RAPID CITY, S.D. – The Rapid City Rush allowed five goals in the first period and were shut out by the Toledo Walleye, 6-0, on Friday night at The Monument Ice Arena.
Rapid City fell in an early hole in the first period when Toledo’s Conlan Keenan took a pass in the neutral zone and skated in one-on-one. He worked to the left circle and snapped a shot top shelf past Nicholas Latinovich to make the score 1-0.
They would add to that lead when Brandon Hawkins took a pass in the attacking zone and fired a wrist shot from the top of the right circle. It beat Latinovich on the glove side and the score was 2-0.
Hawkins scored again minutes later after Riley McCourt sent a pass from the left circle to the back post where Hawkins was crashing. He redirected it in to make the score 3-0. Hawkins then completed the natural hat trick when the Rush turned the puck over in the neutral zone and Gordie Green hit him for a one-timer that he buried, extending the Toledo lead to 4-0.
The Walleye got another in the final minutes of the first. Keenan was left alone in the slot and slung a wrist shot top shelf past Latinovich to push the score to 5-0.
Rapid City pulled Latinovich at the first intermission after he made nine saves on 14 shots. Adam Carlson entered at the start of the second period. Toledo scored its lone goal on Carlson in the opening minute of the third while working with a two-man advantage. Trenton Bliss tipped home a pass on the back door that gave the Walleye a 6-0 lead.
Carlson made 17 saves on 18 shots in relief and Toledo’s Sebastian Cossa made 28 saves on 28 shots. The Rush fell to 22-25-1-0 in the loss while the Walleye improved to 29-15-4-2 with their win. Rapid City and Toledo will meet up again on Saturday night for Rush Fights Cancer Night, presented by Vitalant. The Rush will be wearing specialty jerseys that will be auctioned off postgame with a portion of proceeds being donated to the Monument Health Foundation. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at The Monument Ice Arena.
