(RAPID CITY, S.D.)—Blake Bennett stayed hot with a two-goal night, Connor Murphy turned away 44 shots for his third consecutive victory, and the Rapid City Rush (16-14-2) defeated the Indy Fuel (14-13-4), 4-2, at The Monument Ice Arena on Saturday.
Rapid City scored first for the second straight night, courtesy Rasmus Ekström. Indy tied the game late in the period, but the Rush broke out in the second. Blake Bennett scored twice in a span of three-and-a-half minutes, surging his team ahead to a 3-1 lead. After a career-long goal drought, Bennett now has four goals over his last three games.
The Rush clung to a one-goal lead for nearly the entire third period. With Indy’s net empty, Brett Davis hit the target for the second straight night, securing a 4-2 Rapid City win.
Davis polished off a three-point night with the empty-netter. He extends his point streak to five games. Bennett turned in his 16th career multi-goal effort.
Against an Indy bunch that shoots the puck toward the net liberally, Murphy stood tall once again. With 44 saves on 46 shots, Murphy stopped 44 or more shots for the third consecutive game. He is 3-0 with 135 saves and a .957 save percentage since last Saturday.
Ryan Ouellette stopped 21 out of 24 for Indy in his first start since November 7th.
Rapid City’s penalty kill continued their strong play on the weekend with a 5-for-5 performance, upping their total to 9-for-9 in the series.
The Rush have made the shot differential not matter this season. Rapid City has now won 12 games when being outshot, third-most in the ECHL.
Sensory Friendly Night concludes the three-in-three tomorrow afternoon with the Rush going for the sweep.
Next game: Sunday, January 11 vs. Indy. 4:05 p.m. MST puck drop from The Monument Ice Arena.
The Rapid City Rush are back in town for three can’t-miss nights of hockey on January 9th, 10th, and 11th against the Indy Fuel. Catch Nugget’s Birthday, First Responders Night, and Sensory Friendly Night at The Monument Ice Arena. Call the Rush office at 605-716-7825 or visit www.rapidcityrush.com to learn more and secure your seats today.
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