After taking the first game in overtime, the Rapid City Rush were back in action on Friday night against the Iowa Heartlanders. Both teams decided to make changes in net as the Rush started goaltender Matt Radomsky and the Heartlanders started William Rousseau.
First Period
After coming out flat on Thursday night, the Rush played with a lot more fire in Game Two. Just over halfway through the first period, Rush forward Braeden Tuck earned a breakaway but was hauled down, leading to a penalty shot. On the attempt, Tuck skated down the center of the ice and faked out Iowa goaltender William Rousseau before tucking the puck home, giving the Rush a 1-0 lead at 10:08 of the period.
With the Rush on the power play, the Heartlanders were unable to clear the zone as Trevor Janicke kept the puck in right at the blue line. From the top of the zone, Janicke sent a cross-ice pass to Blake Bennett in the right faceoff circle. Bennett opted not to shoot and instead passed the puck to Deni Goure in front of the net, who backhanded it to Ryan Wagner. Wagner got a shot off and buried it, restoring the Rush’s lead at 2-1. His power-play goal came at 13:45 of the period, assisted by Goure and Bennett.
Iowa wasn’t going down without a fight in the first. Near the blue line, Louka Henault fired the puck deep into the zone. Nathan Noel retrieved it below the right faceoff circle and fed a pass to Keltie Jeri-Leon, who was stationed in the circle. Jeri-Leon beat Radomsky to get the Heartlanders on the board, scoring with just 4.5 seconds left in the period. His goal was assisted by Noel and Henault.
The Rush took a 2-1 lead into the first intermission after outshooting the Heartlanders 10-7.
Second Period
After gaining momentum late in the first, the Heartlanders came out with extra fire in the second period, but Rush goaltender Matt Radomsky stood tall, stopping every shot he faced.
A medical emergency in the stands forced both teams to head to the locker room early, with the remaining 1:46 of the period set to be played at the start of the third.
When play resumed, neither team registered a shot on net during the final 1:46 of the period.
Despite being outshot 14-7 in the second, the Rush maintained their 2-1 lead heading into the third.
Third Period
Continuing their momentum from the second period, the Heartlanders tied the game just 34 seconds into the third. Heartlanders forward Johnny Sorenson attempted a wraparound on Matt Radomsky, but an unlucky bounce off a Rush skater sent the puck into the back of the net. Sorenson’s goal was unassisted.
With 8:37 left in regulation, the Rush had Iowa pinned in their own zone, with defensemen Mitchell Smith and Charles Martin positioned at the blue line. Smith sent a cross-ice pass to Martin, who fired a shot from the point. Rush forward Luke Mylymok got a piece of it, redirecting the puck past the goaltender to restore Rapid City’s lead.
The Rush sealed the victory after the Heartlanders pulled their goalie. In an effort to clear the zone, Rush forward Blake Bennett backhanded the puck out and got just enough power on it to send it into the empty net. His goal came at 18:02 of the period and was assisted by Charles Martin and Trevor Janicke.
Despite being outshot 18-7 in the third, the Rush held on for the win.
Final Stats
The Rush secured a 4-2 victory despite being outshot 39-24 by the Heartlanders. Rapid City went 1-for-4 on the power play and a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill, while Iowa finished 0-for-5 on the power play and 3-for-4 on the penalty kill.
Rush goaltender Matt Radomsky was outstanding, stopping 37 of 39 shots for a .949 save percentage. On the other end, Heartlanders goaltender William Rousseau made 20 saves on 23 shots, finishing with a .870 save percentage.
Three Stars of the Game
- Rush forward Luke Mylymok (game winning goal, three shots)
- Rush goaltender Matt Radomsky (37 saves on 39 shots faced)
- Rush forward Braeden Tuck (penalty shot goal, three shots, +2)
The two teams will be back in action Saturday, March 15 to wrap up their series with puck drop at 7:05 pm MT.
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