LANGHAMER BLANKS EAGLES ON 32 SAVES

(RAPID CITY, SD) – Mark Cooper notched two goals, and the Rapid City Rush scored a power play goal for a fifth straight game, but it was Marek Langhamer that stole the show with a 32-save shutout over the archrival Colorado Eagles on Sunday afternoon. The shutout win gives the Rush two home shutouts in a season since Danny Battochio and Tim Boron accomplished the task in the 2011-12 CHL campaign.

Only one goal came out of the first period of play, and it belonged to the Rapid City Rush. Anthony Collins picked up a loose rebound off of a Brayden Low drive to the net. Collins cashed in on a shot by a sprawled out Clarke Saunders for his fifth of the season, and that gave the Rush a 1-0 lead at 10:27 of the first period (Low and Riley Weselowski assisted). Marek Langhamer stood tall in the Rush net, stoning all 12 shots in the frame.

Michael Young doubled the Rush lead just shy of the midway point of the game. With 8:31 gone by in the second, the puck was worked up to Michael Young, and, as his team’s second power play of the game expired, he rifled a shot off of a body in front and it went by Saunders to give the Rush a 2-0 lead (Logan Nelson and Riley Weselowski assisted, with the latter earning his second). Mark Cooper kept his hot streak alive and pushed the Rush to a 3-0 lead with 64 seconds left in the second, firing a sharp angle shot past Saunders (Logan Nelson earned his second assist of the game). Langhamer stopped an additional 7 shots to bring his save total to 19.

The Rush ran away with the game in the third period, scoring a power play goal for a fifth straight game in doing so. On a five-on-three man-advantage, Ryan Walters sniped a shot by Saunders on the near wall of the Rush attacking zone, and afforded the Rush a 4-0 lead with 7:27 left in the game (Terrence Wallin and Dysin Mayo notched the assists). Mark Cooper capped off the offensive showcase with his second of the game, batting home a Dysin Mayo rebound to bring the game to its eventual final score of 5-0 with 4:06 left in the game (Mayo notched his second assist, while Misiak kept his point streak alive to six games with his first). Langhamer slammed the door shut on the final 12 shots he saw, including a breakaway by Matt Register in the third, the hang on for his second shutout in a Rush uniform and first of the season.

Marek Langhamer stopped all 32 shots he saw, and remains undefeated on the season at 5-0-0.

The Rush now begin a 6-game road trip in 9 nights against 5 different opponents starting next Friday night against the Indy Fuel. The game is slated for a 5:35 p.m. MST puck drop.

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