The Rapid City Rush and Allen Americans opened up their series in South Dakota on Wednesday night.
First Period
Similar to how the majority of their games have gone this season, the Rush ended up giving up the first goal of the game. At 9:27 into the first period, Americans forward Brayden Guy was able to find the back of the net after a defensive breakdown by the Rush. Guy’s goal was assisted by Mark Duarte.
Allen ended the first period with a 1-0 lead after being outshot 8-7 by the Rush.
Second Period
After a rough first period, the Rush came out with a little more fire. At 12:07 into the second period, Rush forward Brett Davis was able to even things up with a breakaway goal. Davis’ shorthanded goal was assisted by Joni Jurmo and Parker Bowman.
Davis’ goal was the lone goal in the second period, which ended with the game tied at one. The Rush once again outshot the Americans, this time 13-6.
Third Period
The third period was a lot slower as neither team was getting a lot of chances, and the goalies were making saves on the chances they were getting. With only 19 seconds left in regulation, Rush forward Trevor Janicke scored a goal to give the Rush a 2-1 lead. Janicke’s goal was assisted by Jack Jeffers and Parker Bowman.
The Rush outshot Allen 14-8 in the third period.
Final Stats
The Rush ended up winning by a final score of 2-1 after outshooting the Americans 35-21. Rapid City went 0/4 on the powerplay and went 2/2 on the penalty kill, but they were able to score a shorthanded goal as well. The Americans were 0/2 on the powerplay and 4/4 on the penalty kill. Rush goaltender Connor Murphy made 20 saves on 21 shots for a save percentage of .952 while Allen’s goaltender Anson Thornton made 33 saves on 35 shots for a save percentage of .943.
Final Stats
- Rush forward Trevor Janicke (one game winning goal, two shots, +1)
- Rush forward Brett Davis (one goal, five shots)
- Rush defenseman Joni Jurmo (one assist, one shot, +2)
Final Thoughts
This was definitely not one of Rapid City’s best games. They were able to pull off the win, but it was not a pretty one as they allowed the Americans to control the game a lot. The Rush were able to force the Americans shots to stay in the single digits for each period after blocking many shots and forcing Allen to turn over the puck, preventing them from getting shots on net. Rapid City did have many parts of the game where there were glimpses of being a great team. But in order to have a successful season, the Rush will need to find a way to turn those glimpses into a full 60 minutes.
The Rush and Americans will continue their series on Friday, November 29th before wrapping it up on Saturday, November 30th. Puck drop for both games will be at 7:05 pm MT.
