Wilson notches OT winner with second marker of the game
April 1, 2012 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Rapid City Rush News Release
Edmonton - Aaron Wilson built up a head of steam as he roared towards the Minnesota net in overtime.
And after scoring the winner 1:57 into the extra frame Saturday he kept the train running until his teammates mobbed him in celebration at midfield as the Edmonton Rush edged the Minnesota Swarm 9-8 in overtime in National Lacrosse League action at Crystal Glass Field at Rexall Place.
In the second overtime of the season between the two teams Edmonton improved to 4-7 with the victory and sport a modest two-game win streak while Minnesota dropped to 5-7 and rode out on a four-game losing skid.
Wilson (2G, 1A) was the hero against his former club as the veteran forward's solo effort lifted the Rush despite the club's inability to produce a goal in 37:17 of play from late in the second quarter to finally finding twine in the fifth quarter.
"I saw an opening and took it to the net and luckily it went in," Wilson said of his game-winning marker. "It feels extra special against a team that trades you away.
"It's just a great win for our team. We've won a couple in a row now, so we're building confidence as we go.
"I was a little excited," Wilson said of his victory sprint. "Especially for me this year, I've struggled to score a bit so it feels extra good to get the OT winner and help my team get a win here."
"I'm really happy for him," said Rush head coach/GM Derek Keenan. "He works hard. He set picks all night long. He got a goal earlier that really helped us and then getting the winner for him is rewarding.
"I feel great for him because he's struggled just to score and tonight was a good sign."
Zack Greer fired a hat-trick for Edmonton and Ryan Ward (1G, 3A) had a four-point effort, while Corey Small (1G, 2A), Shawn Williams (1G, 1A) and captain Jimmy Quinlan added tallies. Defender Kyle Rubisch grabbed 11 loose balls and had 5 forced turnovers and defender Jarrett Toll went 15-and-3 in face-offs and scooped 9 loosies.
Minnesota's Kevin Ross (3G, 1A) had a four-point night in the loss and Jay Card added two tallies for Minnesota, who was without injured leading scorer Ryan Benesch.
Rush netminder Aaron Bold (4-7) stopped 36-of-44 shots on net for the win and Evan Kirk, who came in relief of starter Tyler Carlson, only allowed one goal in over 37-minutes of play.
"He was outstanding," Keenan said of Bold. "Some huge saves late in the fourth and a couple of saves in overtime - he was really good. He's given us a chance to win all year, except for a couple where we didn't play well defensively in front of him."
After firing three goals over a 2:21 span in the second quarter for Edmonton, the Rush offense went stone cold until Wilson's heroics.
"It was a gutty win," added Keenan. "But honestly, I was not happy at all with how we played in the second half, especially offensively.
"You can only ask so much of your defense and your goaltender. At the end of the day it was enough, but most often that's not enough.
The Rush started quickly off the opening draw as Greer took a feed from Toll and then steamed in and ripped it past Carlson 11-seconds into the contest and Edmonton added to the score when Ward quick-sticked Williams' sweet feed two minutes later to go ahead 2-0 early in the contest.
Greer continued the run when he fired his 23rd goal of the season six minutes in and then Minnesota responded with two goals by Ross making it a 3-2 Rush lead before Williams found the mark through a crowd with 47 seconds left in the quarter.
Edmonton's Zack-attack continued three minutes into the second frame when Greer's long-range missile beat Carson high to the stick-side for the hat-trick marker and after Minnesota countered with two tallies the Rush grabbed a two-goal lead back when Quinlan converted goaltender Bold's outlet pass for a 6-4 lead.
Just 12-seconds later Wilson put the Rush ahead by three goals and Edmonton's run continued when Small sniped pat Carlson, on Ward's third helper of the night, to put the hosts up 8-4 and chase Minnesota's starting âkeeper.
Edmonton outshot the Swarm 30-27 after two quarters of play.
The scoring slowed in the third quarter until Minnesota cut into the lead with two goals midway through the frame and then Bold kept the margin intact with two stops in the dying seconds of the frame as Edmonton took an 8-6 advantage into the fourth quarter.
Kirk stood tall in net for the Swarm holding Edmonton off the score sheet in the quarter and Minnesota clawed back in the final frame with two goals over 35-seconds to tie the score 8-8 with less than five minutes remaining.
Both teams had late possessions to grab the lead, but the clubs went into overtime for the second time this season.
Wilson, the former Swarm forward, then notched his second of the night and the game-winner 1:57 into the extra frame as Edmonton grabbed the 9-8 victory.
The Rush travel to Toronto for an April 7th matchup (live on TSN) against the Rock at the Air Canada Centre before returning home to Rexall Place for a Saturday, April 14th meeting with the Buffalo Bandits at 7 p.m. at Crystal Glass Field.
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Central Hockey League Stories from April 1, 2012
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- Time Runs out on Bees, Fall 2-1 to Wichita - Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees
- Komets Repel Rush 3-1; Series Even 1-1 - Fort Wayne Komets
- Wilson notches OT winner with second marker of the game - Rapid City Rush
- Komets Even Series with 3-1 Win - Rapid City Rush
- Mavericks Take 3-0 Series Lead with Overtime Win - Kansas City Mavericks
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