Tahoe halts Rush in 3-1 victory

PostGame Recap Presented by AleWorX Stateline

In the first game of their series in Rapid City, the Tahoe Knight Monsters beat the Rush by a final score of 3-1. Isaac Johnson scored his first goal of the season in his debut, Bear Hughes tallied the game-winning goal, and netminder Jesper Vikman slammed the door in the final two periods after letting in a first-period shorthanded goal for his 13th win of the season.

Knight Monsters’ forward and alternate captain Logan Nelson also made his return to Rapid City after spending three seasons playing for the Rush as a top-three scorer and a fan-favorite. 

Tahoe had another impact debut in the form of Vegas Golden Knights’ 2021 fourth round pick Jacob Demek, who returned from injury after playing last season with the Henderson Silver Knights. 

The Knight Monsters dominated in possession in the first as they put up 11 shots on RC goaltender Matt Radomsky, and allowed just five. But it was the Rush who would open the scoring while shorthanded, as Brett Davis took a partial breakaway and buried it past Vikman for his 12th goal of the season.

Tahoe responded right from the jump in the second however, as Isaac Johnson took a great pass from Jakub Demek and roofed the puck to tie the game at 1. Both Johnson and Demek debuted in the game and made their presence felt immediately. 

Following Demek’s goal, Bear Hughes wristed one past Radomsky immediately following a faceoff win to give the Knight Monsters their first lead of the game in the final four minutes of the period.

Jesper Vikman, who was credited with a goal last game against the Maine Mariners, stopped all eight shots in the second period to shut out the Rush and conserve Tahoe’s lead entering the third. 

Even though Rapid City matched the Knight Monsters in shots at eight in the final period, Jake McGrew sealed the game for Tahoe with his 11th goal of the season in the final minutes. The play began off a strong forecheck from Patrick Newell, who created a turnover and found McGrew in the slot.

With his performance, Vikman earned his 13th win of the season finishing the game with only one goal against and a save percentage of .954%. On the other side, Radomsky was Rapid City’s best player of the night with a save percentage of .892%, letting in only three goals out of 28 shots. 

The Tahoe Knight Monsters look to carry the momentum tomorrow as they play against the Rush in Rapid City, South Dakota tomorrow at 6:05 p.m. And, after every Knight Monsters home game check out a postgame party at AleWorX Stateline for wood-fired pizza, self-serve beer, and great scenery.

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