The Rapid City Rush (27-31-6) suffered a 5-4 overtime loss to the Tahoe Knight Monsters (32-28-5) on Sunday at Tahoe Blue Event Center, despite earning five points from the three-game series. The defeat leaves Rapid City trailing Tahoe by nine points with only eight games left in the regular season.
A Back-and-Forth Contest
Hunter Donohoe scored his first professional goal just 33 seconds into the game, giving the Rush an early lead. Ryan Wagner also scored in the first period, returning to the lineup after missing the first two games of the series for family reasons. The period ended with the score tied at 2-2.
Rapid City extended their lead in the second period with goals from Ryan Chyzowski – his third consecutive game with a goal – and Seth Fyten, who scored off a feed from Braden Birnie.
Knight Monsters Rally for Victory
Tahoe responded in the third period with power play goal from Luke Adam and a late equalizer from Casey Bailey with three minutes remaining. In overtime, Mike O’Leary scored the game-winning goal for the Knight Monsters.
Connor Murphy, the Rush’s goaltender, recorded 34 saves on 39 shots. Dominic Basse, Tahoe’s goaltender, had a 29-save performance and improved to 3-0 against the Rush.
The Rush are currently tied for fifth place with Wichita. They will next face the Tulsa Oilers in a three-game series starting Wednesday, April 1st, at 7:05 p.m. MDT at The Monument Ice Arena.
Frequently Asked Questions
What was the final score of the game?
The final score was Tahoe Knight Monsters 5, Rapid City Rush 4 in overtime.
When will the Rush play the Knight Monsters again?
The two teams will meet again on April 17th and 18th in Rapid City to close out the regular season.
Who scored the game-winning goal?
Mike O’Leary of the Tahoe Knight Monsters scored the game-winning goal in overtime.
As the Rapid City Rush prepare to face Tulsa, what impact will this weekend’s results have on their strategy moving forward?