RUSH TIE GAME AT BUZZER, WIN FOURTH IN A ROW IN OT

(TULSA, OK) – Mason McCarty deadlocked the game at the buzzer, and Brayden Sherbinin’s first goal of the season with 3:57 gone by in overtime gave the Rapid City Rush a 4-3 win over the Tulsa Oilers on Saturday night.  The win marked a sweep of the “three-in-three” against the Oilers, their fourth win in a row, and seventh consecutive game with points in the standings.

Tulsa started off the scoring entries in the final minute of the first period to take a lead into the locker room.  With 48 seconds left in the period, after the Rush killed off a four-minute double-minor power play, Kyle Rhodes fired a shot from inside the blue line towards the net.  Rush net-minder Adam Carlson was screened and couldn’t make the stop, leading to a 1-0 Oilers lead after 20 minutes (Dylan Bredo and Austin Poganski assisted).

Tulsa doubled their lead with the first power play goal of the series exchanged between both teams.  With 2:06 gone by in the second, Peter Sivak pocketed a rebound in close range of the net to make it a 2-0 Oilers lead (Tyler Soy assisted for his first professional point, and Terrance Amarosa also got the other assist).  Andrew Radjenovic cut the deficit in half with his first of two goals of the game with 7:21 left in the period, slamming a Garrett Klotz rebound in close range by Oilers goalie Devin Williams to make it a 2-1 Tulsa lead (Klotz and Riley Weselowski assisted).  Under three minutes later, Adam Pleskach re-established the two goal lead when he knocked a rebound off of a close-range back-hander by Carlson to make it 3-1 with 4:26 left in the second (the goal was unassisted).  Mason McCarty then forced an Oilers turnover behind their net 1:12 later, and found Radjenovic in the slot, who finished by Williams with a deke that took him out of the crease to bring the Rush back within striking distance at 3-2 with 3:14 remaining in the middle frame (McCarty had the lone assist).

Then, the unthinkable happened…again…

The Rush were buzzing for the game-tying goal, and finally earned it with zero time left.  At the buzzer, with the extra-attacker, Andrew Radjenovic found Mason McCarty from the near corner in the slot, and McCarty slammed home the game-tying tally, barely beating the green light behind the net to send the game to overtime (Elmes and Radjenovic assisted).  Both teams extended their respective point streaks, with the Oilers going undefeated in regulation through 8 games, and the Rush earning points in 7 straight.

Brayden Sherbinin, on a power play late in overtime, completed yet another Rush comeback, and gave the team the sweep of the “three-in-three”.  With 1:03 left in the free period of hockey, Weselowski played the puck on a tee to Sherbinin, who rifled it by Williams under the bar for the win, the sweep, and a fourth straight win by a 4-3 score.

Adam Carlson won his third consecutive start for the Rush, stopping 33 of 36 shots (3-0-1-0).

The Rush now travel back home for a three-game series against the Fort Wayne Komets.  Puck drop for game one is slated for Wednesday, November 7th, at 7:05 p.m. MST at Premier Home Mortgage Ice in Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.

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