RAPID CITY – The Brookings Rangers boys’ varsity team lost their first two league games of the year over the weekend in Rapid City, both by matching 4-3 scores.
Brookings now stands second in the league standings with a 9-1-0-1 record and 19 points.
Rushmore remains undefeated at 11-0-0-0 with 22 points.
The Rangers host Watertown on Friday and travel to Aberdeen on Saturday.
Saturday
• Rushmore 4, Brookings 3 (OT)
A 3-1 third period lead would not hold up as Rushmore scored the final three goals of the game including the game-winner with two minutes to play in overtime.
Brookings got on the board late in the first period when Talon Richter scored with 2:53 to play in the first period.
5:49 into the second period, Jack Merritt gave the Rangers a 2-0 lead with Logan Bortnem providing the assist.
After the Thunder scored less than a minute later to claw back within a goal at 2-1, Bortnem scored on a power play with 5:14 left in the period to put the Rangers back up 3-1. Ashton Witte had the assist.
Rushmore again got within a goal at 3-2 with 7:19 left in regulation, then tied it three minutes later while on a penalty kill to knot the score at three goals each and eventually sending it to overtime.
Rushmore’s Dawson Wirth scored his second goal of the game in overtime to give the Thunder the win.
Kade Brecher took the loss in goal, stopping 29 of 33 shots.
Brookings outshot Rushmore 34-33.
Sunday
• Rushmore 4, Brookings 3
Rushmore and Brookings traded goals for the entirety of the game, with the Thunder scoring the game’s final goal 5:57 into the third period for the eventual game-winner.
The Thunder opened the scoring just 1:49 into the game but Breck Hirrschoff scored the equalizer a minute later to bring the score to a goal each. Zach Struck and Witte had the assists.
Rushmore again took a one-goal lead and would hold that lead until 3:31 into the second period when Struck scored to tie the game at two. Brody Powers and Trenton Pederson provided the assists.
Owen Schneider scored with 2:50 left in the second to again tie the game after the Thunder had regained the lead, with Hirrschoff and Witte having the helpers.
Rushmore’s goal with 11:03 left in the game proved to be the game-winner.
Brecher stopped 27 of 31 shots in goal.
Rushmore held a 31-20 advantage in shots on goal.
