Gems Fall In Regulation To Rush 5-4 Saturday Night

Published on October 29, 2011 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Dayton Gems News Release


Rapid City, SD - The Dayton Gems would once again battle evenly with the Rapid City Rush, but would find themselves on the losing end of a 5-4 Rush lead when the final horn blew after sixty minutes of hard fought hockey for their first regulation loss of the season in front of 4,740 fans at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in downtown Rapid City, South Dakota on Saturday night.

Looking like a team with unfinished business, Dayton kicked off the second game against the Rush in as many nights with a clear determination towards controlling the flow. Each team would take turns with early powerplays, but it wouldn't be until the lucky 11:11 mark that Dayton's Damian Surma scored the game's first goal, crashing the net and blasting home a bullet of a shot from the high slot to light the lamp and take the early 1-0 lead. Brandon Naurato and James Sanford both assisted on the goal. The Gems would turn to key saves from netminder Bryan Hogan as the Rush tried to cash in on close chances on the other end of the ice. Yet, it would be the Gems to add to their lead, at 15:01, when Charlie Townsend deflected the puck past Rush goalie Tim Boron off a laser by Matt Larke from the near point. Dayton would take their two goal lead into the dressing room, tied in shots on goal 14-14 after twenty minutes.

Rapid City would skate into the middle period with confidence, wasting little time in getting on the scoreboard with their first goal of the night off a snapshot from the slot 3:11 into the frame. On the very next play, and before the public address announcer could finish informing the fans of the prior goal, Rapid City would capitalize on a scramble in front of Hogan, sliding in a wraparound goal just :19 later at 3:30 to deadlock the game at 2-2. With the momentum leaning towards the Rush, Dayton would begin to take penalties, giving the Rush's proven powerplay the chance to take the lead off a powerplay goal at the 10:18 mark. Facing the deficit, Dayton would refocus on the ice, ultimately earning the tying goal off a backhand feed from Kyle Bochek behind the net to an awaiting Townsend to blast in his second goal of the night at the 16:41 mark. As the period progressed, Dayton continued to pressure in the Rush zone, including an odd man rush across the blueline that led Chris Lipsett to send over a crisp pass to Nick Fanto for the go ahead goal with less than two minutes remaining on the clock. The Gems would carry their 4-3 lead into the intermission, while Rapid City led in shots on goal 21-10 in the second, for a two period total of 35-24 Rapid City.

The third period would have the Rush written all over it, led by an early tying goal by Rapid City less than a minute in, at the :55 mark, to make the 4-4 score. Scoring their second consecutive goal at 9:34, Rapid City would maintain their one goal lead throughout the remainder of the third period, despite a frantic attack by the Gems in the closing moments of regulation. Shots in the third would favor the Gems 11-9, but the Rush would ultimately outshoot the Gems 44-35 after sixty minutes.

With the loss, the Gems record falls to 0-1-2, 2pts, and they travel back to Dayton for a week of practice to prepare for their home and home series with the Quad City Mallards next Friday Night on the road, and hosting on Saturday night for the Gems home opener on Cassano's Italian Ice inside Hara Arena at 7pm. Tickets to Saturday, November 5 at Hara are still available by calling 275-7777 or visiting www.DaytonGems.com.

The Kettering Medical Center is the official presenting sponsor of the Dayton Gems.

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Central Hockey League Stories from October 29, 2011


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