SLAPSHOT POSTGAME COVERAGE PRESENTED BY ASSURANT SOLUTIONS

RUSH CLAIM THIRD STRAIGHT WIN AT EXPENSE OF MAVERICKS

(INDEPENDENCE, MO) – Daniel Barczuk and Kale Kerbashian each recorded a goal and an assist, Brett Kostolansky put a Rush uniform on for the 100th time in his career, and the Rush earned their third straight victory with a 4-2 win over the Missouri Maverick in the second game of their final “three-in-three” road trip of the season.

Rush forward Daniel Barczuk has made himself a factor in the game two nights in a row, starting the scoring entries late in the first period. At the 15:37 mark of the period, Patrick Cullen kept the offensive drive alive and tried to hit his teammate, Kevin Harvey, in front of the net. Harvey was denied twice, but Barczuk swooped in on the second attempt to pick up the rebound and sent it past Missouri net-minder Josh Robinson to give the Rush a 1-0 lead. With 1:55 left, Barczuk carried the puck into the Mavericks third of the ice, stick-handled around a diving defender, and found and open Justin Faryna in front of the net, who finished the play with his fourth goal of the season behind Robinson to double the Rush lead to 2-0 heading into the second period.

Ryley Grantham got the Mavericks on the board at the 5:48 mark of the second frame. At the conclusion of the only Mavericks power play of the game at this point, Patch Alber kept the puck in the Rush zone at the blue line and threw a wrister towards the net. Grantham deflected the puck by Rush goaltender Danny Battochio and in, cutting the Rush lead in half to 2-1. Exactly four minutes later, Kale Kerbashian, on a pass from Cody Ferriero, sent a wrister over Robinson to re-establish the Rush two-goal advantage at 3-1, but the Mavericks countered quickly. Less than three minutes later, Andrew Courtney popped out into the slot and took a pass from the near wall of the Rush zone, firing a wrister by Battochio to bring the Mavericks back within striking distance at a 3-2 score heading into the third.

Only one goal would come from the final act of the performance and it was Jesse Schultz adding some insurance to the Rush lead. Taking a feed from Kerbashian in the final six minutes of the game, Schultz rolled into the slot and rifled the puck in the top shelf of the goal for his team-leading 19th ignition of the goal lamp, ultimately sealing a 4-2 win for the Rush, their third straight.

Danny Battochio earned his 13th win of the season in his 33rd appearance, stopping 26 of 28 shots in the victory (13-15-2). Brett Kostolansky played in his 100th game as a professional, as well as with the Rush, while Kale Kerbashian successfully recorded a goal in all four games he’s played with his new club.

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