RUSH CLOSE OUT 2016 WITH POINT IN OT LOSS

(RAPID CITY, SD) – Ryan Misiak, Josh MacDonald, and Anthony Collins helped build the Rush a 3-1 lead, but the Idaho Steelheads came back to force overtime and take the second point by a 4-3 score on New Year’s Eve.

For the second time in the three game set, the Rush started off the scoring entries. With 4:13 gone by in the game, newcomer Alex Mikulovich fired a blue line shot that was initially stopped by Steelheads goaltender Philippe Desrosiers, but Ryan Misiak potted the rebound to put the Rush up 1-0 (Mikulovich and Triston Grant notched the assists).

The Rush doubled their lead in the second period on their second power play of the game when Josh MacDonald deflected a Justin Hache slap pass by Desrosiers to make it 2-0 with 5:13 gone by in the second period (Hache and Dysin Mayo earned the helpers). Charlie Dodero countered for the Steelheads exactly 41 seconds later on an odd-man Rush, firing the puck by Rush net-minder Adin Hill up high to cut the Rush lead to 2-1 with 5:54 played in the middle act (Jefferson Dahl got the lone assist). At the midway point of the game, Ryan Misiak found Anthony Collins in a scrum to the side of the net, and Collins banked the puck off of Desrosiers to re-establish the Rush two-goal lead at 3-1 with 10:07 left in the second (Misiak earned his second point of the night with the assist, while Nick Walters earned his first).

Idaho mounted and completed their comeback in the third period. Jefferson Dahl notched his second point of the night when he batted a loose puck by Hill in a sea of traffic to cut the Rush lead to 3-2 15:55 left in the game (Anthony Luciani and Connor Chatham assisted). Joe Faust tied the game after Travis Ewanyk won the faceoff in the Rush zone back to him at the point. Faust sent a shot that got through traffic and by Hill to square the game at 3-3 with 7:20 left in the game (Ewanyk earned the assist). Within the last three minutes of regulation the Rush were called for two penalties: hooking on Ryan Walters and enclosing the hand on the puck to Ryan Misiak. The captain’s minor was killed, but the Rush still had to brave the Steelheads power play in overtime.

Will Merchant got the game-winner when he flung the puck by a sprawled out Adin Hill on the blocker side of his net, notching the 4-on-3 power play goal with 3 seconds left in the advantage and 3:35 left in overtime to give the Steelheads the second point and the win on New Year’s Eve at 4-3.

Adin Hill stopped 35 out of 39 shots in the overtime loss in 6:25 of action (1-2-1).

The Rush head to Utah to kick off the New Year in West Valley City on Friday, January 6th, and Saturday, January 7th. Puck drop for both games is slated for 7 p.m. MST. It starts a string of five consecutive matchups against their Mountain Division rivals.

From all of us to all of you Rush Nation, HAPPY NEW YEAR!

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