SLAPSHOT POSTGAME COVERAGE PRESENTED BY ASSURANT SOLUTIONS

THUNDER RALLY BACK, DEFEAT RUSH IN OVERTIME

(WICHITA, KS) – Danick Gauthier tied the game for his home side with 1:28 left in regulation, then won it 38 seconds into overtime as the Rapid City Rush fell to the Wichita Thunder by a 3-2 after 60:38 of hockey at the INTRUST Bank Arena. The point earned in the overtime loss by the Rush gives them a share of fourth in the Central Division with Wichita.

The power play found early success for the Rush, cashing in on both of the opportunities awarded to the man-advantage unit in the first period. At the 4:40 mark of the first, 29 seconds into the first power play of the game, Dylan Clarke tipped a shot from Riley Weselowski, making his return to the lineup off the IR. Clarke’s deflection went past Wichita goaltender Tim Boron and gave the Rush an early 1-0 lead. With 2:18 left in the opening act, Cody Ferriero doubled the Rush lead to 2-0 on the second Rush power play, rifling a one-timer past Boron on passes from Kale Kerbashian and Mathieu Brisebois. The Rush defense, as well as the penalty kill held on in the second, especially with the absence of Kerbashian, as he served 10 minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct to end the period.

Wichita came back in the third and ultimately forced free hockey in INTRUST Bank Arena. R.G. Flath got things started for the Thunder at 12:31 of the period, creating plenty of space in front of the Rush net and sending a Mike Wilson pass by Rush netminder Johnny Griggs, cutting the Thunder deficit to 2-1. With 1:28 remaining in the game, Boron pulled from the Wichita net for an extra-attacker, Danick Gauthier slid the puck by Griggs on the far wall of the Rush zone and evened things up at 2-2. Kevin Harvey left the Rush shorthanded with 37 seconds left in the game, giving the Thunder a 4-on-3 power play heading into overtime.

38 seconds into the free hockey session, Danick Gauthier capitalized on a one-timer from the far face-off circle and won the game for the Thunder, 3-2 after 60:38 of hockey.

Johnny Griggs received the overtime loss, just his third post-regulation defeat in a Rush jersey (7-3-3 with Rush, 10-5-3 overall), stopping 28 of 31 shots thrown towards his net.

The Rush continue their road trip and play the Missouri Mavericks at the Independence Events Center this Friday and Sunday, March 6th and 8th respectively, with puck drop slated for 6:05 p.m. MST both nights.

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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