Rage Let Third Period Lead Slip Away
December 31, 2008 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Rocky Mountain Rage News Release
Rapid City, S.D. - The Rocky Mountain Rage were 20 minutes away from ending 2008 on a four-game win streak but failed to hang onto a 2-1 lead through 40 minutes as they fell to the Rapid City Rush at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, 4-2.
Despite out-shooting the Rush 13-7 in the opening period, the Rage trailed 1-0 through the first after Joey Olson set-up Rob Dmytruk back-door for an easy finish at 3:32.
Rocky Mountain squared the game early in the second on the power play when Brent Cullaton beat Miguel Beaudry cleanly from the blue line off a slapshot at 3:01. Domenic Maiani then gave the club its only lead of the night by capping off a three-on-two with a great finish from tight quarters at 7:03. Linemates Simon Watson and Scott Wray found Maiani on the doorstep who somehow lifted the puck top shelf with seemingly no space between himself and Beaudry.
After controlling the first several minutes of the third, Rocky Mountain's grasp on the game began to slip away when Rapid City's Blaine Jarvis deadlocked the game at two 7:29 into the final frame. The rookie winger streaked up the right wing and beat Rage goaltender Scott Reid with a slapshot. From that point forward Rocky Mountain was under siege. The Rush finally pulled back in the lead skating on a five-on-three power play once Jon Pelle went short-side from the base of the right circle. Daymen Rycroft nearly re-tied the game with about three minutes to play when he hit the crossbar, but that was the closest the Rage would come as Rapid City's Kyle Sheen scored an empty-netter at 18:57 for the 4-2 final.
The loss ends Rocky Mountain's season-high three-game win streak and drops the club one game below .500 at 13-14-2. The Rage are in second place in the Northwest Division with 28 points, three ahead of the third-place Rush.
Rocky Mountain now travels to face the New Mexico Scorpions on Friday, Jan. 2, before heading home to Broomfield Event Center to host the Amarillo Gorillas on Saturday, Jan. 3, at 7:05 p.m. and the Rush on Sunday, Jan. 4, at 3:05 p.m.
Central Hockey League Stories from December 31, 2008
- Emond Stops 42 of 43 as Sundogs End New Year's Drought - Arizona Sundogs
- Rage Let Third Period Lead Slip Away - Rocky Mountain Rage
- Scorps End 2008 On A Losing Note - New Mexico Scorpions
- Bucks Provide Fireworks In 8-3 Win - Laredo Bucks
- RiverKings Roll Over Mudbugs in Mississippi - Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
- Gorillas Fail to Break New Year's Eve Jinx in 5-2 Loss - Amarillo Gorillas
- RiverKings Ring Out The Mudbugs, 6-0 - Mississippi RiverKings
- RiverKings Ring Out The Mudbugs, 6-0 - Mississippi RiverKings
- Jacks Close Out 2008 With 5-2 Win - Odessa Jackalopes
- Brahmas Special Teams End 2008 with Win - Fort Worth Brahmas
- IceRays Fall to Brahmas 5-2 in Final Game of 2008 - Corpus Christi IceRays
- Third Period Pounding Leads to Thunder Win - Wichita Thunder
- RiverKings Spotlight American Cancer Society - Mississippi RiverKings
- MacInnis Named to CHL All-Star Team - New Mexico Scorpions
- Moyer, Leveille Named to All-Star Game - Odessa Jackalopes
- Dumoulin Named to CHL All-Star Team - Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees
- Clayton Headed to Seventh All-Star Game - Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
- Duda Selected to All-Star Team - Wichita Thunder
- Rycroft Named to CHL All-Star Team - Rocky Mountain Rage
- Sundogs Announce Several Roster Adjustments - Arizona Sundogs
- Dumont Selected CHL All-Star Reserve - Mississippi RiverKings
- Bucks Centomo Named CHL All-Star - Laredo Bucks
- All-Star Reserves Announced - CHL
- Rapid City's Rich Hansen Named Starter On All-Star Team - Rapid City Rush
- Bucks, Bees Tangle On New Year's Eve - Laredo Bucks
- Ftorek named to starting lineup for CHL All-Star Game - Amarillo Gorillas
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.
