RUSH STAVE OFF ALLEN RALLY, TAKE TWO OF THREE IN SERIES

SLAPSHOT POSTGAME COVERAGE PRESENTED BY ASSURANT SOLUTIONS

RUSH STAVE OFF ALLEN RALLY, TAKE TWO OF THREE IN SERIES

(RAPID CITY, SD) – Jesse Schultz and Kale Kerbashian recorded a goal and 3 assists each, Danny Battochio stopped 39 of 42 shots, and the power play went 3/7 as the Rapid City Rush defeated the Allen Americans with the luck of the Irish for the second time in as many nights by a 5-3 score on their St. Patrick’s Day specialty night. The win keeps the Rush in third place in the ECHL’s Central Division with now 10 games remaining in the regular season.

After 18:48 of scoreless hockey, the Rush power play perpetuated its hot streak and got the home side on the board first. With 1:12 left in the first period, Jesse Schultz hit Mathieu Brisebois cross-ice for a one-time shot past Allen goaltender Riley Gill, lifting the Rush to a 1-0 lead heading into the second frame.

Both teams couldn’t find the net in the second period, leading to the final frame, where all of the fireworks occurred. The Rush quickly found the net on the power play, as Schultz sent a one-timer past Gill, doubling the Rush lead to 2-0 just 1:01 into the third. At the 6:28 mark of the third, Dallas Ehrhardt recorded his second goal in a Rush uniform, rifling a wrist shot from the blue line past Gill to extend the Rush advantage to 3-0. With 13:32 left in the game, the Americans turned on the heat, and were awarded a five-on-three power play by virtue of two consecutive minors. With 1:26 of five-on-three hockey, the Americans struck twice, with Tyler Ludwig sniping on a one-timer at the 10:01 mark of the third to put the Americans on board at 3-1. Exactly 15 seconds later, still on the man-advantage, Ludwig set up the ECHL’s leading goal-scorer, Gary Steffes, who beat Rush netminder Danny Battochio on the back door to bring the Americans within striking distance at 3-2. Finishing out the 1:42 scoring rally for Allen was Steffes once again, beating Battochio to tie the game at 3-3 with 9:17 left in the game.

Eventually, the Rush power play prevailed, and ignited the goal lamp a third time. With exactly 6:00 left in the game, Cody Ferriero deflected a Jesse Schultz pass by Gill for his 20th goal of the season, giving the Rush a 4-3 lead. Kale Kerbashian ended the affair with an empty-net goal to ultimately allow the Rush skate away with another important 2 points and a 5-3 win.

Danny Battochio stopped 39 shots on 42 faced for his 19th win of the season (19-17-2). 83 PIM were assessed to both teams, with 4 major penalties and 2 game misconducts, the latter two of which were assessed to the Americans. The Rush handed the Americans consecutive losses in regulation for the first time this season.

The Rush are back in action next Friday and Saturday, March 20 and 21, squaring off against the Quad City Mallards, with puck drop slated for 7:05 p.m. MST at Premier Home Mortgage Ice in Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.

Other Rush News:

Join Rush Nation for only $10 per game! Call the Rush office at 716-7825 for details, and stay informed on all Rush happenings this summer through the official Rapid City Rush team website, www.RapidCityRush.com, and the Rapid City Rush mobile app, available on iTunes and Google Play.

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