RUSH SWEEP CHAMPS FOR FOURTH STRAIGHT

(RAPID CITY, SD) – Kyle Dutra tied the game up with 21.6 seconds in regulation, and Jimmy DeVito won it for the Rapid City Rush in overtime over the Colorado Eagles with a 3-2 decision on Saturday night’s “Military Appreciation Night” showdown. The win gives the Rush four straight, a sweep of the defending champions, and five wins in their last six games.

It was déjà vu all over again with both teams skating to a scoreless draw in the first, and Colorado opening the scoring entries in the second. With 10:56 gone by in the second, Joey Ratelle took advantage of chaos in front of the Rush net and banked a loose puck off of Rush net-minder Adam Vay’s leg and in, propelling the Eagles to a 1-0 lead (Gabriel Verpaelst and Brady Shaw assisted). Shortly following the goal, Shaw suffered a lower body injury that required emergency medical attention, and he was removed from the game and premises. The Rush organization sends its best wishes to Shaw and the Eagles in his recovery.

Shortly following the medical emergency, Pavel Jenys tied the game at 1-1, forcing a deadlock heading into the third period. Just 49 seconds after surrendering the first goal, Jenys batted a loose puck over the goal line of Sam Brittain, who was out of the Eagles goal crease, and tied things up with his second goal in as many games against the Eagles (Peter Sivak and Kenton Miller assisted the goal).

With time winding down, things got hectic in the final frame. With 1:06 left in the game, Ben Storm fired a wrist shot from the high slot of the Rush zone over the glove of Vay that gave Colorado a 2-1 lead (Ryan Harrison had the only assist). It looked as though Colorado would escape with the win, but the Rush, for a second night in a row, accomplished the unthinkable. With 21.6 seconds left, with an empty net and an extra attacker, Kyle Dutra flung the puck from the far faceoff circle of the Eagles zone, and slipped it through Brittain’s five-hole to square the game at 2-2 (Matt Caito and Gustav Bouramman assisted the game-tying goal). Overtime, for a second straight night, was on the horizon.

With 3:46 gone by in overtime, Jimmy DeVito set the crowd ablaze with the game-winner. He took a pass from Ian Brady up the near wall of neutral ice, and sent a wrist shot through Brittain to give the Rush a fourth straight win, and a sweep of the defending champs, with a 3-2 win (Bouramman and Brady assisted).

Adam Vay won his second straight start, stopping 22 of 24 shots thrown towards his net (2-0-0).

The Rush now shift gears to a three-game series with the Idaho Steelheads, beginning Wednesday, November 15th. Puck drop at Premier Home Mortgage Ice in Rushmore Plaza Civic Center is slated for 7:05 p.m. MST.

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