(RAPID CITY, SD) – Lindsay Sparks cashed in on the power play and rookie Hunter Fejes scored for a third straight game, but the Quad City Mallards struck twice on the power play and got some love from the iron in the third period as they handed the Rapid City Rush their third straight loss with a 3-2 win on Friday night in Premier Home Mortgage Ice in Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.

Quad City jumped on the board first last in the opening frame on their second power play of the game. With 1:24 left in the first, Jace Coyle fired a one-timer from the point by rookie Rush net-minder Austin Lotz to put the Mallards up 1-0 heading into the second (Mike Monfredo and Brady Brassart earned the assists).

Lindsay Sparks evened things up just shy of the midway point in the second period. With 7:08 gone by, the Rush were on an abbreviated power play following a bout of four-on-four hockey. Garrett Haar fired a shot from the high slot that was originally stopped by Mallards goaltender Adam Vay, but Sparks slammed the rebound home and tied things at 1-1 with his second goal of the season, both of which came on the power play (Haar and Ryan Walters assisted). Over four minutes later, however, Quad City received another jolt from their power play. With 8:43 left in the second, Sam Warning was all alone in between the faceoff circles of the Rush zone and one-timed a Justin Kovacs shot by Lotz to push the Mallards to a 2-1 lead heading into the final period (Kovacs and Coyle assisted, with Coyle earning his second point with the helper).

Hunter Fejes continued his electric start with the Rush and tied the game up within the first minute of the third. Exactly 32 seconds into the final period, Anthony Mastrodicasa sent a pass to Fejes, who turned on the jets and warded off his attacker and headed to the low slot. He set the puck to his forehand and flipped it by Vay to even things up at 2-2 (Mastrodicasa garnered the lone assist). The tie would last around ten minutes and end when Pavel Jenys provided the game-winner. With 8:19 left in the game, Jenys sent a shot from down low off the far post and behind Lotz to give the Mallards a 3-2 lead. The Rush had one last chance to tie things up on a power play with under two minutes left in the game, and even pulled Lotz for an extra-attacker and a 6-on-4 advantage. Vay and the Mallards penalty kill hung tough, and earned their first win by a 3-2 score.

Austin Lotz, making his professional debut, stopped 44 of 47 shots faced in the loss (0-1-0).

Both teams rematch tomorrow night on the Rush’s second-annual “Affiliation Night”. “Super Fan” Cameron Hughes will also be in attendance for tomorrow night’s rematch, which is slated for a 7:05 p.m. MST puck drop.

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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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