet sums up Day's point. While All-Star Chris Gill had three goals, the rest of the scoring was spread out with Dan Stroup, Randy Daly, Andrew Turner, Kevin Howard, Rory Glaves and O'Connor each burying the ball once.

The Rush can further their quest for a playoff spot with they host the San Jose Stealth on Friday night (7 p.m., Rexall Place).

Rush ramblings
The lone LumberJax goal in the first half was the fewest goals allowed by the Rush in a half ... The two shorthanded goals in a game tied a Rush team record set twice last season ... Gill not only had three goals but added a game-high nine loose balls ... Stroup and Jason Wulder each had three assists against Portland while the goals for Howard and Turner were their first of the season.