Rapid City SD – The Monument was loud from the start Friday, loud enough to carry over the visiting team’s radio broadcast. By the final minutes, the Rush were killing off a 6-on-4 with Kansas City’s net empty, protecting a two-goal lead and a 3–0 start.
Say stopped 29 of 30 shots, and the Rapid City Rush beat the Kansas City Mavericks 4–1 in their home opener in front of 4,154 fans at The Monument Ice Arena.
Rapid City is 3–0–0 for the first time since 2013, the franchise’s final season in the Central Hockey League.
It was the Rush’s third straight win over Kansas City to open the season. Rapid City has outscored the Mavericks 14–7 and has clinched the season series, which is just five games long, with two games to play. Kansas City is 0–3–0.
First Period: A Shorthanded Strike and a Full-Blown Fight
With Ryan Hofer in the box for tripping, Marko Sikic gave the Rush the lead shorthanded at 5:54, beating Kansas City goaltender Logan Terness with a low shot on a partial breakaway. Tyson Feist had the assist. It was Sikic’s first goal in a Rush uniform.
At 14:08, Rush defenseman Kyle Walker and Kansas City’s Jimmy Glynn dropped the gloves in what the Mavericks’ radio broadcaster called “a full-blown fight,” and play was briefly delayed to clean blood off the ice. Walker was assessed a fighting major and an instigator minor, and Kansas City made the extra two minutes count. At 15:53, Nolan Walker, the other Walker in Friday’s box score, tied it on the power play for his third goal of the series. Andrei Loshko and Lucas Sowder assisted.
Second Period: Nelson Breaks the Tie
Logan Nelson put the Rush ahead for good at 5:04, finishing a two-on-one unassisted.
Rapid City drew three Kansas City penalties in the period and outshot the Mavericks 12–6, but couldn’t add to the lead on the power play.
Third Period: A Goal Waved Off, Then the Insurance
The Rush thought they had a two-goal lead early in the period, but officials reviewed the play and waved off the goal. Alex Campbell made it 3–1 anyway at 9:29, seconds after a Rush power play expired, finishing a cross-ice pass from Sikic. It was Campbell’s third goal of the season.
Kansas City pulled Terness for an extra attacker with just over three minutes left. At 17:01, Tyler Inamoto went to the box for delay of game, giving the Mavericks a 6-on-4. The Rush killed it off. Back on the ice, Inamoto sealed it with an empty-net goal at 19:26, assisted by Braden Birnie.
The Final Buzzer
A 3–0 start is a first for the franchise in more than a decade, and Friday’s win came from different places than the first two:
- Depth Scoring: Four Rush players scored, and none of them was Ryan Wagner or Alex Young, who entered the night tied for second in ECHL scoring with five points each.
- The Fort Wayne Connection: Feist and Inamoto entered the night leading the ECHL in plus-minus, at plus-7 and plus-5. Both played in Fort Wayne last season with Nelson, and all three figured in the scoring Friday.
- Say in Command: Say made 29 saves (.967) and is 3–0 in the ECHL. Terness made 31 saves for Kansas City and took his second straight loss.
- Shots Allowed: Last season, the Rush allowed an ECHL-worst 39.2 shots per game. Through three games this season, they have allowed 29, 23 and 30.
- Special Teams: Each team had five power plays. Kansas City scored once; Rapid City didn’t, but got a shorthanded goal from Sikic.
- Three Stars: 1. Marko Sikic (goal, assist). 2. Owen Say (29 saves). 3. Logan Nelson (game-winning goal).
Up Next: Game Two of the Three-in-Three
The Rush and Mavericks meet again Saturday at 7:05 p.m. at The Monument Ice Arena. It is the second game of the Rush’s first home-opening “three-in-three” in 19 years, a three-games-in-three-days stretch that wraps up Sunday.
The crease is worth watching. Rookie Semyon Konopsky was injured during the Oct. 17 game at Kansas City and left during the second intermission, which is why Say came on in relief that night. The Rush claimed Brett Mirwald off waivers from Allen on Thursday, the team’s first roster move of the season, but Mirwald did not dress Friday. Shane Farkas backed up Say, and Rasmus Ekström and Ryan Mahshie were also out of the lineup.
Game details from the official ECHL gamesheet, the Kansas City Mavericks radio broadcast, the Rapid City Rush projected lineup, and Rapid City Rush game notes and team releases.
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