MARTIN’S LATE GOAL LIFTS RUSH PAST THUNDER, 2-1

(RAPID CITY, S.D.) – Adam Carlson made 22 saves on 23 shots and Charles Martin’s first professional goal gave the Rush the late lead as Rapid City went on to beat the Wichita Thunder 2-1 on Saturday night in front of a crowd of 5,013 at The Monument Ice Arena.

With the game still scoreless early in the second period, Alex Aleardi found Keanu Yamamoto in the neutral zone and he sped in on the right wing. Yamamoto loaded up a snap shot and beat Roman Basran on the short side to make it 1-0.

Wichita then evened the score in the third period thanks to a deflection goal. Connor Walters took a shot from the right wing boards that Cole MacDonald got a piece of. It bounced past Carlson and in, tying the game at one.

But with less than a minute and a half to play, Tyson Helgesen fired a wrist shot wide that skittered to Martin at the blue line. With space in front of him, Martin skated the puck to the top of the right circle and fired a wrist shot through traffic. It darted past Basran on the blocker side, giving the Rush a 2-1 lead.

Martin’s goal was his first as a pro, Yamamoto had a goal and an assist and Carlson stopped 22 of the 23 shots he faced. Rapid City outshot Wichita 43-23 as it improved to 26-30-1-0. The Thunder dropped to 27-27-5-0 in the loss.

The Rush will return to action on Friday night for the first of three games in three days at home against the Tulsa Oilers. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at The Monument Ice Arena.

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