(PRESCOTT VALLEY, AZ) – The Arizona Sundogs played host to the Rapid City Rush on Kid’s Day, with puck drop scheduled for 10 AM MST. The Rush had not played the Sundogs since their five consecutive matchups back in October/November, all of those games won by the Rush. The Sundogs brought a different lineup and a different style of play, and it paid off for the hosts, as they defeated the Rush 5-1 behind a 3-goal second period.

Arizona would get on the board first in this affair, igniting the crowd of about 5,000 children in attendance. Kevin Baker would score a power play goal on the third man-advantage for the Sundogs on a cross-ice pass from David Rutherford to give the Sundogs a 1-0 lead 12:39 into the game. The Rush would eventually tie the game up, as Sean Erickson would knock in a bouncing rebound on the back door of Andrew Engelage’s net to knot the game up at 1-1 heading into the first intermission.

It was all Sundogs in the second period, as they took control of the game from here on out. Nine seconds into the frame, Kevin Baker would score his second of the night on a turnover in the Rush zone, giving the Sundogs a 2-1 lead. A short while later, Alex Tuckerman would rifle a shot from the far faceoff dot to extend the Sundogs lead to 3-1, not even a minute and a half into the middle period. The Sundogs would add one more on the board thanks to Paul McIlveen, recording the second of his three points on the day, giving the Sundogs a 4-1 lead with 13:34 left in the second, a lead they would take into the third. Matt McCready would score one last time for the Sundogs, firing a “knuckleball”-like shot from outside the blue line towards the net of Keaton Hartigan and over his shoulder to make the score 5-1, the eventual final score of the game.

Keaton Hartigan takes the loss, allowing five goals and stopping 25 pucks thrown his way (8-6-0), starting in his tenth straight game. Rush captain Scott Wray played in his 300th game in a Rush uniform, becoming the first player in team history to do so. Since coming to the Black Hills in 2009/2010, Wray has not missed a game with the Rush. The Rush allowed a goal just nine seconds into the second period, the quickest goal they’ve allowed all season. This is also the second game the Rush have lost by a 5-1 score, with the Missouri Mavericks defeating them by the same score earlier this month. Both teams are back in action in a rematch on Friday night at 7:05 MST.

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Other Rush News:

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

Don’t forget to join Mark Binetti, “Voice of the Rush”, and Head Coach/GM Joe Ferras for “The Rush Hour with Coach Ferras”, presented by Miller Lite. The show returns to the air next year on Wednesday, February 19th, and will be held at 6 PM at Boston’s Restaurant and Sports Bar. The show is broadcast on 100.3 The FOX, the official radio home of 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 Google Play.

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