RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Idaho Steelheads (18-10-3) weathered a messy game for a 6-1 win over the Rapid City Rush (14-15-5) on Saturday night from Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. Both sides combined for 189 penalty minutes including 133 minutes in the third period.
The Steelheads started the first period on the right foot with their seventh-straight game-opening goal. At 12:11, forward Elgin Pearce ripped a shot from the slot on a zone entry to jump out to a 1-0 lead. Pearce added a second tally at 14:10 as he waited for the netminder to make the first move and flip it over his pad, doubling the lead to 2-0. Steelheads forward A.J. White added his own goal on the next shift at 14:53 with a shot off the netminder to triple the lead, 3-0.
Despite having to stop four Rush power plays in the second period, the Steelheads still found another tally to spread the lead in the back half of the frame. At 13:23, Steelheads forward Alex Dahl cut off a pass in the offensive end and zipped a wrist shot from the slot to spread the lead to 4-0. The Rush found a late answer at 15:37 from defenseman Riley Weselowski to cut into the lead, 4-1.
Early in the third period, numbers dwindled as the Rush and Steelheads sparred for much of the third period. However, the Steelheads tacked on two more goals on the power play starting at 5:39 with a goal from forward Brad McClure and followed by a 5-on-3 goal from defenseman Nolan Gluchowski at 15:56, sealing the game with a 6-1 win.
Steelheads goaltender Tomas Sholl (11-4-0) halted 28 of 29 shots in the win. Rush netminder Michael Bitzer (3-6-1) saved five of eight shots in the loss, and Adam Carlson saved 17 of 20 shots in relief.
The Steelheads and Rush finish their three-game weekend and the 2018 calendar year on Monday, Dec. 31 at 7:05 p.m. from Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. Coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. on 1350AM KTIK and ECHL TV.
The Steelheads return to CenturyLink Arena on Wednesday, Jan. 9 at 7:10 p.m. to open a three-game series against the Toledo Walleye. The Holiday Hat Trick is here! Get tickets and a Steelheads cap as your perfect stocking stuffer for the holiday season! Single-game tickets and season ticket packages are on sale, with full-season packages starting as low as $300 per seat. Contact the Idaho Steelheads at 208-383-0080 for more information or log on to idahosteelheads.com.
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