For the second straight night, the Saskatchewan Rush lost in overtime, dropping a 13-12 decision to the Rochester Knighthawks on Saturday night.
The loss comes after the Rush fell 11-10 in overtime to the Buffalo Bandits the night before in Buffalo.
Ryan Smith was the overtime hero for Rochester, scoring 5:51 into the extra frame.
With a short week that saw them play three games in six nights, the Rush made a change in goal. Thomas Kiazyk got the start and stopped 52 of 65 shots in the loss.
Zed Williams had a massive night for Rochester with five goals, while Ryan Lanchbury finished with eight assists.
Rylan Hartley got the start in goal for the Knighthawks and stopped 44 of 54 shots. He was pulled briefly for Riley Hutchcraft, who stopped one of three shots.
First Quarter
Saskatchewan finally got off to a quick start, jumping out to a 3-0 lead with three goals in a span of less than a minute.
Ryan Barnable opened the scoring 3:00 into the game in transition, followed by Zach Manns 30 seconds later. Ryan Keenan rounded out the run at the 3:49 mark right off the ensuing faceoff.
Rochester replied with a three-goal run of its own.
Williams got the Knighthawks on the board at 4:07, followed by Matt Gilray 31 seconds later. Smith then tied the game at the 5:25 mark.
Saskatchewan retook the lead at 7:08 with Manns finding the back of the net, followed by Levi Anderson scoring at 7:26 to make it 5-3 for the Rush.
Rochester battled back again, with Williams scoring with 3:18 left on the clock and Smith tying it 13 seconds later.
However, Jake Boudreau scored unassisted with 12 seconds remaining, shorthanded, to give Saskatchewan a 6-5 lead at the end of the first quarter.
Second Quarter
The Rush regained their two-goal cushion with Matt Hossack scoring unassisted 15 seconds into the frame for Saskatchewan’s second shorthanded goal.
Kyle Waters pulled Rochester back within one at the 3:20 mark, followed by Thomas McConvey scoring at 5:15 to make it 7-7.
The back-and-forth battle continued. Brock Haley restored Saskatchewan’s lead with 3:49 remaining, and Barnable added the Rush’s third shorthanded goal with 1:35 left to make it 9-7.
Williams scored on the power play for Rochester with 52 seconds left in the second to cut the deficit to 9-8 heading into halftime.
Third Quarter
The Knighthawks tied the game 1:45 into the third quarter on a goal from Connor Fields.
The Rush responded with another two-goal run. Anderson scored at 8:06, and Robert Church added a power-play goal with 1:26 left to make it 11-9.
Williams replied on the power play with 24 seconds remaining as the Rush carried an 11-10 advantage into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter and OT
Defences and goaltending tightened up in the fourth quarter.
Fields tied the game at 11 at the 3:30 mark. Haley restored the Rush lead 30 seconds later.
Williams scored with 9:55 left in regulation to tie the game 12-12. Neither team could break the deadlock, sending the contest to overtime.
Overtime featured a little bit of everything — from a major penalty that was rescinded to a Rush goal that was called back because the shot clock had expired.
At the 5:51 mark of overtime, Lanchbury picked up a loose ball off a misplay by the Rush at the centre line. He found Smith alone behind the defence in front of the Saskatchewan net, and Smith made no mistake, handing Saskatchewan an overtime loss for the second straight night with a 13-12 final.
Top Scorers
Rochester Knighthawks
- Ryan Lanchbury — 8a
- Connor Fields — 2g, 4a
- Zed Williams — 5g
- Ryan Smith — 3g, 2a
Saskatchewan Rush
- Zach Manns — 2g, 4a
- Levi Anderson — 2g, 2a
- Ryan Keenan — 1g, 2a
- Robert Church — 1g, 2a
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