RUSH END SEASON WITH THRILLING OT WIN

(RAPID CITY, SD) – Alex Rauter deflected a Myles McGurty shot with 1:19 left in overtime to give the Rapid City Rush the last word on the 2018-19 season over the Kansas City Mavericks in a 2-1 victory on Saturday night.  The win gives the Rush a 30-win season for the first time since the 2015-16 ECHL campaign, and marks a +13 point improvement from last year with 69 points on the season.

In the final game of the regular season, both teams skated to a scoreless deadlock after 20 minutes, but traded blows in the second to perpetuate their deadlock after 40.  Joey Sides got the Mavericks on the board first with just two seconds to spare on his team’s fourth power play of the game, deflecting a backdoor pass from Greg Betzold by Rush net-minder Tyler Parks to give Kansas City a 1-0 lead with 1:14 gone by in the first (Betzold and Corey Durocher assisted).  Chris Leibinger tied the game up over five minutes later, rifling a shot over the shoulder of Mavericks goalie Nick Schneider to square the game at 1-1 with 6:35 gone by in the second (Cedric Montminy and Justin Faryna assisted).

Both teams created numerous opportunities in the third period, including Zach Todd for the Rush, who had a shot deflected in front of the net that rang off the post within the last minutes of regulation.  The score remained 1-1, and to overtime we went.

Alex Rauter won the game for the Rush on his first career overtime winner to give the Rush the second point, and the team’s first 30-win season in three years.  With 1:19 remaining, Rauter, parked in front of the net, deflected a Myles McGurty shot by Schneider, winning the final game of the year by a 2-1 final score.

Tyler Parks, making his first start since March 3rd at Allen, notched his fifth win of the season, stopping all but one of 24 shots on goal (5-9-2-0).

On behalf of the Rapid City Rush organization, THANK YOU for everything Rush Nation!!  We couldn’t do any of this without you.  Check out our happenings in the community this summer, and follow www.rapidcityrush.com and all of our social media platforms for news and updates as we gear up for the 2019-20 season!

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