(RAPID CITY, SD) – Kenton Miller ignited the goal lamp twice, Gustav Bouramman scored for a second consecutive game, and Steve Michalek turned aside all but one of 23 shots as the Rapid City Rush defeated the Brampton Beast by a 3-1 score on Saturday night. The win gives the Rush back-to-back wins on home ice for the first time this season, as well as the series win over the Beast with 4 out of 6 points claimed.
For a fourth consecutive game, the Rush jumped on the board first, and did so within the opening minutes. Kenton Miller set a new 2017-18 season record with the fastest goal scored this season 1:45 into the action, when he sent a Pavel Jenys cross-ice pass off the crossbar and behind Beast goaltender Andrew D’Agostini to give the Rush a 1-0 lead (Jenys and Evan Janssen assisted). Brampton tied it moments later at the 5:31 mark when Nathan Todd deflected a Chris Leveille shots from the blue line by a screened Steve Michalek in the Rush net to square things up at 1-1 (Leveille and Willie Corrin assisted).
Within the last five minutes of the second, Kenton Miller hit paydirt for a second time, affording the Rush a lead heading into the final period. With 5:17 left in the second, Miller took the puck from the far corner to the far faceoff circle in the attacking zone, and let a wristshot rip over the shoulder of D’Agostini to put the Rush up 2-1 (Matt Caito had the lone assist).
Gustav Bouramman put the exclamation point on the scoresheet with the final goal of the contest in the opening moments of the third period. With 3:58 gone by in the game, Dante Salituro patiently carried the puck through the Brampton zone and dished to Bouramman on the blue line, who ripped his shot off the crossbar and in, propelling the Rush to an eventual 3-1 victory, and a series win over the Brampton Beast.
Steve Michalek stopped all but one of 23 shots towards his net, winning his second straight start in his fifth consecutive start with the Rush (3-2-0).
The Rush now prepare to square off against the archrival Colorado Eagles in a home-and-home series next weekend. Puck drop in the Budwesier Event Center on Friday, November 10th, is slated for 7:05 p.m. Saturday night’s rematch in Premier Home Mortgage Ice in Rushmore Plaza Civic Center is also slated for 7:05 p.m., and serves as the annual “Military Appreciation Night”, featuring special acknowledgements for our nation’s veterans and active military.
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