JENYS AND LANG POWER RUSH TO WIN

(INDEPENDENCE, MO) – It took Pavel Jenys 2:40 into his first game back to ignite the goal lamp, which set the pace for his three-point night in his return from the AHL. That, along with a career-high four-point night for Chase Lang helped power the Rapid City Rush to a 5-2 win against the Kansas City Mavericks on Friday night. The game marked the first time in two years that both teams have played each other, and the win gives the Rush a 2-0-0 start on their “Stock Show Road Trip”.

Kansas City struck for the first goal of the game in the first two minutes of the contest, but the Rush would eventually take a 2-1 lead into the intermission. John Schiavo started off the scoring entries just 1:50 into the action, finding a wide-open area in front of the Rush net. He deflected an Alex Brooks centering pass over the shoulder of Rush net-minder Adam Vay to give the Mavericks a 1-0 lead (Brooks and Nick Miglio assisted). Exactly 50 seconds later, Pavel Jenys, in his first game back from the AHL, took the puck into the Mavericks zone, and from the near wall fired a shot that got deflected by Mavs goalie Tyler Parsons to square the game up at 1-1 with 2:40 played in the game (Jack Walker and Chase Lang assisted). Shy of the midway point of the first, Jenys was at it again, rotating to the blue line in the Mavericks zone and dishing to the point to Geoff Fortman. Fortman flung a wrister from the blue line that zipped past a screened Parsons to give the Rush a 2-1 lead with 10:35 left in the first (Jenys had the lone assist).

Jenys added a second tally in the second when Chase Lang circled the Mavericks zone, and from behind the net found Jenys in the slot. Jenys separated from his defender and zipped a wrister over Parsons to give the Rush a 3-1 lead with 6:24 played in the second (Lang and Walker assisted).

Dante Salituro added to the Rush lead in the third period on the team’s final power play of the night. With 6:04 gone by in the third, Salituro went up the ice with Ian Brady and took a lead pass towards the Mavericks net. Salituro unloaded a wrist shot that hit the back bar of the goal to put the Rush up 4-1 (Brady and Peter Sivak assisted). Chase Lang notched his career-high fourth and final point with the last Rush goal of the game, going coast to coast into the Mavericks zone, beating the Kansas City defender, and squeaking a backhand shot under the blocker of Parsons and in to afford the Rush a 5-1 lead with 7:03 left in the game (the goal was unassisted). Former Rush forward Mark Cooper struck one last time for the Mavericks with 5:38 left in the game, threading a sharp-angle shot over Vay’s shoulder to eventually bring the game to its 5-2 final score (Tyler Elbrecht assisted).

Adam Vay won his fifth start in a row, stopping 36 of 38 shots on net (9-8-1).

The Rush continue their annual “Stock Show Road Trip”, with a rematch against the Kansas City Mavericks tomorrow night, January 27th. Puck drop at Silverstein Eye Centers Arena is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. MST.

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