Rush End up on Top of High Scoring Affair
October 18, 2010 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Rapid City Rush News Release
(Rapid City, SD) - On Sunday night, the Rapid City Rush completed their opening weekend of games with a contest against the Dayton Gems at Hara Arena. The game featured a combined twelve goals with five Rush players picking up their first goals of the season. The Rush ended up on top at the end of 60 minutes with a 7-5 victory a weekend sweep of former IHL squads.
The Rush got off on the right foot, scoring three goals in 1:08, the fastest three goals in the young history of the franchise. Les Reaney, Rapid City's leading scorer from a year ago, picked up his first goal of the season at 10:44 on a second-effort rebound at the goal mouth. It was then Colt King who fired a snap shot from the high slot that caught Gems netminder Jeff Jakaitis off guard, allowing the puck to slip under his right pad at 11:29. Finally, just 23 seconds later, Derek LeBlanc slid a pass to defenseman Vladimir Hartinger who fired a laser from the neutral zone that found the top-right corner to give the Rush a 3-0 lead. The Gems would stop the bleeding just 33 seconds later when Erik Boisvert would light the lamp with his first of the evening. With 40 seconds left in the first, Mike Vaskivuo was able stickhandle around a pair of Rush defenders and lift a backhander past goaltender Danny Battochio to cut the lead to one and gain momentum heading into the intermission. Rush forward Luke Erickson had other plans, answering with his second goal in as many games. Just 24 seconds after Vaskivuo's tally, Erickson fired a shot from the bottom of the left corner that beat Jakaitis to the short side, extending the Rush lead to two and eliminating any steam the Gems had heading to the locker room. After 20 minutes of play, the Rush held a 4-2 lead despite being outshot 14-11.
In the middle frame, the teams would exchange a pair of powerplay goals, beginning with Hartinger's second of the contest at the 5:26 mark. The veteran defenseman's wrist shot from the point found its way through a screen in front and entered the top-left corner of the net, regaining the three-goal cushion for the Rush. Later, the Gems earned a two-man advantage and Dayton captain Greg Labenski would capitalize with a one-timer from the high slot that beat Battochio to the blocker side, making it a 5-3 contest.
The Gems would be the first to strike in the final period on Boisvert's second of the contest at the 3:18 mark, pulling the Gems to within two. The Rush would counter with another powerplay goal, this one coming from Ryan Menei on a shot from a severe angle that trickled in on the short side at 8:12, giving the Rush a 6-4 lead. The Gems would not go down without a fight, battling back to within one goal with 1:30 remaining in regulation. With the extra attacker on the ice, Labenski struck for his second of the game on a play assisted by Erik Boisvert who collected his third point of the evening. However, the Rush would seal the 7-5 victory with an empty net goal by Scott Wray, marking the veteran's 600th regular season point.
Danny Battochio improved to 2-0 with 33 saves on 38 shots while Jeff Jakaitis was dealt his first loss of the season.
The Rush now head to Colorado on Friday, October 22nd for a contest scheduled for 7:05pm.
The first home game of the regular season is set for this Saturday, October 23rd at 7:05pm against the Colorado Eagles. Tickets are still available for that game.
Other Rush News:
Tickets for the 2010 - 11 Rush hockey season are on sale now. For more information, contact the Rush office at 605.716.PUCK (7825) or email tickets@rapidcityrush.com
Stay informed on Rush happenings through the official Rapid City Rush team website, www.RapidCityRush.com.
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