(NORFOLK, Va.) – The Rapid City Rush tied the game in the third period to force overtime but ultimately fell to the Norfolk Admirals in a shootout, 3-2, Friday night at Norfolk Scope.
Rapid City started the scoring in the opening minutes of the first period. Quinn Wichers fed Keegan Iverson who carried the puck down the right wing. From the right circle, Iverson flicked a shot on net that snuck through the legs of Dylan Wells and the Rush took a 1-0 lead.
Norfolk answered later in the period when off an odd-man break, Cody Milan fired a shot on net that Lukas Parik stopped. The second chance bounced out to Chase Lang who snuck it through Parik on the near post, tying the game at one.
The Admirals grabbed the lead in the third period when Lang struck for his second of the game, a wrist shot that got past Parik high on the glove-catching side. That lead didn’t last though and the Rush evened the score again later in the third when Ryan Zuhlsdorf blasted a shot on net from the blue line that Alec Butcher deflected in front. It bounced past Wells and the game was tied at two.
That score would hold for the remainder of regulation and through overtime, despite the Rush heavily out-chancing the Admirals down the final stretch. In the shootout, neither team found the back of the net until the third round when Alex Tonge flicked a wrister past Parik’s glove. Wichers was unable to equalize on the final Rapid City chance and the Admirals took the extra point with the shootout win, 3-2.
Iverson’s goal was his first of the season and his second point in two games since joining the Rush and Parik made 28 saves on 30 shots faced. Rapid City moved to 24-19-4-3 in the shootout loss while Norfolk improved to 17-24-2-2 with the win.
The Rush and the Admirals will once again meet on Saturday night at Norfolk Scope. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EST.
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