Comeback Falls Short vs. Rapid City

WICHITA, Kan. (Feb. 27) - Wichita and Rapid City resumed their mini-series on Saturday night with the Rush holding on for a 3-2 win against the Thunder at INTRUST Bank Arena.

Rapid City rolled off three-unanswered goals after allowing the Thunder to score first for the second game in a row.

Stefan Fournier and Peter Crinella provided the offense while Dean Stewart and Jay Dickman each had a pair of helpers.

Halfway through the first period, Fournier scored his 11th of the year to make it 1-0. Dickman carried the puck through the neutral zone, dished it off to Stewart and he found Fournier with a beautiful backhand pass near the front of the net. Hunter Garlent tied it 1:20 later as he spun at the edge of the right circle and beat Alex Sakellaropoulos for his fifth of the year. 

The two teams combined for three goals in the second period. Rapid City rattled off the next two to take a 3-1 lead. At 1:49, Avery Peterson redirected a shot from Tyler Coulter to give the Rush a 2-1 advantage. Less than five minutes later, Coulter scored with assists to Garlent and Mikael Tam to make it 3-1. Crinella cut the lead in half with his sixth of the season at 13:23 to make it 3-2. 

In the third, both teams had chances on the power play as Sean Allen was called for roughing. Wichita was given a power play two minutes later when Peterson caught Patrik Parkkonen in the face with his stick. Both teams were unsuccessful on their chances. Sakellaropoulos was pulled for the extra attacker, but Rapid City held off the charge and won the contest. 

Crinella has three goals in his last two games and points in four of the last five. Dean Stewart and Jay Dickman each picked up assists. 

The Thunder closes the weekend with another meeting against Rapid City tomorrow at 4:05 p.m.

Single game tickets are on sale now. Click here to purchase tickets or call the Thunder office at 316-264-4625.

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-Thunder-