RUSH TO HONOR BLAINE JARVIS ON FRIDAY NIGHT

(RAPID CITY, SD) – The Rapid City Rush, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, announced that the team will honor the memory of former Rush forward, Blaine Jarvis, during Friday night’s matchup against the Colorado Eagles with a special pregame ceremony.

“This will be a very emotional night for Mr. and Mrs. Jarvis and the Jarvis family, Blaine’s wife Jenny, his son Ryker, and the entire Rush family and community,” explained Rush Head Coach and GM, Joe Ferras. “Blaine was an incredible young man who led by example in every aspect of his life, and was always an individual that his peers, as well as everybody who met him, looked up to and had great respect for.

Ferras continued: “We will be honoring the memory of Blaine with the introduction of the ‘Blaine Jarvis Heart and Soul Award’ that will be given out annually to a player that best exemplifies all of the incredible qualities that Blaine possessed: professionalism, commitment, dedication, work ethic, and leadership. In a short 31 years of life, Blaine left an indelible impact on everyone that was fortunate enough to meet and get to know him. Our thoughts and prayers are with his entire family.”

Jarvis passed away two weeks ago at 31 years old in a horrific snowmobiling accident while in Montana. As a player, he played two seasons of professional hockey, and amassed a total of 122 games between the ECHL’s Idaho Steelheads and the Rapid City Rush. The Gladstone, Manitoba native played 113 of his career contests in the Black Hills, wearing the numbers 9 and 29, and was an offensive threat, totaling 66 total points, 43 of which came in his breakout 2009-10 season (16 G, 27 Ast). As a member of the Rush, “Blaine the Train”, as the Rush faithful nicknamed him, was one of the best penalty-killers in all of Rush history, and scored one-fourth of the team’s shorthanded goals in that 2009-10 season. In the postseason that magical year, the 6’0”, 209-pound forward kept his offensive pace up, adding another 12 points (6 G, 6 Ast) in 17 games, with his shining moment coming in Game 2 of the 2010 Ray Miron President’s Cup Finals as he scored the game-Winning%20Goal in overtime against the Allen Americans to tie the series at 1-1. Later in the series, he would score a pivotal goal in final period of regulation in Game 6, helping set the stage for a comeback win that was completed by Scott Wray’s championship-Winning%20Goal in double-overtime to help the Rush win their first championship in franchise history.

Prior to playing professional hockey, Jarvis played 129 games in 4 seasons with his alma mater, Bemidji State University, playing with former Rush defenseman Riley Weselowski. Jarvis tabulated 33 goals and 32 assists for 65 points in his collegiate career. Jarvis is survived by wife of 4 years, Jenny, and his newborn son, Ryker.

Other Rush News:

Join Rush Nation for only $10 per game! Call the Rush office at 716-7825 for details, and stay informed on all Rush happenings this season through the official Rapid City Rush team website, www.RapidCityRush.com, and the Rapid City Rush mobile app, available on iTunes and Google Play.

######