BOSSIER CITY, La. – Call this the see-saw series. One night after losing to Bossier-Shreveport by five, the Rapid City Rush responded with a 4-1 win over the Mudbugs to retake the lead in the Central Hockey League’s Northern Conference Final 3-2. 
The best-of-seven series now moves back to Rapid City after the Rush took 2 of 3 games on the Mudbugs’ home ice. A CenturyTel Center crowd of 3,088 watched Colt King lead the Rush past the Mudbugs as Danny Battochio stopped 32 of 33 shots on the night. The game failed to produce much rough stuff despite the late game antics the two teams deployed in the waning moments of Game Four. One night removed from a game filled with ninety-nine combined penalty minutes, the two teams settled down and only produced eight combined penalty minutes. Rapid City struck first blood at 4:34 of the first period when Scott Wray’s shot was deflected to Brendan Cook who then hit the open net. Les Reaney was credited with the secondary assist on the play. Bossier-Shreveport wasted little time getting back into the game, as Tyrel Lucas fed the puck to Justin Aikins who beat Battochio to tie the game. The ‘Bugs went on to out shoot the Rush 17-8 as both teams entered the first intermission deadlocked at one. The second period saw the tie continue, as the defenses took over and denied their respective opposition. The Rush out shot the Mudbugs 12-6 in the middle frame, but could not solve Parker Van Buskirk in just his fourth CHL playoff game. A Bossier-Shreveport turnover proved to be costly to the Mudbugs early in the third period. King skated deep in the zone, around the net and hit Brendon Hodge, who nailed a wrister into the lower left corner of the net to give Rapid City a 2-1 lead at 4:06. The goal snapped Hodge’s first in 11 games and would eventually serve as the game winner. King found the back of the net at 13:03 of the period when he collected the rebound of a Riley Weselowski shot and put it past Van Buskirk to extend the Rush lead to three. Blaine Jarvis sealed the deal in the closing moments of the game when he scored on the empty net at 19:08 with Van Buskirk on the bench in favor of an extra attacker for the Mudbugs. The win moves the Rush to within one game of a series-clinching win and a trip to the Ray Miron President’s Cup Finals. Neither team has managed to win two games in a row thus far in the series. Game six is scheduled for a 6:35 P.M. MST face-off Tuesday, April 20 at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Arena.
Contact the author at john.hall@prohockeynews.com
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