REEDERS HAT TRICK HELPS RUSH DECIMATE CHILL

(RAPID CITY, SD) – Tuesday night marked the first matchup between the Rapid City Rush and the CHL newcomers, the St. Charles Chill. The Rush dominated early over their newest opponent and put on an offensive showcase, winning the game by a 7-2 score, behind Jesse Schultz four point night (G, 3A), Justin Faryna’s five-on-three shorthanded goal, Keaton Hartigan’s third professional win, and Konrad Reeder’s hat trick.

The Rush came out to a very quick start against the CHL’s newcomers, and asserted their dominance rather quickly. Scoring started 4:24 into the game on Rapid City’s first power play of the game. Sean Erickson carried the puck down the near wall, passed cross ice to Jesse Schultz, feeding Konrad Reeder in front of the net giving the Rush a 1-0 lead over the Chill. The Rush were not done there, as an ill-advised turnover from St. Charles helped them extend their first period lead moments later. The Chill defense passed the puck in front of the net, where Jesse Schultz intercepted it between the faceoff circles and rifled it top shelf to give the Rush a 2-0 lead with 13:14 left in the first. The Rush would carry that lead, momentum, and their dominant play into the locker room session.

The Rush would keep their foot down on the gas pedal in the second period, and assert their dominance even further in the game. The Rush would get a second goal from Konrad Reeder on a well placed drop pass from Jesse Schultz to extend the Rush lead to 3-0 under two minutes into the period. Rapid City would face their toughest test, as St. Charles would be awarded a five-on-three power play within the last three minutes of the frame. Despite the challenge, not only would Keaton Hartigan shut the door, but Justin Faryna would score arguably the goal of the game to that point. He would take a turnover in the neutral zone, lose his footing and slip, but was able to get a shot off that beat Chill net-minder Linus Lundin glove side, giving the Rush a 4-0 lead with exactly one minute left in the middle period. The remainder of the power play would be negated, and we would have four-on-four hockey carrying over into the third.

The Rush would explode in the third period, started off by Kyle Stroh’s goal just over two minutes into the frame. He would perch himself in front of the net, take a centering pass from Eric Giosa, and send a bouncing puck through the five-hole of Lundin, extending the Rush lead to 5-0. Unfortunately for the Rush, the five unanswered goals would be answered, as both Dan Weiss and Steve Makway would score power play goals, cutting the Rush lead to 5-2. As if they didn’t need any other goals, the Rush would put their foot on the gas pedal once more. Konrad Reeder would complete the hat-trick on a power play goal from Giosa and Schultz, giving the Rush a 6-2 lead with less than two minutes left in regulation. Matt Larke would score on top of that with 26.6 seconds left in the third to cap off the most offensive night for the Rush this season, giving the Rush a 7-2 score.

Keaton Hartigan would win his third game in as many starts this year (3-0-0), while stopping 23 shots on the evening. Konrad Reeder scored the fourteenth hat trick in Rush history, with Jesse Schultz assisting all three goals. With his assists, and his additional goal, Schultz extended his league-leading point streak to 15 games, in which he has scored 7 goals with 19 assists for 26 points. Also extending point streaks were Matt Larke (6 games), Eric Giosa (5 games), and Sean Erickson (4 games). Justin Faryna scored the second five-on-three shorthanded goal in team history, with the last one coming from Les Reaney in the 2011 playoffs. The Rush scored 7 goals in the game, the most this season to date. This weekend, the Rush stay at home and play the Quad City Mallards on Friday and Saturday night, December 14th and 15th at 7:05 MST.

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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