DESROSIERS BLANKS RUSH AS STEELHEADS EARN SPLIT

(RAPID CITY, SD) – Radoslav Illo, Rob Linsmayer, and Carson McMillan all provided the offense for the Idaho Steelheads, but it was Philippe Desrosiers that hung on for a 21-save shutout as the visiting side defeated the Rapid City Rush 3-0 on Saturday night.

The game began with a bit of controversy as Radoslav Illo sent the puck towards the Rush net 43 seconds into the action, followed by the celebration of the entire Steelheads unit on the ice as if to signal that the puck had crossed. Despite no ignition of the goal lamp and no signal for goal on the ice, it was somehow determined that Illo did beat Rush net-minder Sam Marotta and vaulted the Steelheads to a 1-0 lead (Andrew Carroll notched the lone assist). With 4:56 gone by in the game, Rob Linsmayer added to the Idaho lead after he sent a Jefferson Dahl pass in the low slot by Marotta to put the Steelheads up 2-0 (Dahl and Kyle Jean recorded the helpers).

Steelheads captain Carson McMillan tripled his club’s advantage with just under six minutes played in the second period. With three seconds remaining on the first Idaho power play of the game, McMillan fired a wrist shot over Marotta’s shoulder to lift his team to a 3-0 lead with 14:06 left in the second (Tommy Fallen and Joe Basaraba earned the assists). It would be the final tally in the game, and despite the Rush matching shot totals with the Steelheads in the final two periods, including a 9-5 advantage in the final frame, Philippe Desrosiers hung on and took his first shutout as a Steelhead with a 3-0 victory.

Sam Marotta suffered the loss, stopping 22 of 25 Steelheads shots (4-11-2).

The Rush look towards their next series, a “home-and-home” series against their archrivals, the Colorado Eagles. Puck drop for the Rapid City side of the pair comes next Tuesday, March 15th, at 6:35 p.m. MST at Premier Home Mortgage Ice in Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.

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