RAPID CITY, S.D. – A re-charged Colorado Eagles squad scored three power play goals, including the game-winner, to come away with a 4-3 win over the Rapid City Rush at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Arena on Saturday night. 
The Eagles took a 2-0 lead early in the contest on two strikes by Adam Hogg but Rapid City responded with three unanswered goals of their own to go up 3-2 heading into the first intermission. Hogg’s first score came on the power play after Rush center Scott Wray was called for Hooking. Hogg hustled the puck into the offensive zone heading toward the left midboards before chipping it to Adam Chorneyko, who was stationed behind the net. Chorneyko sent it to Steve Haddon coming in on the right side of the low slot. Haddon managed a back-door pass back to Hogg, who one-timed it past Andrew Penner to take the 1-0 lead. Less than two minutes later, Hogg tallied his second goal by sending in a Haddon rebound from just outside the crease. Matt Glasser was also credited with an assist. After a timeout allowed the Rush to regroup, the home team made some adjustments in strategy that proved highly effective, with three straight tallies to prove it. Riley Weselowski cut the Eagles’ lead in half at the 10:56 mark when his shot from the high slot found the top right corner of the net. Colt King set up the play, sending the puck to Konrad Reeder, who circled behind the net and sent the puck to Weselowski, who managed to chip it over Penner’s left shoulder for the score. Derek LeBlanc sent in a rebound from the right side of the crease, tying the game at the 12:50 mark, followed less than four minutes later by Kevin Harvey’s re-direct of a Weselowski shot, giving the Rush a 3-2 lead after the first 20 minutes. Rapid City led the shot count 14-11 in the first period. The Eagles had the 13-7 shot advantage as well as the lone goal in the middle frame, coming at the 8:23 mark. Aaron Schneekloth tapped in a loose puck after a flurry just outside the crease, making it a 3-3 game with assists going to Dan Sullivan and Kevin Ulanski. The physical play became more pronounced as the period wore on, leading to penalties on Eagles defensemen Joe Grimaldi (Cross Checking) and Jason Beatty (Roughing) and Rapid City forwards Kevin Harvey (Charging), Josh Beaulieu (Roughing) and Les Reaney (Cross Checking). The rough stuff continued on in the final frame, providing both teams with numerous power play opportunities. Midway through the period CHL MVP Riley Nelson was stymied on a short-handed breakaway but Tim Boron rose to the occasion and made the save to prevent the Eagles from taking the lead. Later in the period, the Eagles made the best of a 4-on-3 opportunity, taking just eight seconds for Kevin Ulanski to send in the game-winner from the top of the crease at the 16:59 mark. Colorado’s Andrew Penner stopped 30 of 33 shots faced to earn the win. Rapid City’s Tim Boron takes the loss, stopping 28 of 32. Games Three & Four of the best-of-seven series will be played Tuesday, May 3rd and Thursday, May 5th at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, Colorado. Game Five will be back in Rapid City on Saturday, May 7th. Contact the writer at robert.keith@prohockeynews,com
