(RAPID CITY, SD) – David Tendeck made 42 saves, Hudson Elynuik had a goal and an assist and the Rapid City Rush took out the Tulsa Oilers, 4-2, in front of a crowd of 4,133 on Friday night at The Monument Ice Arena. Rush head coach Scott Burt earned a win in his head coaching debut.
Rapid City trailed 1-0 early in the second period when Colton Leiter won an attacking zone faceoff clean back to Garrett Klotz. Klotz let loose a slap shot that beat a screened Mason McDonald, tying the game at one.
Later in the period with Rapid City on a power play, Logan Nelson fired a shot from the top of the right circle that was blocked. He regathered the puck and slid it to Max Coatta on the back door for a wide-open net that he hit to give the Rush the lead.
The Oilers tied things up in the opening minutes of the third while working shorthanded as their pressure on the forecheck forced a Rapid City turnover that eventually left Nathan Larose alone in front of the net. He deked from his forehand to his backhand and flipped the puck past Tendeck, tying the game at two.
Rapid City grabbed the lead back on the same power play, however, when Elynuik controlled the puck on the right wing and snapped a perfect pass to Stephen Baylis on the left circle. Baylis ripped a shot top shelf past McDonald that popped the goaltender’s water bottle and gave the Rush the lead for good.
They added an insurance marker later in the period as Elynuik barreled down the left wing, carried the puck below the goal line and wrapped it around to the near post ahead of McDonald’s lunging skate to make it 4-2.
Tendeck faced 44 shots and made 42 saves, including a second period in which he stopped all 18 pucks sent his way. Elynuik paced the Rush offense with a goal and an assist and eight different Rapid City skaters registered a point.
The Rush improved to 1-0-0 and gave Burt a victory in his first game as a head coach, while Tulsa fell to 0-1-0. Rapid City and Tulsa will meet again on Saturday night. Puck drop at The Monument Ice Arena is scheduled for 7:05 P.M.
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