RAPID CITY, S.D. – Alex Aleardi scored twice, Zach Court had a goal and two assists and Daniil Chechelev made 44 saves on 47 shots as the Rapid City Rush beat the Tulsa Oilers 4-3 on Sunday afternoon at The Monument Ice Arena. The Rush won for the fifth consecutive game.
Aleardi opened the scoring on the game’s first shot as he found himself loose in the slot and ripped a wrist shot past Riley Morris’ glove. Later, he was sprung for a breakaway and carried the puck in behind the defense. Aleardi again darted a wrist shot past Morris on the glove side and the lead was 2-0.
Rapid City extended that lead to 3-0 with another breakaway goal. This time Court was hit at center ice and sprinted in ahead of the defense. Court snapped a shot high past Morris and the lead swelled to three.
The Oilers would counter with a second period that saw them outshoot the Rush 19-3 and strike three times. First, Tyler Poulsen was tripped on a breakaway and granted a penalty shot. He cashed in on the attempt and put the Oilers on the board. Then, Eddie Matsushima carried the puck to the slot and flipped a backhander on net that snuck through Chechelev. Finally, Tag Bertuzzi buried a one-timer from the right circle and the game was tied at three.
The Rush then took the lead early in the third period when Blake Bennett carried the puck below the goal line and fed Colton Leiter at the point. Leiter clapped a one-timer off the crossbar and into the net, giving the Rush a 4-3 lead.
Tulsa kept the pressure up throughout the third period, but Chechelev was up to the task. He stopped all 16 shots the Oilers hurled at him in the frame and the Rush held on for the 4-3 win.
Court matched a career-high with three points, Aleardi scored twice and Jimmy Soper had two assists and a fight. The Rush won for the fifth straight game and improved to 29-30-1-0. Tulsa lost its seventh straight and dropped to 19-32-7-1.
Rapid City will now hit the road for three games next weekend against the Fort Wayne Komets. It begins on Friday night and puck drop is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. ET at the Allen County War Memorial Coliseum.
