(ALLEN, TX) – Braylon Shmyr took advantage of an error in the offensive zone with 16:46 remaining in regulation, breaking a 1-1 deadlock and helping lead the Allen Americans to a 3-1 win over the Rapid City Rush on Sunday afternoon. The loss, coupled with a Kansas City regulation loss to Tulsa, keeps the Rush 10 points removed from the final Mountain Division playoff spot occupied by the Mavericks with 13 games remaining in the season.
Both teams traded blows in the first period, each from defensemen, and left the first 20 minutes deadlocked. Josh Atkinson struck 98 seconds to put Allen on the board first, trailing into the Rush zone from the blue line and finishing an Adam Miller pass with a shot that whizzed by Rush net-minder Tyler Parks, making it a 1-0 Americans lead (Miller and Alexandre Ranger assisted). The Rush countered with special teams work, resulting in a 5-on-3 power play goal from Dylan Quaile. With 2:37 left in the first, following a Rush barrage on net, Tyler Poulsen found Quaile on the near-side for a one-time blast by Allen goalie C.J. Motte, squaring the game up at 1-1 (Poulsen and Cedric Montminy assisted).
Both teams skated to a scoreless deadlock in the second, maintaining the 1-1 draw coming into the final period, but a miscue in the Rush zone gave the Americans the eventual game-winner. With 3:14 gone by in the final period, Parks came out of the net and played the puck from his trapezoid up the near wall of his zone, but into the body of Braylon Shmyr. Parks didn’t get to the Rush net quick enough, and Shmyr fired it in, giving the Americans a 2-1 lead (the goal was unassisted). Zach Pochiro sealed the deal for the Americans with an empty-net goal in the last thirty seconds to hand the Rush an unfortunate loss of 3-1 after regulation expired.
Tyler Parks stopped 30 of 32 shots in the defeat (4-9-2-0).
The Rush now gear up for six consecutive matchups against the Utah Grizzlies, with the first three coming this week in Rapid City. Puck drop for game one on Wednesday, March 8th is slated for 7:05 p.m. MST at Premier Home Mortgage Ice in Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.
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