(Evansville, IN) – With the ongoing battle against injuries and a shortened bench, the Rapid City Rush toppled the Evansville IceMen with a 5-2 triumph on Friday night. In front of 5,715 at the Ford Center, the Rush took down the top team in the Turner Conference led by veteran captain Scott Wray who collected his second career hat trick and second of the week for Rapid City. Konrad Reeder earned his second four-point night of the week, picking up a goal and three assists. The victory gives the Rush three straight wins on the road and sole possession of the final playoff spot in the Turner Conference. The teams hit the ice again tomorrow at 6:15pm MST and the game can be heard live on 100.3 the FOX.

Both teams exchanged leads in the first period, finishing with a 2-2 tie after 20 minutes. Just 2:21 into the game, excellent passing between Konrad Reeder and Scott Wray set up Blake Forsyth on the backdoor for his first goal of the season. The IceMen responded with a pair of goals, taking their first and only lead of the game. Malcolm Gwilliam capitalized on a 2-on-1 before John Ronan rifled home a shot to the short side for a 2-1 lead at the 11:54 mark. The Rush tied the score on a powerplay goal from Scott Wray who blasted a shot from the high slot at the 16:09 mark.

After trailing 3-0 in the second intermission, the Rapid City Rush mounted a furious comeback led by veteran captain Scott Wray who guided the team to a 4-3 shootout victory over the Dayton Gems on Tuesday night. The Rush scored three unanswered goals in the third period, including a tally with just 36 seconds left to force overtime and the eventual shootout. With back-to-back wins, the Rush have now tied the Quad City Mallards for the fourth and final playoff spot in the Turner Conference.

After a scoreless first period, the Gems collected a goal just twelve seconds into the middle frame, serving as the fasted goal to start a period against the Rush this season. After eluding a Rush defenseman, Brett Lutes made his way to the high slot and snapped a wrist shot to the top-left corner. Five minutes later, Tim Hartung elected to hold the puck on a 2-on-1 chance, backhanding a shot to the short side on Danny Battochio for the 2-0 lead. With seven minutes left in the period, Kyle Bochek scored off of a faceoff, slapping the draw forward for his sixth goal of the season.