After a disappointing six-goal loss on Saturday, this afternoon’s game had the makings of a letdown through two periods. Tahoe scored two shorthanded goals and took a 3-0 lead heading into the third.
With its season in the balance, Rapid City responded to adversity in a huge way in the final period. Holden Wale and Luke Mylymok scored just 30 seconds apart to cut Tahoe’s lead to 3-2 with 15 minutes remaining. Blake Bennett cashed in on a rebound to again trim the deficit to 4-3. Then, with Connor Murphy on the bench in the final 29 seconds, Billy Constantinou sniped a wrist shot from the right circle to miraculously tie the game.
Overtime ended with only one player having touched the puck. Trevor Janicke won the opening faceoff forward to himself, stepped in across the Knight Monsters line, then wired a wrist shot behind Jordan Papirny to win the game just six seconds into the period.
In a season of dramatic games, this one took the cake for the Rush, who returned to .500 with the win and ensured the team would not leave Nevada empty-handed. Remarkably, It was Rapid City’s first win outside the Mountain Time Zone this year.
Connor Murphy made 37 saves on 41 shots to earn his ninth win of the season. Jordan Papirny, who had stopped more than 60 consecutive Rush shots at one point, took the loss. Tahoe outshot Rapid City, 41-40.
The Rush returns to South Dakota for a six-game homestand having won 12 of the last 15 games.
Next game: Thursday, March 13 vs. Iowa. 7:05 p.m. MDT puck drop from The Monument Ice Arena.
