Late Rally Falls Short On Thursday Vs. Rush

RAPID CITY, SD (April 11) – Wichita kicked off a three-game series in the Black Hills on Thursday night, falling to Rapid City, 6-2, at The Monument. 

Mitchell Russell and Nick Nardella scored for the Thunder. Trevor Gorsuch stopped 36 shots in the losing effort. 

The Rush jumped out to a 2-0 lead in the first period. Brett Davis made it 1-0 at 5:47. Alex Aleardi found him in the slot and he tallied his sixth of the season. 

Will Riedell made it 2-0 at 18:37. The Rush were awarded its only power play of the contest and they made quick work, scoring 13 seconds into the opportunity. He fired a shot from the left circle that appeared to get deflected by a Thunder defenseman past Gorsuch. 

In the second, Aleardi made it 3-0 at 2:56. He caught a pass across the slot from Blake Bennett and beat Gorsuch for his 31st of the year. 

Nardella got the Thunder on the board with three seconds left in the frame. Michal Stinil and Brayden Watts created scoring chances near the crease and Nardella popped in a rebound to make it 3-1.

In the third, Russell cut the lead to one at 15:07. Nolan Kneen danced around a defenseman near the right corner, fed a pass across the slot to Russell and he buried a one-timer. 

The Rush capitalized on a turnover near the red line at 17:44 and re-took a two-goal advantage. Bennett connected on his 34th of the season to make it 4-2. 

Will Riedell and Jake Stella tacked on empty-net markers to put the game out of reach to make it 6-2. 

Wichita went 0-for-3 on the power play. Rapid City was 1-for-1 on the man advantage. 

Russell has goals in back-to-back games and four points in his lats four outings. Nick Nardella has goals in back-to-back contests. Stinil has assists in three-straight and pulled into a tie for the team-lead in points with 64. Watts has helpers in his last three games and needs four points to reach 200 for his ECHL career. 

The two teams play tomorrow night with the opening faceoff at 8:05 p.m.

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