Walters Hat Trick Sparks Win
February 2, 2017 - ECHL (ECHL)
Rapid City Rush News Release
CINCINNATI, OH - Ryan Walters netted his second hat trick of the season and powered the Rapid City Rush to a 3-1 win in their first-ever matchup over the Cincinnati Cyclones on Wednesday night. The win gives the Rush their first victory on this six-game road trip.
The Rush got the first say in their first-ever meeting against the Cyclones within the opening moments of the game. With 1:09 gone by, Ryan Walters deflected a Dysin Mayo blue line shot from in front of Cincinnati goaltender, Mark Visentin, and behind him, giving the Rush the only goal of the first and a 1-0 lead (Mayo earned the only assist). Adam Morrison faced only 6 shots in the first and stopped them all, but the Rush defense held the Cyclones to just 2 shots in the first 15 minutes of the game.
Walters struck for a second time late in the second period to help separate the Rush heading into the third. With 5:02 left in the second, Josh MacDonald sprung Walters on a break over the blue line, and the captain finished with a backhander over Visentin's glove, doubling the Rush lead to 2-0 through 40 minutes of play (MacDonald and Michael Young assisted). Morrison staved off all 8 shots he saw, and even braved a few Cyclones shots that went off the crossbar, but managed to head to the third unscathed.
Late in the game, Cincinnati pulled goaltender Mark Visentin for an extra-attacker, and shortly after received their second power play of the game for a 6-on-4 advantage. After calling a time out, the Cyclones made things interesting and cut the deficit to 2-1. Off the faceoff with 1:30 left in the game, Nick Huard fired a shot from the blue line through traffic and by Morrison to slice the Rush lead to just one goal (Shawn O'Donnell and Jordan Sims assisted). The effort from the Cyclones wasn't enough, as Walters would complete his hat trick when Michael Young air-mailed the puck to him in neutral ice, and he waltzed it into the empty net. The goal, which came with 35 seconds left in the game, gave the captain his second hat trick of the season, and the Rush a 3-1 win to end their three-game skid (Michael Young earned the lone assist, his second of the night).
Adam Morrison earned the win, stopping all but 1 of 19 shots thrown towards his net (7-6-3).
The Rush continue the second half of their road trip in Fort Wayne, Indiana on Friday in their only matchup against the Fort Wayne Komets this season. Puck drop at Allen County War Memorial Colliseum is slated for 6 p.m. MST.
• Discuss this story on the ECHL message board...
ECHL Stories from February 2, 2017
- Americans Win Round One with the Oilers, 5-1 - Allen Americans
- IceHogs Reassign Barnes - Indy Fuel
- Tucson Trades Peters and Hache - Rapid City Rush
- Monarchs Announce Multiple Player Transactions - Manchester Monarchs
- Atlanta Gets Offensive Boost in Acquisition Of - Atlanta Gladiators
- Petan Rejoins Iowa - Quad City Mallards
- Indy Adds Nick Bligh in Deal with Adirondack - Indy Fuel
- Sean Maguire Named Warrior Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Month - Wheeling Nailers
- Wheeling's Maguire Named Warrior Hockey ECHL Goaltender of the Month - ECHL
- Oilers to Host 9th Annual "Pink in the Rink" Game Saturday - Tulsa Oilers
- Bradford, Grizzlies Skate Past Steelheads - Idaho Steelheads
- Eagles Bang Aces 5-2 Wednesday in Colorado - Alaska Aces
- Eagles Win Fourth Straight with 5-2 Victory Over Alaska - Colorado Eagles
- Everblades Rally for 5-4 Overtime Victory over Greenville - Florida Everblades
- Royals Knock off Walleye in Toledo, 3-2 - Reading Royals
- Cyclones Drop First of Six Straight at Home - Cincinnati Cyclones
- Monarchs Sting Rays in Series Opener, 5-2 - Manchester Monarchs
- Walters Hat Trick Sparks Win - Rapid City Rush
- Adirondack's Youth Pays Dividens for Adirondack in Win over Norfolk - Norfolk Admirals
- McParland Strikes Twice in 5-2 Loss - South Carolina Stingrays
The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.
