FARYNA NETS WINNER WITH 18.1 SECONDS LEFT TO EVEN SERIES

(RAPID CITY, SD) – Justin Faryna notched his first goal back in a Rapid City Rush uniform in three years on a game-winner with 18.1 seconds left in regulation to give the Rush a 3-2 win over the ECHL’s #1 Florida Everblades.  The win gives the Rush a split in the three-game series, and gives us a rubber match for the series tomorrow night.

For the first time since January 8th at Tulsa, the Rush earned the first goal, and managed to carry that into the intermission for their first lead after 20 minutes since January 5th at Kansas City.  Chris Lebinger, coincidentally enough with four seconds left on the first Rush power play of the game, got the Rush on the board with a blast from the blue line that whizzed over the shoulder of Everblades goalie Jamie Phillips to give the Rush a 1-0 lead at 9:56 of the first (Brayden Sherbinin and Alec Baer had the assists).

Only one goal came out of the second period of play, and it belonged to Florida, leveling the game after two frames.  With 5:29 gone by in the second, Matt Finn came crashing into the Rush zone to finish a precision transition sequence for Florida, and full bore laid into a shot that rocketed by Rush net-minder Adam Carlson, squaring the game at 1-1 (Blake Winiecki and John McCarron assisted).

Both teams traded blows in the third period, but the Rush used some late heroics to come out on top in the end.  Florida took the lead when Shane Walsh deflected a Logan Roe shot over Carlson’s shoulder, bringing the score to 3-2 with 16:06 left in the game (Roe and Michael Neville assisted).  Just shy of the midway mark of the third, the Rush tied the game back up on their final power play of the game.  With 11:51 left in the game, Garrett Klotz slammed a shot from the slot area behind Phillips, squaring the game at 2-2 (Baer and Pierre-Luc Mercier assisted).  Then, with seconds remaining, Justin Faryna scored his first goal since returning to the Rush from Europe. Coincidentally with 18.1 seconds left in the game, Baer maneuvered by an oncoming assailant down the wall and tightroped the goal line, finding #18 all alone in the slot.  Faryna rifled it over Phillips to give the Rush a 3-2 lead that they wouldn’t’ relinquish (Baer and Klotz assisted).  The Rush fended off a late rally from Florida, and hung on for the win against the ECHL’s best.

Adam Carlson picked up his first win since December 14th against the Utah Grizzlies, stopping 30 of 32 shots in the effort (11-10-2-2).

The Rush conclude their series against Florida tomorrow on January 19th, with puck drop slated for 7:05 p.m. at Premier Home Mortgage Ice in Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.

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