The Adobe Flash Player is required to view this multimedia interactive. Get it here.

Gems provide thrills with shootout victory

Hara Arena crowd on its feet in 3-2 win over Rapid City.

High school sports results for May 26
5/26/12
Reds' six-game winning streak broken
5/26/12
Annual Warrior Soccer Classic kicks off today
5/26/12
Dragons' rally falls short against Lansing
5/26/12
WSU baseball ousted from tournament
5/26/12
> More sports headlines

By David DiCenzo, Contributing Writer 12:39 AM Saturday, January 28, 2012

TROTWOOD — “Complete effort” are two words not often associated with the Dayton Gems this season. But the inconsistent Gems put a good one together and brought the Hara Arena crowd to its feet in a 3-2 shootout win over the Rapid City Rush on Friday.

Tim Hartung and Brandon Naurato both beat Danny Battochio with pretty shootout goals, and Larry Sterling denied four of five Rush shooters, including former Gem Mike Vaskivuo on the final attempt, to secure two necessary points.

“Tonight was a much more mentally tough effort,” Gems coach Brian Gratz said, his voice almost gone from an evening of screaming.

Sterling made 29 saves, none bigger than a quick glove he flashed in overtime on Konrad Reeder, the player who scored the 2-2 equalizer with a wraparound at 16:13 of the second period.

The third meeting in a week between the clubs got off to a wild start when Rush forward Shawn Limpright was left alone to score on a one-timer just 58 seconds in. But Dayton pumped in two in a span of 2:53 to snatch the lead. Charlie Townsend scored 19 seconds after Limpright and newcomer David Nimmo, who assisted on the Gems’ first goal, added another at 4:10. Nimmo took a weak shot that fooled goaltender Tim Boron. Boron was subsequently yanked for regular starter Battochio.

“I got a couple early but have been cold for a few games,” said Nimmo, a St. Albert, Alberta, native who has three goals and an assist in seven games since joining Dayton. “I’ve got some chemistry going with (Nick) Fanto and Towner (Townsend).

“It’s huge to get the morale up,” he added of the win.

Robin Richards ignited the Hara crowd to its highest noise level all season when he won an epic fight with Garrett Gruenke late in the first.

Notes: Kyle Bochek was ejected midway through the first after injuring Rush scoring leader Jesse Schultz. Bochek received a five-minute kneeing major and a game misconduct but the Gems were able to kill the extended Rapid City power play. Dayton’s much-maligned special teams also killed a four-minute penalty early in the third. ... The game was Vaskivuo’s first at Hara as a member of the Rush. Vaskivuo, who spent two years in Dayton, was traded in the offseason.

Share this article