RUSH FALL TO RIVALS IN PRESEASON OPENER

(RAPID CITY, SD) – In a historic and memorable night at Premier Home Mortgage Ice in Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, the Rapid City Rush rekindled their rivalry with the Colorado Eagles for the first time in three years as a new member of the ECHL. The atmosphere was electric and the quality of hockey stellar, but when the clock read triple-zero, it was the Eagles celebrating a 2-1 win over the Rush, thanks to an early third period goal by Nick Craven.

After a high-octane, scoreless first period, both the Eagles and Rush picked up the pace of the game. Eventually scoring on Rush goaltender Wayne Savage with traffic in front of the net was Derek Rodwell, finishing a pass from Jordan Kwas to give the visiting Eagles a 1-0 lead with 16:02 left in the middle frame. Despite the fact that the Rush constantly pounded the net, they were unsuccessful in equalizing the score until Daniel Tetrault scored the first ECHL preseason goal in Rush franchise history, squeaking a shot through from the point to even the game at 1-1 with 10.1 seconds left in the period.

In yet another back-and-forth period, the Eagles would strike again, as Nick Craven would finish a pass from Jordan Kwas on a speedy play through the Rush zone, beating Josh Unice for the go-ahead goal with 15:18 left in the game to give the Eagles a 2-1 lead. The Rush would have one last flurry with under a minute to goal, pulling Unice in favor of the extra-attacker, but what could have been a game-tying goal from Tetrault once more sailed over the net, sealing a 2-1 Colorado win.

Josh Unice receives the loss in his first preseason game with the Rush (0-1-0). Unice took over for Wayne Savage, who started in net for the Rush and played until midway through the second period. Both team’s power play units finished a combined 0/8, with the Rush individually finishing 0/5. Logan Nelson and Justin Faryna were credited with assists on Tetrault’s goal in the second period. Both teams will meet again in the Budweiser Event Center on Wednesday October 15th, with puck drop scheduled for 7:05 p.m. MST. The game will be broadcast on 100.3 The FOX, with the pregame show starting at 6:35 p.m. MST.

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