City Times Staff

CHICAGO — The Wisconsin Rapids Riverkings went 3-1 over the holiday weekend for the annual Chicago showcase; now winning eight out of their last 10 games.

The Riverkings concluded the USPHL Chicago Showcase by going 3-0-1, picking up seven of a possible eight points.

The Riverkings opened the showcase with a shutout victory over the Detroit Fighting Irish, recording a 3-0 win. Parker Rutherford picked up a perfect night in goal and the Riverkings penalty kill was stellar, killing of four straight penalties before the 11 minute mark in the game. Xander Mavrogiannis paced the Riverkings with three assists in game one.

Photo: B. Violet Photography

Game two of the showcase saw the Riverkings defeat the Steele County Blades by a score of 4-1, with goalie Eric Schuette picking up the victory. Adam Peterson paced the offense, recording a goal and a helper along the way.

In game three, the Riverkings offense found the back of the net 11 times as they recorded an 11-2 win vs the Tri City Icehawks.  Linemates Matyas Kacirek and Ryan Mantz each recorded four points and goaltender Dom Paciocco picked up the win.

In game four of the showcase, the Riverkings battled to a tough overtime loss, falling 4-3 to the Minnesota Moose. Forward Dylan Nurse picked up his first goal of the season (assists from Austyn Quarters and Mavrogiannis) giving the Riverkings a 3-2 lead with 10 minutes to go.

The Moose found a way to tie the game at 3-3 before scoring two minutes into the overtime frame to pick up the extra point. Erik Schuette was stellar all game long in between the pipes picking up a tough loss while recording 35 saves.

The Riverkings head into the 2018 calendar year with a 20-7-1 record and will return to action Jan. 5 as they head to Boston for the USPHL Boston Showcase. The Riverkings will return home Jan. 12-13 as they will take on the Dells Ducks at home.