PHN Photo Essay – Texas Brahmas Vs. Rapid City Rush 12/17/11

NORTH RICHLAND HILLS, Texas – The Brahmas put an end to their three-game losing streak Saturday night with Brendon Hodge’s third-period, unassisted goal, which gave Texas the 2-1 win over visiting the Rapid City Rush. T.J. Fox gave the Brahmas the early lead as he beat Rapid City netminder Tim Boron at the 16:14 mark of the first period. Jim Burichin and Jordan Kary were credited with the assists. The Texas defense held the Rush to only four shots in the period, all of which were stopped by goalie Steve Silverthorn. Rapid City tied the score in the second period when Les Reaney put the puck past Silverthorn at the 1:31 mark, assisted by Jesse Schultz and Michael Couch. The game entered the final frame knotted up at one goal apiece until the 2:09 mark when Texas forward Brendon Hodge snatched the puck out of the air, put a move on Boron and buried it into the back of the net. A late tripping penalty gave the Rush a power play for the final 44 seconds of the contest, but Silverthorn and the Brahmas defense stayed strong and held on to the 2-1 lead despite being short-handed. For Hodge, Saturday night’s game-winner was his fourth goal in the last six games and his second in as many nights. Hodge is second on the team with eight goals on the season. Steve Silverthorn (5-6-3) recorded his first victory since November 19th, making 12 saves on just 13 shots fired by the Rush. The following images were recorded at the NYTEX Sports Centre on Saturday night.