Mother Nature brings Sask. Rush to a halt: Lacrosse league cancels Philadelphia game due to extreme weather

The Saskatchewan Rush won't hit the field in Philadelphia on Saturday as planned, after extreme winter weather across Canada and the U.S. caused flight cancellations and delays.

The National Lacrosse League postponed the team's game against the Philadelphia Wings, scheduled for 6 p.m. CT at the Wells Fargo Center in Philadelphia, due to the travel issues, a Saturday morning news release from the Saskatchewan team said.

Much of Canada is under extreme weather warnings this weekend, with a polar vortex sweeping in from the Arctic through the West, while a storm swirling up from Texas is wreaking havoc in the East, leaving millions of Canadians facing down snowstorms or severely cold temperatures. 

Powerful winter storm systems are also slamming the U.S., causing widespread power outages and hundreds of flight delays, NPR reported Saturday.

Saskatchewan Rush communications manager Cody Janzen said flight delays and cancellations that started on Thursday left players stuck at four different airports across Canada.

The cancellation of Saturday's game means Rush players are looking at a three-week break between their last game and the next one scheduled — a Jan. 20 match against Vancouver.

The team's last game was a narrow 11-10 loss in overtime to the Albany FireWolves, the top-ranked team in the league, on Dec. 31.

It's unheard of in the league to have a break that long, Janzen said.

"It sucks, that's the blunt way to put it," he said.

"We're coming off of a bye week where … [the Rush played] the best team in the league to a one-goal overtime game — you're feeling good about yourself, and now you get to sit at home for two weekends or sit in an airport."

The decision to cancel Saturday's game came down to player safety and