Independence MO – The second night of a road back-to-back rarely looks like the first, and Saturday’s rematch at Cable Dahmer Arena was a tighter, stranger game than Friday’s 6–3 opener.
It had a goaltending change, a goal reviewed half a minute after it went in, and a tie in the third period. In the end, Ryan Wagner decided it, scoring twice as the Rapid City Rush beat the Kansas City Mavericks 4–3 to open the 2026–27 season with a road sweep.
First Period: Pressure Without a Payoff
Rush head coach Dave Smith handed the crease to newcomer Semyon Konopsky for his first start in a Rush sweater, while Kansas City went to Logan Terness instead of Friday’s starter, former Rush netminder Connor Murphy.
The Mavericks scored first. Jack Randl beat Konopsky at 4:53, with Nolan Orzeck among the assists. Rapid City spent much of the rest of the period in the Kansas City end, outshooting the Mavericks 16–6, but Terness held, and Kansas City carried a 1–0 lead into the intermission.
Second Period: Two Up, Then Even
Ryder Boulton went to the box 22 seconds into the frame for a slash that snapped a Kansas City stick in half, but the Rush killed it off.
They got their break midway through the period. Ethan Straky went off for hooking at 6:16, and Owen Lindmark followed two seconds later with a delay-of-game minor. With a two-man advantage, Wagner tied it at 6:51, set up by Logan Nelson and Alex Young.
Young put Rapid City ahead at 11:44, finishing off a play from Quinn Olson and Wagner.
Kansas City answered late when Randl scored his second of the night at 17:37, with Phip Waugh assisting, to send the game into the third tied 2–2.
Third Period: The Review and the Winner
Owen Say took over in goal for the third.
Tyson Feist restored the Rush lead at 3:25, assisted by Tyler Inamoto and Ryan Hofer.
Then came the night’s oddest sequence. Jakov Novak scored for Kansas City at 7:59, but play ran on for roughly 30 seconds, long enough for Jake Ratzlaff to nearly bury a rebound at the other end, before officials stopped to review it.
As the Mavericks’ radio call put it, Novak may have been one of only two people in the building who knew the puck had gone in. The review backed him up, the clock was reset to 7:59, and the game was tied 3–3.
Wagner settled it at 11:25, with Young and Feist assisting, for his second goal of the night and third of the season. Kansas City pulled Terness for an extra attacker in the final minutes, but Say and the Rush held on.
The Final Buzzer
- Wagner’s Weekend: Two goals and an assist Saturday, three goals through two games, and the game-winner.
- Special Teams: Rapid City went 1-for-2 on the power play and killed all three Kansas City power plays.
- Two Goalies, One Win: Konopsky stopped 11 of 13 shots through two periods, and Say stopped 9 of 10 in the third to earn the win. Terness made 31 saves on 35 shots in the loss.
- Outshooting the Champs: The Rush outshot the three-time defending Mountain Division champions 35–23.
Up Next: Home Ice
The Rush leave Independence at 2–0–0 and head home for their opener at The Monument on Friday, Oct. 23, against the same Mavericks. It’s the start of a three-game weekend series, with the teams meeting again Oct. 24 and Oct. 25.
The Rapid City Rush can be contacted at 605-716-7825 or at https://www.rapidcityrush.com regarding tickets and the home opener promotional events.
Game details from the official ECHL gamesheet and the Kansas City Mavericks radio broadcast.
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