(RAPID CITY, S.D.) – Lukas Parik made 22 saves on 23 shots and Rapid City’s defense held the Tulsa Oilers in check, but the Rush fell to the Oilers in a goaltender’s duel, 1-0, Friday night at The Monument Ice Arena.
The game remained scoreless through two periods, thanks in large part to the play of Parik and the defense in front of him. Rapid City limited Tulsa to just 17 shots through two periods and Parik made several highlight-reel saves, shutting down a breakaway, a 2-on-1 rush and scrambling to stop several rebound chances.
Tulsa finally broke through early in the third period, when Carson Denomie was fed at the right circle. He fired a slap pass to the back door where Jack Doremus tapped it home and the Oilers took a 1-0 lead.
The Rush pressured throughout the remainder of the third period, outshooting Tulsa 9-6 in the frame, but could not solve Daniel Mannella. Tulsa’s goaltender finished the game with 26 saves on 26 shots, earning the shutout and powering the Oilers to the 1-0 lead.
Rapid City fell to 35-25-6-5 in the loss while Tulsa improved to 36-29-3-3. The Oilers clinched a postseason berth with the win, combined with Idaho’s loss at Utah. The Rush are now locked into the second seed in the Mountain Division as the Grizzlies clinched the division title with that win over the Steelheads.
The Rush and the Oilers will conclude the regular season on Saturday night with Racing and Rally Night, presented by Neumiller Truck and Auto Body. There is a pregame car show starting at 3:00 p.m. in Rushmore Hall and puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at The Monument Ice Arena.
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