(RAPID CITY, S.D.)—The Rapid City Rush (22-23-4) won the inaugural Black Hills Brawl on ice with a resilient 5-3 victory over the Worcester Railers (23-20-6) at The Monument Ice Arena on Saturday.
Rapid City took home three points in the series and secured a 3-1-1 homestand.
The Rush, wearing South Dakota Mines jerseys, scored in all three periods and did not trail throughout the game. Blake Bennett got the party started with a snipe less than eight minutes in and brought back his signature stick-over-the-head celebration. Ryan Chyzowski banked home a power play from behind the net to give the Rush a 2-1 lead at the first intermission.
Chase Pauls funneled in a point shot off a faceoff win halfway through the second period, reclaiming a 3-2 Rush lead. Pauls finished with three points on the night.
Worcester made a mistake early in the third period. With goaltender Parker Gahagen caught behind the net, Quinn Olson scored on the empty goal to extend his point streak to six games. The Railers trimmed the lead to 4-3 and pressed for the equalizer, but the Rush killed off a late penalty and Cameron Buhl finished things off with his 15th goal of the season.
While he did not score, Brett Davis added two more assists and continued his hot stretch, with seven assists over his last four games. Bennett (1g+1a) and Pauls (1g+2a) also had multi-point performances.
After being outshot by double over the first two games, the Rush’s defense put forth a much better effort. Rapid City outshot Worcester, 38-32, including a 16-5 margin in the opening period.
Connor Murphy won his fourth game in the last five starts with 29 stops on 32 shots. Gahagen allowed four goals for just the fifth time this season, making 33 saves on 37 Rush shots.
The Rush hit the road for the first time in nearly three weeks when they face the Tulsa Oilers in a 3-in-3 next weekend.
Next game: Friday, February 27 at Tulsa. 6:05 p.m. MST puck drop from WeStreet Ice Center.
The Rapid City Rush kick off the month of March at home on March 4th, 6th, and 7th against the Wheeling Nailers! Saturday, March 7th is Military Appreciation Night, presented by AARP South Dakota, featuring specialty jerseys and a Coca-Cola youth jersey giveaway. Head to www.rapidcityrush.com or call 605-716-7825 to secure your seats today.
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