The Tahoe Knight Monsters were able to beat the Rapid City Rush on Friday night by a final score of 3-1 and were back in action on Saturday night.
First Period
After a low-scoring game Friday night, the Rush and Knight Monsters saw more pucks in the back of the net in the first period on Saturday than they did in the entire game on Friday.
Similar to Friday night, Rapid City was able to find the back of the net first when Rush captain Ryan Wagner was able to pick up a rebound in front of the net and put it home. Wagner’s goal came 2:53 into the period and was assisted by Holden Wale and Tyler Burnie.
Tahoe was able to tie it up 6:09 into the period after a shot from the middle of the zone from Isaac Johnson found the back of the net. Johnson’s powerplay goal was assisted by Luke Adam and Matt Murphy. Tahoe was then able to take the lead after a neutral zone turnover with Johnson being able to use the turnover in his favor. Johnson’s goal came 8:26 into the period and was unassisted. Tahoe then extended their lead with a goal from a two-on-one odd-man rush up the ice. Adam Robbins was able to get a shot on net and the puck rolled over the goal line. Robbins’ goal was assisted by Adam Pitters and Jake Johnson.
Rapid City was able to get back in the game with a goal of their own when Luke Mylymok’s shot was deflected, and Tyler Burnie was able to pick up the rebound and put it in the back of the net. Burnie’s goal came 11:53 into the period and was assisted by Luke Mylymok and Aaron Hyman. The Rush were then able to tie the game at three after Ryan Wagner sent a cross-ice pass to Brett Davis, who was able to shoot the puck home. Davis’ powerplay goal came 17:18 into the period and was assisted by Wagner and Chaz Smedsrud. The Rush then took the lead only 18 seconds later after Tahoe failed to regain possession of the puck, turning it over to Luke Mylymok, who was able to crash the net and give the Rush the lead. Mylymok’s goal was unassisted.
The Rush took a 4-3 lead into the first intermission after outshooting Tahoe 18-11 in the first period.
Second Period
After a very exciting first period, the Rush and Knight Monsters saw a very quiet second period as neither team was able to find the back of the net. Both teams were able to get a few chances, but both teams’ defense was able to shutdown any chances.
The Rush still held a 4-3 lead at the end of the second after outshooting the Knight Monsters 10-6 in the period.
Third Period
After two very different periods, the Rush and Knight Monsters played a third period that was again different from the first and second.
The Knight Monsters were able to tie the game at four 12:52 into the third after Sloan Stanick was able to pick up a loose puck by the net and put it in the back of the net. Stanick’s goal was assisted by Dominic Vidoli. The Knight Monsters were then able to take the lead with a tip-in goal from Luke Adam. Adam’s goal was assisted by Vidoli and Isaac Johnson. With 2.7 seconds left in the game, Sloan Stanick was able to score on Rapid City’s empty net. Stanick’s second goal of the night was unassisted.
The Rush outshot the Knight Monsters 7-6 in the third period.
Final Stats
The Knight Monsters won by a final score of 6-4 after being outshot 23-35 by the Rush. Rapid City ended the night 1/3 on the powerplay and 3/4 on the penalty kill, while Tahoe was 1/4 on the powerplay and 2/3 on the penalty kill. Rush goaltender Matt Radomsky had 17 saves on 22 shots for a save percentage of .773, and Tahoe goaltender Jordan Papirny had 31 saves on 35 shots for a save percentage of .886.
Three Stars
- Tahoe forward Luke Adam (one goal, one assist, two shots)
- Tahoe forward Sloan Stanick (two goals, three shots, +2)
- Rush forward Ryan Wagner (one goal, one assist, six shots)
Final Thoughts
While the Rush had a lot of good in the game, there was also a lot of bad. As the team gets further into the season, they are going to need to find a way to play a full 60 in order to put together some wins. Rapid had quite a few good plays, but the times they slacked off were the times Tahoe was able to take advantage of them and score. Rapid City was able to get quite a few more quality shots on net than they did on Friday, and they were able to stay in the game and comeback to take the lead for a little while after digging themselves in a 1-3 hole early in the first.
The Rush and Knight Monsters will wrap up their series on Sunday, January 12th, with puck drop at 4:05 MT.
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