DANNY BATTOCHIO RETURNS FOR LAST TWO GAMES

(RAPID CITY, SD) – The Rapid City Rush, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, announced today that legendary Rush goaltender, Danny Battochio, has signed a Standard Players Contract for the final two games of the season against the archrival Colorado Eagles.

“With Luke Siemens returning to the University of Alberta to finish his classes, and with two games remaining in our season, we felt we could bring the ‘Batman’ back for one last hurrah!” said Rush Head Coach, Mark DeSantis. “Danny has been a voluntary goaltending consultant for us this season, has practiced with us a few times, and has been used in an emergency backup situation for us. He is still in great shape to play, and we are happy to have Danny finish the season with the Rush.”

Battochio, 31, comes back to the Rush for the final two games of the season after spending this past season in retirement from professional hockey. The 5’10”, 180-pound net-minder served as the Goaltending Consultant of the Rush, instructing Rush goaltenders throughout the season, as well as serving as an extra set of eyes for the coaching staff. Additionally, he provided color commentary for select home games with Mark Binetti on “The Official Station of Rush Nation”, 100.3 the FOX, for Rush broadcasts.

“It’s great to be back playing with this team. It was a bit of a surprise that I got this chance to lace up again, but I’m happy to be back and ready to go this weekend,” Battochio said of his return. “Getting back to the routine of it all is going to be great. I’ve practiced quite a lot with this team throughout the season, so I’ve kept up with them, and I’m in shape and mentally prepared. It should be a fun weekend with the archrivals coming in to town, so I hope we can close out the season with a few more wins and get ready for next year.”

Battochio put together a stellar career in the Black Hills in six of his seven professional seasons, and is the owner of 27 Rush goaltending franchise records in both the regular season and postseason. With the Rush, “the Batman” played in 252 games, and registered a 131-81-21 record, with a 2.61 GAA, 0.912 SV%, and 12 shutouts, which is good for barely less than half of the franchise’s shutout total. He made himself known as an impact player very early in his career, not only capturing the 2010 CHL Rookie of the Year award, but also by powering the Rush on a magical postseason run which culminated in the 2010 Ray Miron Presidents’ Cup Championship against the Allen Americans. Prior to playing professionally, the Lively, Ontario native played three seasons of college hockey in the CIS with his alma mater, St. Francis Xavier University, and also played three seasons of junior hockey with OHL’s Ottawa 67’s.

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