BARCZUK LIFTS RUSH TO 5-4 WIN WITH 1:55 LEFT

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BARCZUK LIFTS RUSH TO 5-4 WIN WITH 1:55 LEFT

(TULSA, OK) – Daniel Barczuk stuck the dagger in the Tulsa Oilers with less than 2 minutes to play and Daniel Tetrault recorded his 500th career point as the Rapid City Rush edged the Oilers in a 5-4 affair. The victory places the Rush 5 points behind Tulsa and the Wichita Thunder (both tied for 3rd in the Central Division) for a playoff spot.

Tulsa thought they opened up scoring 4 minutes into the game, but Tommy Mele’s shot was deflected by a player interfering with Rush goaltender Joe Howe, and therefore the goal was negated by the officiating crew. Drew Fisher eventually established a 1-0 lead for the Oilers at the 12:06 mark of the first period. Jeff Jubinville took a turnover at the Rush blue line, but his breakaway was denied by Howe. Despite the incredible save, Fisher took the rebound and potted the goal, the only one of the first period.

After a relatively calm first period, the second period turned into a shooting gallery, with four goals exchanged in the first 8 minutes. Kicking off the back-and-forth affair was Patrick Cullen, slamming home a rebound off of a Mathieu Brisebois shot, giving the Rush a five-on-three power play goal, their second in as many games, and a 1-1 tie just 1:28 into the frame. Picking up a secondary assist on the tally was Rush Captain Daniel Tetrault, which marked his 500th career point. The Oilers answered exactly 1:24 later, as Tommy Mele fired a weak wrister past a screened Howe to re-establish the one-goal advantage at 2-1 for the home side. Kale Kerbashian tied the game again for the Rush at 6:28 of the period, cycling through the top of the zone a firing a shot past a screened Tulsa net-minder in Brandon Anderson, knotting the game at 2-2, but the Oilers once again responded. Off of an offensive zone faceoff, Oilers Captain Nathan Lutz ripped a wrister through traffic, again past a screened Howe, to lift the home team to a 3-2 lead just 1:27 later, ultimately closing out the scoring entries for the frame.

Kevin Harvey, beginning his third stint with the Rush, tied the game with the second Rush power play goal with 5:13 left in the game, deflecting a shot from Tetrault to even things at 3-3. Sixty-five seconds later, Jesse Schultz threw a backhander over Anderson’s glove to lift the Rush to their first lead of the game at 4-3, the Oilers responded quickly once again. Thirty-two seconds later, Tulsa’s Dave Pszenyczny fired a loose puck in the slot behind Howe to deadlock the game at 4-4, and yet the fireworks weren’t done yet. With 1:55 remaining in regulation, Johan Ryd flung the puck towards the Tulsa net to a wide open Daniel Barczuk. Barczuk, virtually alone in front of Anderson’s net, tucked the puck by the third-year pro and in, ultimately resulting in a clean two points and a 5-4 Rush victory.

Joe Howe earned his second consecutive win for the Rush in his second consecutive start, stopping 19 shots in the victory (6-3-2, 2-0-0 with Rush). Rush Captain Daniel Tetrault notched his 500th career point, while Rush defenseman Sean Erickson played in his 100th Rush game, becoming the 25th player in franchise history to accomplish the feat.

Continuing on their final “three-in-three” road trip of the season, the Rush set their sights to Independence, Missouri to square off against the Missouri Mavericks. Puck drop is slated for 6 p.m. MST.

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