Rage Fall in Overtime, 2-1
January 5, 2008 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Rocky Mountain Rage News Release
Wichita - Goaltender Sebastien Laplante stole the show as he made 41 saves to lead the Wichita Thunder to a 2-1 overtime win against the Rocky Mountain Rage at the Kansas Coliseum.
Despite out-shooting the Thunder, 20-7, the Rage trailed 1-0 through the first 20 minutes. Alex Goupil scored on a third-chance opportunity with under three seconds remaining in the period to give Wichita the early advantage.
After a scoreless second during which both clubs generated nine shots on goal, Rocky Mountain entered the third still trailing by the single tally. Finally at 10:41 of the frame, the Rage broke through against the Wichita netminder. Colt King hit David Morelli up the right wing, who beat one Thunder d-man before shoveling the puck past Laplante's blocker for the Rage's only goal of the evening.
Late in regulation and into overtime, Rocky Mountain skated on two power plays but could not find the back of the net for a second time. Once the teams returned to four-on-four in the extra session, the Thunder's Bruce Richardson centered the puck through the low slot, which went off a Rage player and back past goaltender Scott Reid for the game-winning goal at 2:20.
While he did not see as many chances as Laplante, Reid was equally as sharp between the Rocky Mountain pipes, making 27 saves in a game that would have been a high-scoring affair if not for the efforts of the two goaltenders.
The overtime loss drops the Rage to 21-4-3, and they continue to lead the Northwest Division with 45 points on the year.
Rocky Mountain remains on the road tomorrow when the club travels to face the Oklahoma City Blazers. The game will either be carried live with the pre-game show at 4:55 p.m. MST on The New ESPN Radio 1600 or joined in progress immediately following NFL Playoff Football.
Live audio and video will be streamed from www.rockymountainrage.com beginning with the drop of the puck at 5:05 p.m. MST.
The Rage then return home to Broomfield Event Center to face the Amarillo Gorillas on Wednesday, Jan. 9, at 7:05 p.m. Tickets for the game on Wednesday are on sale now with prices ranging from $18-$43 per seat (parking included). Fans can purchase tickets at Broomfield Event Center's box office or through Ticketmaster by logging-on to www.Ticketmaster.com, calling (303) 830-TIXS, or visiting any Ticketmaster retail outlet.
Mini-packs and group plans are also still available for the 2007-08 season by calling 303-439-RAGE. For more information, visit www.rockymountainrage.com.
The Rage will host the 2008 CHL All-Star festivities on Tuesday and Wednesday, Jan. 15 and 16, at Broomfield Event Center. The All-Star Banquet, which is open to the public, will be held on the 15th. The banquet features the introduction of the two All-Star Teams plus a performance by Denver resident and 2005 Last Comic Standing winner Josh Blue. The All-Star Game will be played on the 16th, when the Northern and Southern Conferences will square-off in a battle for supremacy between the most talented players in the league.
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