Rush Fall to Eagles
December 31, 2017 - ECHL (ECHL)
Rapid City Rush News Release
(RAPID CITY, SD) - Jack Walker scored a shorthanded goal for a second game in a row to help the Rapid City Rush build a lead after two periods of play, but the Colorado Eagles, led by the three-point performances of Matt Register and Michael Joly, the latter of which scored the game-winner on a power play with just over four minutes remaining in the game, powered through the Rush with a three-goal third period to take a 6-4 win on Friday night.
For a third consecutive game, the Rush drew first blood, and did so on an offensive zone turnover from Colorado. With just 2:51 gone by in the contest, Matt Register turned the puck over to Pavel Jenys, who then fired a shot on Colorado's net. Kenton Miller was right in front of Eagles goaltender Joe Cannata, and pocketed the loose change to give the Rush a 1-0 lead with his 10th of the season (Jenys had the lone assist). Peter Sivak doubled the Rush lead after the midway point of the first when the Rush were on a 5-on-3 power play. Sivak took a cross-ice feed from Dante Salituro, and after Cannata denied him on his first attempt, Sivak made sure to bury the second, which he did at 11:06 of the period to give the Rush a 2-0 lead after one period of play.
Colorado started the second period with a power play that carried over from the first period, and Jake Marchment capitalized to put the Eagles on the board. Just 68 seconds into the second, Marchment fired a shot from the slot area that Rush net-minder Shane Owen caught a piece of, but the puck deflected off of his paraphernalia and in, cutting the Rush deficit to 2-1 (Matt Register notched the lone assist). Moments later, on the second Eagles power play of the night, Jack Walker took a turnover on the blue line and streaked down the ice on a shorthanded break. He finished with a forehand-backhand top-shelf shot by Cannata for his second shorthanded goal in as many games, and extended his goal-scoring and point streaks for four and five games respectively, giving the Rush a 3-1 lead with 3:33 gone by in the second (the goal was unassisted). Colorado fired back with two strikes, the first from Jesse Mychan on a rush down the ice. Michael Joly fired a shot from the wing that was initially stopped by Owen, but Mychan potted the rebound to bring Colorado back within striking distance at 3-2 with 6:24 played in the second (Joly notched the only assist). Over three minutes later, in the midst of four-on-four hockey, Emil Romig was given a shooting lane and time to shoot, and snuck one by Owen to tie the game at 3-3 with 10:34 left in the second period (Collin Bowman and Nolan DeJong assisted). Daniel Leavens put the Rush back on top with a sharp-angle shot from the near corner with 2:52 left in the frame to make it a 4-3 advantage heading into the third with his first goal in a Rush uniform (Tyler Deresky notched the only assist).
Michael Joly then led a charge in the third period, including the game-winner to give the Eagles the victory in a three-goal third period. Joly started with his first when he trailed an Eagles rush into the Rush zone, and buried a pass by Owen in the high slot to square the game at 4-4 with 10:28 left in the game (Register had the only assist). With 4:01 left in the game, on Colorado's sixth and final power play of the night, Joly grabbed a rebound of a blocked shot and unloaded a cannon that beat Owen to give the Eagles their first, and only lead, of the game at 5-4 (Register had the lone assist). Ryan Harrison sealed the deal for Colorado with his empty-net tally with 17.1 seconds remaining to give the Eagles the first game over the Rush in this weekend pair, with 6-4 serving as the final.
Shane Owen stopped 19 of 24 in the defeat in 59:24 of action (1-3-0 with Rush, 1-5-0 total).
The Rush close out 2017 with a rematch against the Eagles tomorrow night. Puck drop is slated for 7:05 p.m. MST at Premier Home Mortgage Ice in Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.
Mark Binetti, Director of Media Relations, "Voice of the Rush"
C : (704)806-5036 P: (605)716-7825 F: (605)716-6100
444 Mt Rushmore Road North, Rapid City, SD 57701-
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