RUSH EVEN THE SERIES BEHIND BARCZUKS THIRD PERIOD GOAL

SLAPSHOT POSTGAME COVERAGE PRESENTED BY ASSURANT SOLUTIONS

RUSH EVEN THE SERIES BEHIND BARCZUK’S THIRD PERIOD GOAL

(RAPID CITY, SD) – Spencer Pommells scored his first professional goal and Brett Kostolansky added the first of his postseason career, but Daniel Barczuk provided the decisive ignition of the goal lamp as the Rapid City Rush evened their opening round playoff series with the Quad City Mallards with a 3-2 win on Saturday night in Rapid City.

Two nights in a row it was the Rush drawing first blood, doing so once again within the opening moments of the game. It may not have been 29 seconds in as last night’s counterpart for the Rush, but a scramble in front of the Mallards net led to Spencer Pommells poking a loose puck by Mallards goaltender Parker Milner to get on the board first at 1:51 of the first period with a 1-0 score.

For a second consecutive night, the Mallards hit pay dirt and evened things up. On their second power play of the game, Joe Perry recorded his first postseason goal as a pro, rifling a shot over Rush netminder Danny Battochio to tie the game at 1-1 with 4:18 gone by in the second. Towards the end of the period, scoring chances came in dozens by both sides, but the Rush would re-take the lead. With 2:57 left in the frame, and another scramble in front of the Mallards net, Brett Kostolansky chipped the puck in a perfect arc over a sprawling Parker Milner and in, re-establishing the Rush lead at 2-1. Despite the Rush success, Joe Perry answered again for the visiting side and scored shorthanded on the third Rush power play of the night. His second of the evening came with 1:24 left on the clock, leading us to another 2-2 score heading into the last 20 minutes.

Both teams did not disappoint, and put on another stellar final period of play. Daniel Barczuk provided the decisive spark for the Rush, scoring his first goal of the postseason with 5:03 played in the third. Barczuk powered through a check and threw the puck toward Milner and the puck deflected off of Milner and in, giving the Rush a 3-2 advantage with 14:57 left in the game. The Rush held on during a late charge from the Mallards, earning the win and evening the series at one game per side.

Danny Battochio won his first game back with the Rush in the postseason, stopping 23 shots of 25 faced (1-1-0).

The series shifts to the Quad Cities for three matchups next Wednesday, Friday, and Saturday night.

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