YORKTON - Saskatchewan Rush fans went home from the team’s recent home floor loss to Calgary obviously disappointed.
The April 5, contest was one of those low scoring affairs – 10-6 and two of those into an empty net you don’t really expect in a National Lacrosse League game.
But the fans did get to see a bit of history – albeit regarding the visiting Calgary Roughnecks.
It would be in this game that the players fans know best as ‘Superman’ for his highlight reel dives through the air to score; Curtis Dickson became only the second player in league history to score 500 goals with a single team. It was one of three he scored.
“It’s pretty special,” Dickson told Yorkton This Week in a telephone a couple of days after the historic goal.
The only other player to manage the milestone is hall of famer John Tavarres.
“If you do something John Tavarres did you must be doing something right,” said Dickson.
It was actually the second time Dickson has been able to celebrate a notable 500th goal.
After a dozen years with the Roughnecks Dickson ended up in San Diego playing for the Seals. It was during that stint he scored his 500th NLL goal. The goal came April 8, 2023 against the Las Vegas Desert Dogs, making him only the eighth player in NLL history to real the mark.
In the last off season Dickson said he “found his way to Calgary,” a city and franchise said he has always greatly appreciated.
“The support from the fans is unbelievable,” he said, adding it is a city in-tune enough with lacrosse players “can feel like a minor celebrity.”
As for his flirtation with life as a Seal, he said they too are a great organization, although he joked “I spent a lot more of my salary on sun screen,” in the California city.
Now Dickson is just hoping the Roughnecks can scratch their way into a playoff spot. After the win in Rush-land Calgary was 8-8, tied with Georgia, San Diego and Colorado, but on the outside still in terms of a post-season spot.
“It’s been a bit of a roller coaster season, both ups and downs,” he said, adding the team has struggled to find the consistency needed to win more often.
In late February the Roughnecks acquired veteran netminder Nic Rose along with Tyler Hendrycks, and the Rock’s 2025 Fourth Round Pick from Toronto in exchange for the Roughnecks’ 2026 First Round Pick, Robert Hudson, and Gowah Abrams. Rose is supposed to help bring the consistency – at least in net.
Dickson said you could feel the Rose influence in the Saskatchewan game.
“He probably had his best game as a Roughneck against the Rush.
As for that playoff berth, Dickson holds out hope. He recounted how in 2019 the Roughnecks went on a late season run, made the playoffs, and then stayed on the roll to win it all. While the current edition of the Roughnecks is almost completely different, he said he hopes they do something similar.
“You definitely try to use that past experience to talk to the young guys,” he said.
Dickson said you only have to look at this year’s standings to see a lot of parity, and that means any team can win on any given night. The Roughnecks just need to find the constancy to be on the right side of the remaining games.
And, Dickson’s encouraged.
“We’re finding our footing,” he said.
