BRANNONS PAIR OF GOALS POWERS RUSH TO SECOND PLACE

SLAPSHOT POSTGAME COVERAGE PRESENTED BY ASSURANT SOLUTIONS

BRANNON’S PAIR OF GOALS POWERS RUSH TO SECOND PLACE

(RAPID CITY, SD) – The line of Scott Brannon (2 G), Dylan Clarke (3 Ast), and Daniel Barczuk (G, 2 Ast) had a hand in each goal, as they powered the Rapid City Rush to a 3-1 win over the Quad City Mallards on Saturday night in Rapid City. The win gives the Rush sole possession of second place in the ECHL’s Central Division with 8 games to go in the regular season.

After 35:10 of scoreless hockey, the Mallards struck first for the second game in a row, and once again it came outside of five-on-five hockey. Eight seconds into the third Mallards power play of the game, Matt Duffy tapped in a loose rebound in front past Rush netminder Danny Battochio, giving the Mallards an early 1-0 lead with 4:50 remaining in the second. The Rush came firing back, however, as Scott Brannon led the charge. His first of two goals separated by 1:19 of play came at 17:19 of the second, as he rifled a snap shot from the slot past Mallards goaltender Evan Mosher, tying the game at 1-1. Brannon finished the Rush rally with 1:28 left in the frame, tapping home a rebound past Mosher to give the Rush a 2-1 lead heading into the final period.

Daniel Barczuk added some insurance for the Rush with his third goal in the last two games against the Mallards early in the third period. With 3:40 gone by, Barczuk finished a Dylan Clarke pass on the short side of Mosher, doubling the Rush lead to 3-1. The Rush staved off another Mallards flurry with an extra-attacker late in the game, but held on to ultimately finish with a 3-1 victory, an all-important 2 points, and sole possession of second place in the ECHL’s Central Division.

Danny Battochio stopped 27 of 28 shots thrown his way, winning his fourth straight game and his sixth start in his last seven (21-17-2). The line of Scott Brannon, Dylan Clarke, and Daniel Barczuk had a hand in all three Rush goals, combining for 8 points on the night. Overall, that line has contributed 12 points in this two game set against the Mallards.

The Rush take to the road to play against the Brampton Beast on Thursday, March 26th, at 5 p.m. MST, Friday, March 27th, at 5:30 p.m. MST, and Sunday, March 29th, at 12 p.m. MST at the PowerAde Centre in Brampton, Ontario.

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