(BOISE, ID) – Cody Ferriero and Winston Day Chief each scored in the last two periods of play, but Danny Battochio achieved perfection for a second time this season as he stoned all 24 shots faced, powering the Rapid City Rush to a 2-0 win over the Idaho Steelheads on Wednesday night.
After a scoreless draw in the first 20 minutes, Rush special teams paced the scoreboard in the middle frame. With 2:56 gone by, in the midst of the first Rush power play of the night, Lindsay Sparks sent the puck in the Rush attacking zone, which made its way to Michael Young off of his blue line. Young sent the puck to Cody Ferriero in front of the Idaho net, and Ferriero deflected the puck by Steelheads goaltender, Jack Campbell, to put the Rush up 1-0 (Young and Sparks notched the assists). Both teams threw a combined 41 shots on net in the first two periods of play, with the Rush pacing at 26-15. Outside of the lone Rush strike, both Campbell and Rush net-minder, Danny Battochio, were stalwart in-between their pipes.
Battochio would maintain his perfection and eventually see it through at the conclusion of 60 minutes. The Steelheads out-shot the Rush 9-5 in the final period, and Battochio didn’t budge one bit in the Rush crease. Rush captain Winston Day Chief added the insurance with 43 seconds remaining in the game, taking advantage of an Idaho empty-net situation, threading the puck through the Steelheads defense and in to advance the Rush to a 2-0 lead (the goal was unassisted). Battochio watched as the clock wound down, and celebrated his second shutout of the season, this one coming against the co-West Division leaders by a 2-0 final.
Battochio’s second shutout earns him his 14th win of the season, stopping all 24 shots in the effort (14-14-3).
The Rush continue their busy stretch of hockey with a “3-in-3” against the Alaska Aces on home ice this weekend. Puck drop for the first matchup on Friday, February 19th, comes at 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 season 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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