RUSH TO HONOR INAUGURAL RECIPIENT OF BLAINE JARVIS HEART AND SOUL AWARD ON SATURDAY

(RAPID CITY, SD) – The Rapid City Rush, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, invite you to watch as the organization honors the inaugural recipient of the “Blaine Jarvis Heart and Soul Award” prior to puck drop of the final game of the season on Saturday night as the Rush take on the Utah Grizzlies.

“In our eight years of operation, there are certain players that have what it takes to represent the Rapid City Rush in exemplary fashion,” said Rush General Manager Joe Ferras. “Blaine Jarvis was this type of individual. His commitment to the organization and community, dedication, and professionalism were second-to-none.

“This year’s recipient of the inaugural ‘Blaine Jarvis Heart and Soul Award’ that will be announced in our pregame ceremony of our last home game of the season is someone that, like Blaine, possesses all of these characteristics, and has represented the Rapid City Rush organization, as well as the community of Rapid City, in a first-class manner,” Ferras added.

The award, named in memory of former Rush forward Blaine Jarvis, who passed away earlier this year, will be handed out at the conclusion of every year on the final home game of the regular season. The inscription on the award reads that the honor is “awarded to the Rush player that best exemplifies the qualities of Blaine Jarvis both on and off the ice: professionalism, perseverance, determination, commitment to the game, work ethic, and excellence in both the locker room and community.”

Jarvis passed away in late January at 31 years old in a tragic accident. 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.

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