After the Rapid City Rush took the first game of the series on Wednesday night, the Rush and Allen Americans faced off for game two on Friday night.
First Period
After letting the Americans control the puck for the first couple minutes of the game, the Rush were able to get on the board first with a goal from Trevor Janicke. Janicke’s goal came 6:27 into the first and was assisted by Parker Bowman and Brady Pouteau.
The Allen Americans were able to answer to tie the game back up 15:59 into the period. The goal came from James Hardie, who was assisted by Robbie Baillargeon and Ryan Gagnon.
The first period ended with the two teams tied at one, with both teams having eight shots.
Second Period
After a relatively slow first period, the Americans got things started early in the second with a powerplay goal to take the lead only 27 seconds into the period. The goal was scored by Spencer Asuchak and assisted by Easton Brodzinski and Kyle Crnkovic. Allen extended their lead 6:01 into the period with a goal from Liam Gorman. Gorman’s powerplay goal was assisted by Kyle Crnkovic and Easton Brodzinski.
The second period ended with Allen having a 2-0 lead after being outshot 20-8 by the Rush.
Third Period
After falling behind in the second, the Rush were able to get themselves back within one early in the third. 2:26 into the period, Rush forward Braeden Tuck scored his first career goal, with the assists going to Deni Goure and Chaz Smedsrud. 7:19 into the third, the Rush were able to tie the game, with Trevor Janicke getting his second of the game. Janicke’s powerplay goal was assisted by Tyler Burnie and Billy Constantinou.
The Rush outshot the Americans 16-5 in the third, but the two teams needed more than 60 minutes to determine a winner.
Overtime
The Rush took a penalty at the end of regulation for a broken stick, giving the Americans a powerplay going into overtime. It did not take long for the Americans to end things, with Spencer Asuchak finding the back of the net 1:06 into the extra period. Asuchak’s powerplay goal and second of the night was assisted by Easton Brodzinski and Brayden Watts.
Final Stats
The Americans won by a final score of 4-3 after being outshot by the Rush 44-23. The Rush ended up going 1/5 on the powerplay and 2/5 on the penalty kill. The Americans were 3/5 on the powerplay and 4/5 on the penalty kill. Rush goaltender Matt Radomsky had 19 saves on 23 shots for a save percentage of .826 and Americans goaltender Anson Thornton had 41 saves on 44 shots for a save percentage of .932.
Three Stars
- Americans forward Spencer Asuchak (two goals, two shots)
- Rush forward Trevor Janicke (two goals, four shots, +1)
- Rush forward Braeden Tuck (one goal, three shots, +1)
Final Thoughts
This game was not a terrible game for the Rush as they were able to keep the Americans shots in the single digits again each period. But the Rush need to figure out how to solve the Americans goaltender and find ways to score. The Rush got a lot of shots on net, but there were not many quality shots that tested the Americans goaltender. Allen was able to figure out Radomsky’s weakness and use it to their advantage. The Rush need to figure out their opposing goaltender’s weaknesses and use them to their advantage in their games in order to find more wins.
The Rush and Americans will close out their series with the series-deciding game on Saturday, November 30, with puck drop at 7:05 p.m. MT.
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