RUSH GAIN VALUABLE POINT IN OT LOSS

(RAPID CITY, SD) – Mark Cooper scored twice and Hunter Fejes extended his point streak to four games, but Eric Roy gave the Allen Americans the second point with the game-Winning%20Goal 4:30 into overtime, helping Allen defeat the Rapid City Rush 5-4 in overtime on Wednesday night.

Allen struck first to open up the three-game set. With 7:39 gone by, Dave Makowski fired a one-timer on the blue line that zipped by Rush net-minder, Adam Morrison, giving the Americans the early 1-0 lead (Chad Costello and Eric Roy notched the assists). With time winding down in the period, the Rush squared the score up to take a tie into the first intermission. With 1:01 left in the frame, Mark Cooper kept the puck in the Americans zone and kept the offensive drive alive. The puck was worked around and eventually came to Logan Nelson between the hash marks. Nelson fired a wrister by Allen goaltender Jamie Murray to tie the game at 1-1 heading into the first (Cooper and Hunter Fejes notched the helpers, with Fejes extending his point streak to four games with the assist).

Allen countered at the start of the second on their second power play of the game. At the 4:17 mark of the frame, the Rush braved a 5-on-3 Americans power play, but as soon as they gained an extra skater, Chad Costello sent the puck through the slot in the Rush zone and it went off of a body and squeaked behind Morrison, putting Allen on top 2-1 (Makowski and Roy earned the assists). The Rush quickly tied things up, then followed up with a go-ahead strike within a minute of play. With 7:02 gone by, Mark Cooper was off to the races in neutral ice, and stuffed the puck by Murray to square the game at 2-2 (the goal was unassisted). Just 43 seconds later, Nick Miglio capitalized on a turnover and rifled the puck by Murray from the far faceoff circle, giving the Rush a 3-2 lead, their first of the game at 7:45 of the second (the goal was unassisted). Allen squared things back up on their third power play of the night when Spencer Asuchak finished a two-on-one down the ice with Greger Hanson, tying the game at 3-3 with 5:59 left in the second (Hanson and Costello assisted). Mark Cooper broke the tie again and gave the Rush the lead heading into the third period when he ripped a shot over Murray’s shoulder from below the faceoff circles to put the Rush on top with a 4-3 advantage with 2:18 left in the second (Fejes and Nelson assisted).

Randy Cure scored his first goal as a pro and squared the game at 4-4 when Jake Marchment won a faceoff back to him on the blue line in the Rush zone just 2:40 into the final period (Marchment earned the lone assist). Both teams eventually made it to overtime, and it was the Americans that won the see-saw affair. With 30.3 seconds left in OT, Eric Roy went on a break and squeaked the puck by Morrison, giving Allen the second point, and win, 5-4 over the Rush.

Adam Morrison stopped 25 of 30 shots, falling for the fourth time in overtime this season (7-7-4).

Both teams rematch Friday night, February 10th, at 7:05 p.m. MST, with the game marking the Rush’s 9th Annual “Pink at the Rink” showdown.

######