RUSH SCORE FOUR UNANSWERED GOALS, DEFEAT DENVER 5-3

(RAPID CITY, SD) – For the final time this season in Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, the Rapid City Rush hosted their archrivals, the Denver Cutthroats. As always, there is no love lost between these rivals, which leads to great, entertaining hockey for all in attendance. Despite a slow start, and a 3/8 power play showing by the Cutthroats, the Rush scored four unanswered goals en route to a 5-3 win on Friday night.

The Cutthroats came out firing, outshooting the Rush 10-5 in the first period and would eventually cash in on the power play. On their first power play of the game, J.P. Chabot would flip a pass from Garrett Bembridge behind Tim Boron to give the Cutthroats a 1-0 lead 4:18 into the game. The Rush would stave off another Denver power play, but would be unable to cash in on three of their own, including a five-on-three opportunity midway through.

The visitors took their 1-0 lead into the second period and once again utilized the power play to their advantage three minutes in. In his first game against the Rush this season, A.J. Gale would score late in his team’s third power play of the game to extend the Cutthroats lead to 2-0. Midway through the period, however, the Rush would respond in a flash. On a play started by Justin Sawyer, Kevin Harvey would trade back and forth with Jesse Schultz, with Schultz eventually finishing the play for his fifteenth goal of the season, cutting the Denver lead in half to 2-1. Exactly 1:07 later, a build-up of traffic in front of the Cutthroats net led to multiple chances by Konrad Reeder and Winston Day Chief, but finishing his rebound was Anthony Perdicaro in his first game back with the Rush, tying the game at 2-2 heading into the third.

With all of the momentum in their corner, the Rush looked to take the lead heading into the final twenty minutes. Less than two minutes into the period, Jared Brown would wrap around the Denver net and release his shot just out in front, giving the Rush their first lead of the game at 3-2. Ending the scoring run for the Rush was Scott Brannon, who would finish a turnover play started by the Rush defense exactly 27 seconds later, and burn Travis Bosch top shelf, extending the Rush lead to 4-2 . The Rush weren’t out of the thick of things yet in the matchup, despite four unanswered goals. With 10:42 left in the game, Garrett Bembridge would score the third Cutthroats power play goal, cutting the deficit to 4-3. With less than nine minutes to go, the Rush would face a familiar challenge from their previous weekend in the form of a double-minor power play. The Rush penalty kill unit would end the threat, killing off all four minutes of the shorthanded onslaught, to be followed up by Konrad Reeder’s empty net goal with 1:01 left in the game. The empty-netter would help seal the fourth straight win for the Rush, a 5-3 win in their final home matchup against the Denver Cutthroats.

Tim Boron stopped 24 shots on the night for his 24th win of the season (24-10-1). For Boron, Friday night’s win helps him tie his career-high for wins in a single regular season. Anthony Perdicaro scored his first goal in a Rush uniform in his first game in the Black Hills, tying the game at 2-2 in the second period. All three of Denver’s goals came on the power play, going 3/8 overall on the evening, the first time that the Rush have allowed a power play goal in four games. The win also marks not only the fourth consecutive win for the Rush, but also the second straight game in which the Rush have won despite being outshot on the evening. Both teams will play game two of their “three-in-three” in Denver tomorrow night at 7:30 PM MST.

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 on Wednesday March 19th for the FINAL TIME THIS REGULAR SEASON, 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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