MAVERICKS WIN PENALTY-FILLED AFFAIR

(RAPID CITY, SD) – Justin Faryna got the Rush on the board early in the contest, but the Kansas City Mavericks, led by C.J. Eick’s two-goal night, scored five unanswered goals against the Rush to take a 5-1 win in a fiery affair on Friday night.  Both teams combined for 104 PIM, with 72 belonging to the Rush.

For a fourth straight game, the Rush provided the game’s first goal, coming courtesy of the Captain. With 3:02 played, Dexter Dancs found Justin Faryna wide open at the top of the Mavericks crease, resulting in a subtle tap by Faryna past Mavericks goalie Mason McDonald, giving the Rush an early 1-0 lead (Dancs and Cedric Montminy assisted).  Over two minutes later, Jared VanWormer fired a shot while spinning in the slot area and squeaked it by Rush net-minder Adam Carlson, squaring the game at 1-1 with 5:11 gone by in the first (Greg Betzold and Loren Ulett assisted).  At about the midway point of the first, on the first Rush power play of the game, a botched exchange sprung C.J. Eick on a breakaway while shorthanded.  Eick went backhand-forehand-backhand and finished with a goal by Carlson, providing the eventual game-winner with his first of two to push the Mavericks on top with a 2-1 lead at 9:51 (the goal was unassisted).

Towards the last minutes of the first, Rush defenseman Richard Coyne took a heavy amount of contact behind the Rush net, and, while he was moving, didn’t get up on his own power.  Paramedics took Coyne out of the arena on a stretcher and to the hospital for further medical evaluation.  The remaining 3:20 of the first was suspended following the intermission, with the second to shortly follow as originally scheduled.  At this time, there is no update on Richard, but please keep him in your thoughts and prayers as he recovers.

Kansas City struck late in the frame thanks to Eick again, who entered the Rush zone with Rocco Carzo, and slipped a shot by Carlson to extend the Mavericks lead to 3-1 with 19.7 seconds left (Carzo and Brayden Sherbinin assisted).

Both teams combined for 56 of the games 104 PIM in the final period, beginning the heated play near the time of the Mavericks fourth goal.  With 11:46 left in the game, on the Mavericks seventh power play of the game, Darian Dziurzynski was denied on a wraparound attempt, but Carzo fired in the rebound to push Kansas City to a 4-1 lead (Dziurzynski and Mike Panowyk assisted).  Carlson was frustrated on the sequence, and to make it worse, was assessed a delay of game minor to put the Rush immediately back to the penalty kill.  Exactly 16 seconds later, Willie Raskob fired a shot on a loose puck by a sprawling Carlson, giving the Mavericks a 5-1 lead, inciting an already frustrated Carlson to vehemently showcase his displeasure with the officiating.  As a result, Carlson would be ejected through a game misconduct for abuse of officials, prompting Tyler Parks to make his first appearance for the Rush since March 3rd at Allen.  Parks stopped all 4 shots he saw in relief, but the bad blood boiled to more fights and misconducts as the Mavericks skated out to a 5-1 win.

Adam Carlson stopped 21 of 26 shots in 48:30 of action before his dismissal from the contest (21-17-3-3).  Tyler Parks, playing for the first time since March 3rd, stopped all 4 shots in 11:30 of relief.

The Rush rematch the Mavericks to close out the 2018-19 ECHL season tomorrow with their final game of the year.  Puck drop for the highly anticipated rematch is slated for 7:05 p.m. MST at Premier Home Mortgage Ice in Rushmore Plaza Civic Center for one last time before October.

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