Opening Round Series Updates:
Missouri defeated Evansville, 4-0
Fort Wayne leads Rapid City, 2-1
Texas leads Allen, 2-1
Wichita leads Rio Grande Valley, 2-1

Upcoming Schedule:

Thursday, April 5
Rapid City at Fort Wayne (Game 4)
Wichita at Rio Grande Valley (Game 4)

Friday, April 6
Allen at Texas (Game 4)

Saturday, April 7
Texas at Allen (Game 5)
Rio Grande Valley at Wichita ( Game 5)

Sunday, April 8
Rapid City at Fort Wayne (Game 5)

Game 3’s often play a large role in the eventual outcome of a series and last night could be no different as the home teams dominated with the Killer Bees, Brahmas and Komets all earning wins.

In Rio Grande Valley, the Killer Bees got 31 saves from John Murray, were extremely disciplined taking just one minor penalty and got two goals from Aaron Lee as they got back into their series with the Wichita Thunder with a 5-2 win.

In North Richland Hills, the Brahmas erased a 2-0 first period deficit, squandered a 4-2 lead and then eventually won 5-4 as a full moon was out in the back-and-forth game that saw Texas take a 2-1 series lead.

Finally, in Fort Wayne, the Komets took a 2-1 series lead thanks to their second straight 3-1 win once again scoring the game winning goal in the second half of the final period.  Former Rush forward Mike Vaskivuo scored the game winner for Fort Wayne.

Wednesday’s Three Stars:
1.) T.J. Fox (TEX) – scored two goals including the game winner in Texas’ 5-4 win
2.) John Murray (RGV) – made 31 saves earning the win over Wichita
3.) Brad Fogal (TEX) – stopped 19 of 21 shots from Allen in relief of work

They Said It:

“We’ve got to get traffic in front of this guy. He’s a big kid and he’s playing well.  They score on rebounds and chips-ins right in front of the net, and that’s what we’ve got to do. The goaltenders are too good at this level to beat them from 20 or 30 feet out.”

Rush Head Coach Joe Ferras on Beating Nick Boucher (Komets Goalie), courtesy of the Rapid City Journal

“We know the situation we’re in. We’re going to rebound and have a great game (today).  It’s a must-win.

Rush forward Collin Circelli on his team’s predicament, courtesy of the Rapid City Journal

“I was so excited when I learned we would be playing Rapid City in the playoffs, and I knew I had to ramp up my game.  These two teams have a good rivalry going, and it goes back to last year (when the Rush eliminated the Komets), and you could tell it was there again from the first game of this series.”

Komets forward and former Rapid City player Mike Vaskivuo on the rivalry, courtesy of The Journal-Gazette

“I don’t know why the clock doesn’t run faster when you’re ahead.  Nothing is easy, especially when you play against a team like Wichita.”

Killer Bees Head Coach Terry Ruskowski on his team’s win, courtesy of The Monitor

“I think it was just mentally. We just kind of lacked a bit there in Game 1 and Game 2.  We got up 1-0 and kind of got on our heels and weren’t quite sure what to do. Tonight we kind of kept pushing.”

Killer Bees goalie John Murray on hanging on to the lead this time, courtesy of The Monitor

"We have to win four games. I don't care how we do it.  That team over there [Allen] has a lot of fight left. They're a well-coached group with a lot of talent."

Brahmas Head Coach Dan Wildfong on his team’s win, courtesy of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram