(RAPID CITY, SD) – The Aces broke a 0-0 deadlock in the third period of regulation, but Ryan Misiak and Ryan Walters, the latter of which scored shorthanded with less than four minutes to play, powered the Rapid City Rush to a 2-1 win over the Alaska Aces on Friday night.
Both teams skated through a scoreless duel through the first 45:29 of the game, paced by two outstanding performances by goaltenders Adam Morrison of the Rush and Kevin Carr of the Aces. The 0-0 deadlock was first broken by the Aces, but their lead would be short-lived. With 5:29 gone by in the final period, Alaska went on an odd-man rush down the ice, and Charlie Sampair finished with a back-door one-timer by Rush net-minder, Adam Morrison, to give the Aces a 1-0 lead (Yan-Pavel LaPlante garnered the only assist). The Aces lead lasted only 35 seconds, and the Rush rode that momentum to the eventual win. With 13:56 left in the game, Aces goaltender Kevin Carr played the puck up the near wall of hisown zone trying to clear into neutral ice. Instead, the attempt turned into a turnover that came right to Terrence Wallin, who didn’t hesitate in firing a shot from the blue line on net. Wallin’s shot was deflected by Ryan Misiak in front of Carr, and his tip squared the game at 1-1 (Wallin earned the only helper). With time winding down in regulation, the Aces went to their third power play of the game, but did not come out with the go-ahead power play goal. Instead, Rush captain Ryan Walters chipped the puck by his oncoming assailant and sped down the ice, shorthanded, on a two-on-one break with Ryan Misiak. Walters elected to shoot, and beat Carr top-shelf to give the Rush a 2-1 lead with 3:51 left in the game (the goal was unassisted). Adam Morrison stood tall for the Rush, who staved off the Aces late rally with the empty net and extra-attacker, eventually winning 2-1.
Adam Morrison, starting for a tenth consecutive game, stopped all but one of 26 shots thrown towards his net (13-12-4).
The Rush and Aces square off in a rematch tomorrow night at 7:05 p.m. MST at Premier Home Mortgage Ice in Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.
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