(RAPID CITY, SD) – The Rapid City Rush took 47 shots on the Idaho Steelheads, including 19 in a fram filled with offensive chances, but Branden Komm shut the door and blanked the Rush on Friday night, securing a 3-0 win for Idaho. The win splits the first two games of this week’s three-game series and forces a rubber match on New Year’s Eve tomorrow night.
Idaho struck first in the rematch of Wednesday’s tilt with a goal off a faceoff in the Rush zone. With 9:03 gone by in the game, Kellan Lain won a faceoff back to Miro Karjalainen who fired a shot that got deflected by an object past Rush net-minder Adam Morrison to give the Steelheads a 1-0 lead, and Karjalainen his first professional in North American hockey (Lain registered the lone assist). Less than three minutes later on their first power play of the game, Travis Ewanyk rifled a wrist shot from the far wall of the Rush zone that beat Morrison up high to double Idaho’s lead to 2-0 with 8:00 left in the frame (Kyle Jean and Travis Walsh notched the helpers).
Despite out-shooting Idaho 19-4 in the second, the Steelheads would add another tally. Playing in his first game in the last nine for the Steelheads, Branden Troock notched his third of the season when he took a Rush turnover on the blue line and sent a shot over the shoulder of Morrison into the top corner to triple the Idaho lead to 3-0 with 7:02 left in the second (the goal was unassisted).
The Rush threw everything at Branden Komm, outshooting the Steelheads 15-8 in the first, 19-4 in the second, and 13-8 in the third, but Komm held on and stopped everything he saw for his second career shutout, and first this season, powering the Steelheads to a 3-0 win, and a split in the first two games of the three game set.
Adam Morrison suffered the loss, stopping 19 of 22 shots (6-4-2).
The rubber match is set for New Year’s Eve tomorrow night at 6:05 p.m. MST.
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