ALLEN TAKES GAME 2 TO EVEN SERIES

SLAPSHOT POSTGAME COVERAGE PRESENTED BY ASSURANT SOLUTIONS

ALLEN TAKES GAME 2 TO EVEN SERIES

(ALLEN, TX) – Ian Schultz had 2 goals and 3 assists, Tyler Ludwig had 4 helpers, and the Allen Americans scored five power play goals en route to an 8-1 win over the Rapid City Rush in Game 2 of the Central Division Finals. The win for the Americans evens up the series at 1-1.

For the first time this series, the Americans struck first in towards the middle of the opening frame. With 8:08 gone by in the period, Ian Schultz had a two-on-one rush and elected to shoot on the far side of the Rush zone, beating Rush netminder Danny Battochio to give the Americans a 1-0 lead. On Allen’s third power play of the first period, which saw 8 total power plays awarded to either side, Konrad Abeltshauser sent a one-timed shot from the blue line past Battochio to double the Americans advantage to 2-0 with 5:15 left in the opening frame. The Rush struck back with a power play tally of their own towards the latter parts of the first period, as Mathieu Brisebois unloaded a cruise missle past Allen goaltender Riley Gill to get the Rush on the board and halve the deficit to 2-1 with 2:19 left in the period.

Allen rode their power play to great success in the second period, and built a big cushion heading into the third period. Scoring first in the period was Chad Costello, igniting the goal lamp on the first power play of the period for the Americans with 2:33 gone by in the second to re-establish the Americans two-goal advantage. On a stretch pass over all three lines from Greger Hanson, Vincent Arseneau was off to the races on a breakaway and beat Battochio to increase the Americans lead to 4-1. With just 2 seconds left in the second period, on their sixth power play of the contest, Spencer Asuchak sent the puck on Battochio, and it took the most awkward bounce it possibly could have off of Battochio’s helmet, down his back, and into the net. The third power play goal of the evening for the Americans gave them a 5-1 lead heading into the third. Danny Battochio would exit the game, prompting Johnny Griggs to complete the game in the Rush net.

The Americans added three more tallies in the final period, with two more of them coming by virtue of the man-advantage. Greger Hanson scored 2:23 into the period on the seventh Americans power play to increase the Americans lead to 6-1. Ian Schultz got his second goal of the night, his fifth point overall on the night to inflate the score to 7-1 with just over 15 minutes to play in regulation. Abeltshauser finished off the game with Allen’s fifth power play goal of the game in the final minute of regulation, resulting in an 8-1 final score in favor of the Americans.

Danny Battochio received the loss, stopping 35 of 40 shots in 39:48 of playing time (5-4-0). Johnny Griggs made 11 stops on 14 shots in 20:00 of relief.

Game 3 is set for Thursday night in Rapid City at Premier Home Mortgage Ice at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, with puck drop slated for 6:35 p.m. MST.

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