Steelheads Downed by Rush, 5-1

RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Idaho Steelheads (7-2-2) were taken down 5-1 by the Rapid City Rush (6-3-2) on Wednesday night from Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.

The Rush jumped out in the first period on both sides of special teams in consecutive advantages. At 10:09, Rush forward Alex Rauter found a block hop onto his stick off the left post on their power play to take the 1-0 lead, but then Rush forward Brennan Saulnier scored on a shorthanded breakaway at 11:16 on the Steelheads’ advantage to double the lead, 2-0.

In the second period, the Rush pressed ahead starting with a power play goal at 5:32 from forward Tyler Coulter to triple the lead, 3-0. Saulnier led the rest of the middle frame in scoring for the Rush with his second goal at 14:37 on a fortunate hop off a stick on a cross-ice pass then completed the hat-trick at 19:38 from the right circle, elevating the lead to 5-0.

The Steelheads broke the shutout bid in the third period at 2:09 when forward Will Merchant was opened off the right post by forward Marc-Olivier Roy to take away the goose egg, 5-1. However, that was the only goal the Steelheads notched, falling by that final scoreline.

Rush netminder Merrick Madsen (1-1-0) halted 36 of 37 shots in the win. Steelheads goaltender Tomas Sholl (5-1-2) stopped 17 of 22 shots in 40:00 minutes during the loss, and Colton Point denied both shots in the final 20:00 minutes.

The Steelheads and Rush meet again on Friday, Nov. 8 at 7:05 p.m. from Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. Coverage begins at 6:45 p.m. on 1350-AM KTIK “The Ticket” and ECHL.TV.

The Steelheads return to CenturyLink Arena on Wednesday, Nov. 20 against the Orlando Solar. Call the Steelheads Front Office at 208-383-0080 to plan your seats for this season, including single-game, flex plans and season tickets. Stay connected to the Steelheads on idahosteelheads.com or by following the team on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.