(INDEPENDENCE, Mo.) - Logan Nelson and Stephen Baylis each had a goal and an assist, Lukas Parik made 33 saves and the Rapid City Rush defeated the Kansas City Mavericks, 4-2, Tuesday night at Cable Dahmer Arena.
The Rush got the scoring started in the first period when Nelson won an attacking zone faceoff and Baylis carried the puck below the goal line and hit Alec Butcher in the high slot. He fired a wrist shot top shelf that beat Angus Redmond and the Rush took a 1-0 lead.
That lead held until Nick Pastujov controlled the puck off a deflection from the end boards with just over five to go in the second period. He brought it above the goal line and stuffed it short side through Parik, tying the game at one.
In the final minutes of the second, just after a penalty expired sending the Rush to a power play, Nelson took a stretch pass into the attacking zone on the right wing. He deked from his forehand to his backhand and flipped the puck past Redmond to make it 2-1.
Early in the third, Max Coatta sprinted to a loose puck at his own blue line and shot down the left wing with possession. He let loose a wrist shot high on Redmond’s glove side that hit the back of the net to extend the lead to 3-1.
Kansas City got one back with just over a minute to play after pulling its goaltender for an extra attacker. Lane Scheidl grabbed a rebound in front of the net and snuck it past Parik to cut the lead to 3-2.
But the Rush punctuated things in the final minute as Baylis won a race to a loose puck and muscled it into the empty net, pushing the score to its 4-2 final.
Nelson extended his point streak to five games with a goal and an assist, Baylis pushed his team-leading goal total to nine and Coatta’s goal was his eighth of the season, setting a new ECHL career high.
The Rush improved to 7-7-1-2 in the win while Kansas City fell to 6-9-1-0. Rapid City will continue its road trip in Oklahoma on Thursday for the first of two against the Tulsa Oilers. Puck drop at the BOK Center is scheduled for 7:05 PM CST.
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