From Rapid City Rush.com:

(Allen, TX) – On Saturday night, the Rapid City Rush brought themselves to within one win of claiming the Ray Miron President’s Cup and a Central Hockey League Championship.  With the best-of-7 series tied at 2-2, the Rush dominated game five of the President’s Cup Finals with an impressive 7-2 win.  Brendan Cook led the way with a four-point night, including just the fourth hat trick in Rush history, while Les Reaney also posted a four-point effort with a pair of goals and assists.  The Rush now head home looking to claim the President’s Cup on home ice in game 6, set for Tuesday, May 4th at 6:35pm.  Tickets are available for that game.

Breaking the trend from the two previous games, the Rush got on the board first on a goal by Derek Campbell, his third of the playoffs.  Campbell persistence paid off when a battle at the side of the net was eventually jammed home at the 3:10 mark.  At 7:32, Les Reaney picked up his first goal of the night after a blast by Brendon Cook squeaked through the pads of Chris Whitley and sat on the goal line until Reaney tipped the puck home for a 2-0 lead.  The Americans came storming back with a pair of their own, beginning at the 9:10 mark when Justin Bowers scored his playoff leading 12th goal.  It was the Colton Yellow Horn’s turn on the powerplay, accepting a pass in the high slot, and then sliding a low shot home for the equalizer with under four minutes left in the period.

The Rush would begin to dominate in the second period, beginning a run of five unanswered goals.  Derek Campbell picked up his second point of the night when he cut across the slot area and slid a pass down low to Brendan Cook who buried from a sharp angle for the eventual game-winner.  Cook would strike again, this time it came on the powerplay when he broke in on a 2-on-1 and fired a laser over the glove of Whitley.  Reaney would add his second of the game with three minutes left in the period when he deflected home a shot from defenseman Cody Bostock, giving Rapid City a commanding 5-2 lead heading into the third.  The Rush allowed just two shots in the period, tying an all-time low for shots against in a single period.  The second period was the last for netminder Chris Whitley as the Americans decided to turn to David McKee for the third period.

In the final stanza, it would take Brendan Cook just 47 seconds into period to complete the first playoff hat trick in team history.  Cook broke into the offensive end and snapped a shot from the right faceoff dot that redirected off of a body in front and past McKee.  Then at the 4:23 mark, Derek LeBlanc would bank a shot off of the leg of McKee and into the net, completing the 7-2 win for the Rush.

Despite firing a playoff-low 22 shots on net, the Rush tied their playoff high of seven goals in a game.  Danny Battochio 24 saves for his 11th win of the playoffs.  Rookie defenseman Dave Grimson extended his point streak to six games, the second-longest active streak.

Editor's Notes:
This was an epic game to listen to, and watch, as the Rush used 2nd and 3rd period surges to take control of this game and the series.

It seems that all the ups-and-downs the Rush have experienced during the Conference and Cup Finals are paying their dues.  The team is gelling and playing as a single, unstoppable unit.

I don't see this trend dying out now that the series returns home.  They'll want to win it, not only for themselves but for their loyal fanbase, on their own home ice.

So if you Rush fans haven't picked up your tickets yet, I suggest you do so quickly.  Because this proves to be a game to remember.  Where will you be when the Rush raise the Cup?