LATE HEROIC GOAL WITH 5.1 SECONDS LEFT LIFTS RUSH PAST DEFENDING CHAMPS

(ALLEN, TX) – It seems as the season progresses that the consensus on the next matchup for the Rapid City Rush is that this is the “biggest matchup of the season so far”. Well when you play the defending CHL champions on the road and they’re three points behind you in the standings, that is most certainly the case. On Friday night, despite ice storms in the state of Texas, the Allen Event Center played host to last year’s first place team, the Allen Americans, as they housed the current first place team, the Rapid City Rush. It was a chippy, physical game, but the Rush would steal the two points from the Americans, as Konrad Reeder’s tip-in goal with 5.1 seconds left in regulation helped the Rush to a 3-2 win.

Chippy play was the theme of the first period, as bodies and weight flew around early and often in the first twenty minutes. The Rush were the first team to go to the penalty box in the game, and would face the third-best power play in the Central Hockey League. The Rush would kill off the penalty and shortly thereafter would receive their own, but would come up short on the man-advantage. After numerous quality scoring chances were turned aside by the Americans net-minder Mark Guggenberger, it would be Eric Giosa cashing in on one of his own. Taking passes from Jordan Behler and Sean Erickson, Giosa would walk right up to the Americans net and roofed a shot to give the Rush a 1-0 lead with 1:41 left in the first period, a lead they would take into the locker room.

The Rush carried their 1-0 lead into the second, only to see it disappear. Scott Brannon would go to the box for two minutes on a tripping call, and the Americans would showcase why they own the third-best power play in the CHL. Not even twenty-five seconds into their third power play of the game, Greger Hanson would rifle a power play goal to tie the game with 10:51 left in the second period. The Rush would earn back the lead moments later, as Matt Larke would take a pass from Konrad Reeder and Jesse Schultz, and score a highlight worthy “spin-o-rama” goal, to give the Rush a 2-1 lead with 2:21 remaining in the middle frame, marking a second time that the Rush carried the lead into the locker room session.

It would take a little more than sixteen minutes to the fireworks to start in the third period, but the Americans would find a way to tie the game once more. Johnathan Lessard would take advantage of traffic in front of the net and ignite the goal lamp, tying the game a 2-2 with 2:43 left in the remaining moments of regulation. Then, as soon as it would seem that the game would see some extracurricular activity, the Rush would steal the show. With 9.6 seconds left, the Rush would win a draw in the Americans zone. Konrad Reeder would win the puck to Jesse Schultz, dishing it to Sean Erickson at the point. With time and space, Erickson would rip a shot from the point, which would be deflected by Reeder into the net, giving the Rush the win with 5.1 seconds left in regulation, stealing what could have been a key point from the Americans on the heroic strike.

Tim Boron would win his league-high fourteenth game this season (14-2-0), while stopping 28 shots on the evening. Both Jesse Schultz and Konrad Reeder would see their league-leading point streaks extend to 13 games with two assists each in the contest. Matt Larke scored his second goal in as many nights. Rapid City moves to 15-2-0 for 30 points on the season, remaining in first place in the CHL, while Allen, now at 12-7-1, remains tied for second with Missouri at 25 points, creating the largest separation they’ve seen this season in the standings.

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,RETURNING TO BOSTON’S RESTAURANT SPORTS BAR, 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 Android.

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