(RAPID CITY, SD) – J.P. LaFontaine kickstarted the Allen Americans, who along with 24 saves from Joel Rumpel and goals from Dyson Stevenson, Aaron Gens, and Greger Hanson, defeated the Rapid City Rush by a 4-1 score on Friday night at Premier Home Mortgage Ice in Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.
Allen got on the board first with 4:57 gone by in the opening frame, as J.P. LaFontaine finished a three-on-two rush in the Rush zone, sending the puck off of a Rush defender and by Danny Battochio to give the defending champs a 1-0 advantage (Eric Roy and Chad Costello received assists).
Allen’s power play doubled the advantage to 2-0 with Aaron Gens firing a puck off of Battochio’s blocker and off the far post and in, trickling by the Rush netminder at the 6:01 mark of the second period (Tristan King got the assist). Moments later, the Rush halved the deficit in the midst of four-on-four hockey, following coincidental minors assessed to Rapid City’s Jimmy Bonneau and Allen’s Dave Makowski. Taking a loose puck down low, Rush rookie Michael Bunting faked a cross-ice pass and instead banked the puck off of Allen goaltender Joel Rumpel, putting the Rush on the board at 2-1 with 4:27 left in the second (Spencer Pommells and Jonathan Narbonne recorded assists). The goal is the first of Bunting’s professional career.
With 11:27 left in regulation, Dyson Stevenson re-established the two-goal lead of the Americans, backhanding a loose puck in front of Battochio’s crease up top to bring the Rush deficit to 3-1 (Danny Federico and J.P. LaFontaine received assists). Greger Hanson, on a pass from Jonathan Parker sealed the win with an empty-net goal with 53.3 seconds on the clock, leading the Americans to a 4-1 win over the Rush.
Danny Battochio received the loss, stopping 23 of 26 shots faced (4-2-0).
Both teams are back in action in a rematch tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. MST at Premier Home Mortgage Ice in Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. Tomorrow night’s showdown marks the conclusion of a four-game homestand for the Rush.
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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