RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Idaho Steelheads (38-22-5) locked down defensively and took down the Rapid City Rush (27-31-8) with a 3-1 win on Friday night from Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.
After a scoreless first period in which the Steelheads controlled the pace of play, the road side was rewarded with the first goal of the night. At 11:45, Steelheads forward A.J. White batted in a rebound from the low left circle into an open goal mouth to break through for the 1-0 lead. The Rush found their lone answer of the game at 15:39 thanks to forward Justin Faryna to tie the game, 1-1. However, the Steelheads lurched back ahead at 19:03 with the eventual game-winner on the stick of forward Robbie Payne, edging to a 2-1 lead.
The Steelheads locked down defensively in the third period, forcing an empty net scenario for the Rush, and that led Steelheads forward Steve McParland to walk the insurance goal into the open net at 19:57, sealing off the 3-1 victory.
Steelheads goaltender Ryan Faragher (8-6-2) halted 19 of 20 shots in the win, while Rush netminder Adam Carlson (19-15-5) stopped 29 of 31 shots in the loss.
The Steelheads close the road portion of their season series with the Rush on Saturday, Mar. 23 at 7:05 p.m. from Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. Coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. on 1350 KTIK-AM and ECHL.TV.
The Steelheads return to CenturyLink Arena on Wednesday, Mar. 27 at 7:10 p.m. against the Rapid City Rush. Tickets for the 2019 U.S. Bank Kelly Cup Playoffs, presented by SmileDirectClub, will be available in the coming weeks, so follow idahosteelheads.com to see when tickets go on sale. Single-game tickets and ticket packages are available for the rest of the 2018-19 season. Contact the Idaho Steelheads at 208-383-0080 for more information or log on to idahosteelheads.com.
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