CLARKE'S POWER PLAY GOAL HELPS RUSH EDGE THUNDER

SLAPSHOT POSTGAME COVERAGE PRESENTED BY ASSURANT SOLUTIONS

CLARKE’S POWER PLAY GOAL HELPS RUSH EDGE THUNDER

(WICHITA, KS) – Dylan Clarke popped in the game-winning power play goal with 6:08 left in the game, Cody Ferriero added a pair of goals, and Johnny Griggs won his third straight start, lifting the Rapid City Rush to a 3-2 win over the Wichita Thunder at the INTRUST Bank Arena on Friday night. With the win, and the Tulsa Oilers idle, the Rush now possess sole possession of fourth place in the Central Division of the ECHL’s Western Conference with 20 games remaining in the season.

After a scoreless first period, the Rush kicked off things relatively quickly in the second. Just 31 seconds in, Jesse Schultz hit Cody Ferriero between the faceoff dots on the tape, with Ferriero rifling the puck by Thunder net-minder Tim Boron to give the Rush an early 1-0 advantage. Less than three minutes later, however, Mike Wilson completed a two-on-one break with Danick Gauthier, tying the game for the home Thunder side at the 3:14 mark with a 1-1 count. With 3:43 remaining in the period, with puck bouncing in front of the net of Rush goaltender Johnny Griggs, Nikita Kashirsky was able to swipe it by Griggs on a very sharp angle to pull his home side ahead to a 2-1 lead heading into the third.

When trailing after two periods of play, the Rush have a 2-8-0 record. Because of hard work in the zone and on the man-advantage, the Rush would extend the number of wins to 3. Just 4:15 into the period, Ferriero carried the puck the entire length of the ice and beat Boron on a sleek move in front of the net, knotting the game at 2-2. As play went back-and-forth, the Rush would eventually earn their fourth power play of the game and lift themselves ahead for good. With 6:08 remaining, Patrick Cullen sent the puck towards the net, and Dylan Clarke slammed the rebound home to afford the Rush a 3-2 lead. As time was expiring, Wichita elected to pull the goaltender for an extra attacker, and Danick Gauthier clanked a post with less than a minute to go in regulation. Despite their best efforts, the Thunder would fall to the Rush, winners of three straight, by a 3-2 tally.

Johnny Griggs won his third straight start, stopping 28 shots towards his net (5-2-1 with Rush, 8-4-2 overall). Dylan Clarke scored in his third straight game, while Cody Ferriero had his third multi-goal game with the Rush.

The Rush travel to Independence, MO to take on the Missouri Mavericks for the third time in their last four games, this time at the Independence Event Center. Puck drop is slated for 6:05 p.m. MST.

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