RUSH LOST CLOSE GAME, SPLIT WITH EAGLES

(RAPID CITY, SD) – The Rapid City Rush and Colorado Eagles ended their season series early, and excitement wasn’t hard to find towards the end. The second period turned out to be the deciding factor for the Eagles, with Jonathan Parker netting two of the three goals for the visitors. Despite a spirited third period effort by the Rush, Colorado earned a split with their rivals, a 3-2 win in their last meeting of the season.

The Eagles jumped on the board first after a back-and-forth, scoreless first period, thanks to two quick goals by Jonathan Parker. With traffic in front of Wayne Savage and a stationary puck, Parker started slamming toward the Rush net, leading to the first Eagles tally of the game 3:16 into the middle frame. Moments later on a Rush power play, Taylor Vause’ forecheck led to a turnover in the Rush end, with Vause finding an open Parker in the slot for a shorthanded goal and quick 2-0 Colorado lead with 9:19 left in the second. Exactly 1:20 later, Collin Bowman would extend the Eagles advantage to 3-0, scoring after his initial shot was blocked by Scott Brannon. The Rush were down, but not out, and would get on the board before the intermission. Scoring his first goal in a Rush uniform was Brandon Martell, sniping a clean Joey Sides faceoff pass to get the Rush on the board, trailing 3-1 heading into the third.

The Rush carried their positive momentum, and would come within striking distance thanks to their newest captain. On another offensive zone faceoff play, Jesse Schultz would cash-in to but the deficit to 1, and make it a 3-2 game with 15:41 left to play. The Rush hammered the net in the final frame for a 16-8 shot advantage, trying to utilize the eternity of time left for them, but a Joey Sides shot off of both posts and an extra-attacker effort fell short for the Rush, losing their first game of the season to their rivals 3-2.

Wayne Savage made 28 stops on 31 shots faced, playing all but the final 1:13 of the game and suffering his first loss of the season (0-1-0). Both teams could not convert on their man-advantage, going a combined 0/7 on the evening. Brandon Martell (G) and Steve Kaunisto (A) earned their first points as Rush players, While Winston Day Chief and Joey Sides (Ast each) added to their early season point totals. Jesse Schultz added his first goal as the official captain of the Rush, becoming the fourth player in franchise history to don the “C”. The Rush are back in action in their first road trip of the season, taking on the Quad City Mallards next Friday and Saturday in the iWireless Center.

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