RUSH SWEPT OUT OF SERIES, LOSE FOURTH STRAIGHT TO TULSA

(RAPID CITY, SD) – This time there was no one-man show to speak of in the boxscore, but despite that, the Tulsa Oilers were able to take another victory over the Rapid City Rush, sweeping them out of Rushmore Plaza Civic Center via a 2-1 decision. The second period proved to be the swing period of the game, and the Rush were unable to bridge a one-goal gap late in the game for the fourth straight time.

Sean Erickson got the Rush on the board in the first period with his tenth goal of the season, giving his team their second straight game opening up the scoring. The 1-0 lead, scored 5:48 into the game, held on until the first intermission, marking the first time in eight games that the Rush have a lead after twenty minutes of play.

The Oilers would come back in the second period, scoring twice to erase the Rush advantage. Kyle Bochek would score midway through the second, evening the game up at 1-1 on a shot taken after he circled around Tim Boron’s net. Moments later, catching the Rush in the middle of a defensive line change, Chapen Lablond would take a pass from Drew Fisher into an open slot, shooting the puck past Boron to give his team the 2-1 lead with exactly four minutes left in the second. The Rush would be unable to capitalize on their four power plays in the game, and would have an opportunity to tie the game in the last minute of regulation, but for the fourth straight game, the Rush would fall by one goal, as the score would remain 2-1.

Tim Boron stopped 22 shots on the evening, losing for just the ninth time this season (20-9-0). The Rush outshot Tulsa 38-24, including holding the Oilers to single digit shot totals in the first two periods (4 and 9 respectively). After going 2/2 on the power play the night before, Tulsa was unable to capitalize on their man-advantage, both teams going a combined 0/6 on the evening. Rapid City loses their fourth straight game, their longest losing streak of the season through 45 games. There are still two matchups left in this series, both coming in Tulsa in early March. With their brief visit home concluded, the Rush go back on the road to take on the Quad City Mallards for a two game set this weekend. Puck drops at 6:05 MST for both contests on Friday and Saturday night.

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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