(RAPID CITY, SD) – Alec Baer provided the game-winning goal in the second period for a second straight game, Garrett Klotz and Cedric Montminy helped seal the deal in the third period, and Adam Carlson stole the show once again in net for the Rapid City Rush, powering them to a 3-0 win over the Utah Grizzlies on the power of a 41-save shutout on Friday night.
It was déjà vu all over again for both heated adversaries, who were deadlocked at 0-0 after 20 minutes of play, despite numerous chances from both sides. Joe Cannata stopped all 6 shots he saw in Utah’s net, but Adam Carlson turned aside all 16 he faced in the opening period.
Also for a second straight night, it was the Rush scoring the first goal, and it once again came from Alec Baer in the middle frame. With 8:41 gone by, Tyler Poulsen maneuvered through the Grizzlies zone and found newcomer Alex Rauter in the slot area. Rauter’s shot was blocked by a defender, but Baer picked up the rebound and buried it by Cannata to give the Rush a 1-0 lead (Poulsen and Rauter assisted).
The Rush pulled away from Utah in the third period, en route to their second win in as many games in the week’s series. Garrett Klotz began to push the Rush further on an incredible sequence with 7:04 left in the game, when he took a pass from new Rush Captain Justin Faryna, and went on a break into the Utah zone. Klotz, near the end of his shift, unwound and fired a slap shot on Cannata that was stopped on his shoulder, but took a high-arcing trajectory, bounced in the crease, and rolled into the net, giving the Rush a 2-0 lead (Faryna had the lone assist). Cedric Montminy, in his first game as the Assistant Captain, put the final nail in the coffin with an empty-netter on newcomer Dexter Dancs’ pass, sealing the with 76 seconds left for a 3-0 win.
Adam Carlson earned his fourth shutout of the season, third overall against Utah, and second in a row of the week, stopping all 41 shots he saw (16-13-3-2). Carlson has now stopped all 65 shots in both games this week.
The Rush continue their six consecutive matchups against the Utah Grizzlies, with the second of three coming this week in Rapid City. Puck drop for game three tomorrow, is slated for 7:05 p.m. MST at Premier Home Mortgage Ice in Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.
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