RAPID CITY TAKES REMATCH AGAINST DENVER BEHIND SOLID TEAM EFFORT

(RAPID CITY, SD) – Rivalry week continued on Friday night, as the Denver Cutthroats squared off in a rematch against the Rapid City Rush. The Rush looked to re-establish themselves in the rivalry and defend their spot in first place in the CHL standings, and even up the series with their geographic rivals as well. At the end of 60 minutes, the Rush would accomplish that feat, and handle the Cutthroats by a 4-1 score, behind Tim Boron’s stellar night in net, and Eric Giosa’s two-goal performance.

Wednesday night saw a scoreless first period, but both teams were determined to end that streak out of the gate. The Rush penalty kill unit was showcased early, as they stoned three Cutthroat power plays in the period. As the pace of five-on-five hockey resumed, Rapid City would strike first, as it was rookie forward Kyle Stroh scoring his fourth career goal, to give the Rush a 1-0 lead with 4:41 left in the first. Ryan Palmer would take a pass from Justin Faryna, jump in on the play, and fire a shot from up close, tipping of of Stroh’s stick and in. Rapid City would not be done there, as Eric Giosa would lead a two-on-one charge on a turnover and rifle a shot, top shelf, to give the Rush a 2-0 lead with 13.7 seconds left in the first period, a lead that would stay with them going into the locker room session.

The central theme of the central period was defense, and the Rush would put on one of the best defensive rallies seen this season. After killing off two more opposing power plays, the Rush would finally earn another of their own, and would capitalize on the opportunity. Eric Giosa would be the beneficiary of a centering pass from Rush captain Scott Wray, on a play started by Jordan Behler, and would bury the puck by Denver goalie Kent Patterson for the second time in the game, giving the Rush a 3-0 lead on their fourth power play of the night. Denver would not go down without a fight, and would get themselves on the board late in the second. Aaron MacKenzie would send a shot toward Rush net-minder Tim Boron, which would a number of bounces off of him and barely trickle into the goal, cutting the Rush lead to 3-1. Then, the Rush would have to play major defense on the penalty kill, killing off a five-on-three power play against the number one ranked man-advantage unit in the league. They would to kill off a power play in the waning moments of the period as well, and would send the best power play in the CHL to the locker room after 40 minutes with zero converted opportunities on the man-advantage. After an empty-net goal from Konrad Reeder late in the third period, Rapid City would go on to win 4-1, and take game two against their rivals in this three game in four night set.

Tim Boron shined in net tonight, stopping 34 shots on 35 faced for his twelfth win of the year (12-2-0). Jesse Schultz and Konrad Reeder both inked themselves on the scoresheet on the last play of the game, an empty net goal, to extend their point streaks to eleven games, tying a season high set earlier in the year by Missouri’s Sebastian Thinel. Jordan Behler recorded his first point this season, and Eric Giosa became the second Rush player to score twice in a game this season. The Rush power play unit would light the lamp for the fifth time in the last six games, going 6/25 in that span (24%). The Rapid City penalty kill unit went 7/7 against the number one power play in the league in the winning effort. Tomorrow night, both of these teams clash once more in the rubber game in this three-game set at 7:05 PM MST in Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.

Other Rush News:

Season tickets for the 2013-14 season are available now by calling the Rush office at 716-7825.

Join Mark Binetti, “Voice of the Rush”, and Head Coach/GM Joe Ferras for “The Rush Hour with Head Coach Joe Ferras”, sponsored by Miller Lite on Wednesday, December 11th. Show starts at 6 PM at H2O Bar and Grill, and will be broadcast on 100.3 The FOX, the official radio home for your Rapid City Rush.

Stay informed on Rush happenings through the official Rapid City Rush team website, www.RapidCityRush.com, and the Rapid City Rush mobile app, available on iTunes and GooglePlay

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