(TULSA, Okla.) – Tyson Helgesen and Simon Lavigne both scored and Brad Arvanitis made 32 saves but the Rapid City Rush came up short against the Tulsa Oilers 3-2 Thursday morning at the BOK Center.
Tulsa started the scoring in the opening minutes of the first period on the first shot of the game. Jimmy Soper corralled a puck in the attacking left corner and flung a shot on net from a sharp angle. It snuck through the pads of Arvanitis and trickled over the goal line, giving the Oilers a 1-0 lead.
Rapid City evened things up in the second after Ilya Nikolaev charged through center and fired a shot on net. Colten Ellis made the initial save but Helgesen crashed the net and chipped the rebound home, tying the score at one.
The game remained tied until the third period when Tulsa was skating with a two-man advantage. Evan Weinger fed Cameron Supryka at the right circle and he fired a wrist shot through traffic. It beat Arvanitis high on the blocker side and the Oilers took a 2-1 advantage.
The Rush again tied the game two minutes later after Keanu Yamamoto stuffed a shot on net that Ellis stopped. The rebound found its way to Lavigne on the back side and he knocked it home, evening the game at two.
But the Oilers again took the lead late in the third period when Weinger gained the zone and left a drop pass for the trailing Mike McKee. He fired a wrist shot that darted past Arvanitis and the score was 3-2.
Rapid City lifted Arvanitis for an extra attacker in the third but did not manage to get anything else past Ellis. Tulsa hung on in the final minutes and went on to win 3-2.
Helgesen’s goal was his first of the season, Lavigne’s was his first as a professional and Arvanitis made 32 saves in his first start of the season. Rapid City moved to 4-7-0-0 while Tulsa improved to 3-4-2-0.
The Rush and Oilers will take Friday off before returning to the ice on Saturday night. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CT at the BOK Center.
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