(RAPID CITY, SD) – Mike Monfredo notched his first goal in a Rapid City Rush uniform and Adam Morrison made 29 saves, but the South Carolina Stingrays built an early lead and Steve Summerhays turned all but one shot aside to take a 4-1 win over the Rush in their first-ever meeting on Saturday night, which marked the first “Zombie Night” held by the Rush.
South Carolina started the game off with a 2-0 lead, acquired late in the opening frame. Steven McParland kicked things off for the Stingrays at 12:53 of the first period when he picked up a turnover deep in the Rush zone and zipped the puck by Rush net-minder, Adam Morrison, to give South Carolina a 1-0 lead. Late in the period on South Carolina’s first power play of the game, Colton Saucerman came off the blue line and down the slot, and fired a wrister by a screened Morrison to give the Stingrays a 2-0 lead with 46 seconds remaining in the frame.
Both teams skated to a scoreless draw in the second period, but South Carolina would add a third tally in the third despite a furious Rush rally in which they clanked a cross bar and fired 13 shots on Steve Summerhays. Rob Flick fired a shot at Morrison from the near faceoff circle and Morrison kicked it away, but Domenic Menardo rifled the rebound by Morrison to give South Carolina a 3-0 lead with 9:30 left in the game. The Rush struck back late in the game, capitalizing in the waning moments of their final power play of the game. When Trevor Gillies was sent to the box for charging Nick Miglio, Morrison was pulled from the Rush net for an extra-attacker, giving the Rush a 6-on-4 advantage. Terrence Wallin unloaded a one-timer on Stingrays goaltender, Steve Summerhays, that was initially stopped, but Mike Monfredo buried the rebound to cut the Rush deficit to 3-1 with 1:33 left in the game. Domenic Menardo ended the late Rush effort with an empty-net goal with 1.6 seconds left, sealing an eventual 4-1 win for the Stingrays in their first-ever meeting against the Rush.
Adam Morrison suffered the loss, stopping 29 of 32 shots on net in the effort (10-9-4).
Both teams will rematch tomorrow at Premier Home Mortgage Ice in Rushmore Plaza Civic Center at 3:05 p.m. MST.
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