OILERS LOSE TO RAPID CITY DESPITE BRENT GATES HAT TRICK

OILERS LOSE TO RAPID CITYDESPITE BRENT GATES HAT TRICK

BrentGates scored his first professional hat trick, but the Oilers lost 8-4 in agame they outshot Rapid City 46-27.

BoxScore

RAPID CITY, SD   — The Oilers lost 8-4 to Rapid City at theRushmore Plaza Civic Center on Saturday night, moving back into the fifth placein the Mountain Division.

Rapid City scored on their first shot of the game. KeeganHowdeshell sniped Devin Williams top shelf to make things 1-0 2:14 intothe game. Brent Gates scored his first of the game 17:33 into the firstperiod, tying the game 1-1 at the conclusion of the opening frame.

Tyler Coulter scored 6:32 into the period to givethe Rush a 2-1 lead. Matteo Gennaro scored his third of the season 11:22 intothe period to give the Rush a 3-1 lead. Coulter scored his second of the game17:18 into the second period, extending Rapid City’s 4-1 lead, and giving theRush three goals on eight shots in the period.

Howdeshell made things 5-1, scoring a beautiful“Michigan Move”, lacrosse-style goal on Olle Eriksson Ek, the first shotthe Swede faced since taking over for Williams. Gates answeredwith a second goal of his own, sniping Gordon Defiel in-stride on the shortside to make it a 5-2 game. The three-goal deficit was quickly increased whenCoulter completed his hat trick 53 seconds later at the 3:31 point of the finalperiod. Gates netted with a hat trick of his own, hammering home arebound on the power play with 12 minutes left to bring the game 6-3 in RapidCity’s favor. Brennan Saulnier joined the 20-goal club at the 13:10 mark of theperiod, beating Eriksson Ek five-hole on the breakaway.  Charlie Sampair scored for thesecond-straight game, tipping a Steven Ruggiero wrister past Defiel atthe 14:36 mark, cutting the Rush lead to three once again. Gennaro ended thescoring with his second of the game at the 17:23 mark, an empty netter that washis fourth goal of the season.

Both teams will faceoff in a weekend rubber matchtomorrow at 5:05 CST at Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. The winner of the gamewill possess the fourth spot in the Mountain Division.