RUSH-ED NEWS, 12/16

THIS WEEK:

RAPID CITY RUSH (18-3-0, 36 Pts, 1st) @ DENVER CUTTHROATS (12-8-4, 28 Pts, 5th)

Friday, December 20th-7:05 MST

Saturday, December 21th-7:05 MST

Rivalry weekend is back! This weekend, the Rush travel to the Rocky Mountain State to take on their arch-rivals, the Denver Cutthroats. The last time these two foes met was at Thanksgiving time, and the Rush took two games out of the three games in four nights set. The Rush look to maintain their dominance in the CHL, further their separation in the standings, and take another four possible points from their rivals before Christmas.

WHERE WE LEFT OFF-DUCK HUNT:

RAPID CITY RUSH vs QUAD CITY MALLARDS

Game 1: Friday, December 13th; Quad City 2, Rapid City 0 (QDC: Rimer-48 save shutout)

àThe Rapid City Rush rekindled their series with the Quad City Mallards last weekend in Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. The Mallards, undefeated in regulation in nine straight games to this point, put their streak on the line against the best defense in the CHL. Despite a scoreless first period, the Rush would fire 16 shots on Ty Rimmer’s net to his Mallards 4, but the Rush would be unable to maintain the momentum. Goals by Matt Boyd and Gabriel Levesque three minutes apart in the second period would give the Mallards a 2-0 lead going into the final period of regulation. The Rush would get back into their offensive rhythm in the third, but would be unable to solve Ty Rimmer, who stopped ALL 48 Rush shots, and the Mallards would hand the Rush their third loss in twenty games played, and their first shutout loss of the season, 2-0.

Game 2: Saturday, December 14th; Rapid City 5, Quad City 1 (RPD: 5 multi-point scorers)

àPlaying in front of their first sell-out crowd of the season at 5,119 strong, the Rush rebounded from their first shutout loss of the season. The Rush would score early, and often on Mallards goaltender Thomas Heemskerk, with Scott Brannon and Sean Erickson scoring twice in the first period to give the Rush a 2-0 lead going into the locker room session. Konrad Reeder would get back on the scoresheet in the second, helping Rapid City to a 3-0 lead, before Quad City would break the shutout. Matt Duffy would take advantage of confusion in the Rush zone and score from the point to cut the deficit to 3-1 with 20 minutes to go. The Rush would keep their foot on the gas pedal, as Eric Giosa and Rush captain Scott Wray would make the score 5-1 to seal the win for the Rush, their 18th win of the season through 21 games. The win would also hand Heemskerk his first loss in regulation this season (he is now 5-1-3 in 10 games played for Quad City).

NUMBER CRUNCH: The Weekend That Was

48 – the number of shots the Rush took on Friday night. That is the most the Rush have piled on net in a game this season to date, eclipsing their previous high of 47. Ty Rimmer would stop every 3” piece of rubber thrown his way, handing the Rush their first shutout loss of the year. For what it’s worth, the Rush all-time high in shots in a regulation game is 51.

0 – the power play percentage of both teams on the weekend, and the season series for that matter. The Rush went 0/6 on the weekend, while the Mallards went 0/3. Both teams are 0/8 on the season series, marking it the only series this season in which the Rush have failed to score a power play goal and have yet to allow one.

3 – the number of times the Rush have avoided consecutive losses this season.

5 – the number of multi-point scorers for the Rush on Saturday. Scott Wray, Konrad Reeder, and Sean Erickson had a goal and an assist each, while Jesse Schultz and Matt Larke each had two assists.

+10 – the goal differential in favor of the Rush the game after they lose. The Rush have lost just 3 times in 21 games played this year, and after each loss have come back with a vengeance. They have outscored their opponents 13-3, giving up 1 goal each time and scoring a minimum of 4 (4-1 @ WIC, 4-1 vs DEN, 5-1 vs QDC).

RUSH TO THE TOP

League Leaders for the Rush

Tim Boron (Goaltending)- 2nd in GP (18), Mins Played (1085:56), and Saves (537), 1st in Wins (15), GAA (1.99), and Save Percentage (.937).

Konrad Reeder –7th in league scoring (32 pts), T-2nd in goals (16), T-2nd in +/- (+17)

Jesse Schultz –T-4th in league scoring (33 pts), 3rd in assists (25), 4th in +/- (+16), and holds league-high for point streak at 15 games (7-19-26)

Tristin Llewellyn – 2nd in league +/- (+17), and T-2nd among defenseman in points (17)

Ryan Palmer –1st in league in +/- (+18)

Scott Brannon –T-5th in league in +/- (+14)

Eric Giosa –T-7th in league in +/- (+13)

TAKE YOUR TIME TO HEAL, NO RUSH TO COME BACK

Current IR Status

Jared Brown – 30 day IR (face)

Winston Day Chief –14 day IR (lower body)

Gio Flamminio –14 day IR (lower body)

Jordan Behler – 7 day IR (upper body)