ECHL ANNOUNCES 2017-18 SCHEDULE

(RAPID CITY, SD) – The Rapid City Rush, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Arizona Coyotes, in conjunction with the ECHL, announced the schedule for the 2017-18 ECHL season, which marks the 10th anniversary of Rush hockey in the Black Hills.

Below is just the HOME schedule for the 2017-18 campaign. The full schedule is available on www.echl.com.

All times listed are MST.

PLEASE NOTE THAT ALL DATES AND TIMES ARE SUBJECT TO CHANGE.

OCTOBER (6 GAMES/3 HOME)

1. Friday, October 13th vs Allen Americans-7:05 p.m. (SEASON/HOME OPENER)

2. Saturday, October 14th vs Allen Americans-7:05 p.m.

3. Saturday, October 28th vs Colorado Eagles-7:05 p.m.

NOVEMBER (11 GAMES/10 HOME)

4. Wednesday, November 1st vs Brampton Beast-7:05 p.m.

5. Friday, November 3rd vs Brampton Beast-7:05 p.m.

6. Saturday, November 4th vs Brampton Beast-7:05 p.m.

7. Saturday, November 11th vs Colorado Eagles-7:05 p.m.

8. Wednesday, November 15th vs Idaho Steelheads-7:05 p.m.

9. Friday, November 17th vs Idaho Steelheads-7:05 p.m.

10. Saturday, November 18th vs Idaho Steelheads-7:05 p.m.

11. Wednesday, November 22nd vs Tulsa Oilers-7:05 p.m. (THANKSGIVING WEEK)

12. Friday, November 24th vs Tulsa Oilers-7:05 p.m. (THANKSGIVING WEEK)

13. Saturday, November 25th vs Tulsa Oilers-7:05 p.m. (THANKSGIVING WEEK)

DECEMBER (12 GAMES/6 HOME)

14. Wednesday, December 6th vs Colorado Eagles-7:05 p.m.

15. Wednesday, December 20th vs Idaho Steelheads-7:05 p.m. (CHRISTMAS WEEK)

16. Friday, December 22nd vs Idaho Steelheads-7:05 p.m. (CHRISTMAS WEEK)

17. Saturday, December 23rd vs Idaho Steelheads-7:05 p.m. (CHRISTMAS WEEK)

18. Friday, December 29th vs Colorado Eagles-7:05 p.m.

19. Saturday, December 30th vs Colorado Eagles-7:05 p.m.

JANUARY (13 GAMES/3 HOME)

20. Friday, January 19th vs Utah Grizzlies-7:05 p.m.

21. Saturday, January 20th vs Utah Grizzlies-7:05 p.m.

22. Sunday, January 21st vs Utah Grizzlies-3:05 p.m.

FEBRUARY (11 GAMES/6 HOME)

23. Wednesday, February 7th vs Utah Grizzlies-7:05 p.m.

24. Friday, February 9th vs Utah Grizzlies-7:05 p.m.

25. Saturday, February 10th vs Utah Grizzlies-7:05 p.m.

26. Wednesday, February 21st vs Idaho Steelheads-7:05 p.m.

27. Friday, February 23rd vs Idaho Steelheads-7:05 p.m.

28. Saturday, February 24th vs Idaho Steelheads-7:05 p.m.

MARCH (15 GAMES/8 HOME)

29. Wednesday, March 7th vs Tulsa Oilers-7:05 p.m.

30. Friday, March 9th vs Colorado Eagles-7:05 p.m.

31. Saturday, March 10th vs Colorado Eagles-7:05 p.m.

32. Wednesday, March 14th vs Allen Americans-7:05 p.m.

33. Friday, March 16th vs Wichita Thunder-7:05 p.m.

34. Saturday, March 17th vs Wichita Thunder-7:05 p.m. (ST. PATRICK’S DAY)

35. Friday, March 30th vs Quad City Mallards-7:05 p.m.

36. Saturday, March 31st vs Quad City Mallards-7:05 p.m. (FINAL HOME GAME OF SEASON)

APRIL (3 GAMES/0 HOME)

The Rush open the season against the two-time Kelly Cup Champion Allen Americans on Friday, October 13th, and Saturday October 14th, before heading to Wichita to take on the Thunder away from Premier Home Mortgage Ice in Rushmore on their first road trip of the season. In the final game of October, the Rush will renew their Crystal Cup Rivalry Series with the archrival Colorado Eagles, which marks the third consecutive season in which the heated adversaries will play for the rivalry hardware.

Out of 11 games scheduled in November, 10 are slated to be played at Premier Home Mortgage Ice in Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City, which includes a season-long seven-game home stand from November 11th to November 25th. The season-long streak of home games begins with a lone matchup against Colorado, and follows with a three-game series against the Brampton Beast, who will take on the Rush for the first time since the team joined the ECHL in the 2014-15 season. The home stand ends with a three-game series during the week of Thanksgiving against the Tulsa Oilers, who return to Rapid City for the first time since the 2015-16 ECHL season.

Half of the 12 games scheduled in December are played on the road, with the other half to be played on home ice. The final 5 games of the month are all played at home and will end the calendar year of 2017, including a pair of matchups against the Eagles just shy of New Year’s Eve. This is the first season since the inception of the Rush that the team will not play on New Year’s Eve.

The Rush kick off the 2018 portion of the season with one of two season-high six-game road trips against the Utah Grizzlies and Colorado Eagles from January 5th to January 15th, before coming home to take on the Grizzlies in the first of a trio of “three-in-three” series. Following the trifecta against the Grizzlies, the Rush will embark on another six-game voyage that will take them through the end of the month into the start of February in which the team travels to Allen, Kansas City for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign, Tulsa, Fort Wayne, and, for the first time ever, Kalamazoo to take on the Wings.

Of the 11 games in February, 6 will be played on home ice, three against the Utah Grizzlies and three against the Idaho Steelheads. March sees a season-high 15 scheduled games in the month, with 8 coming in Rapid City, including a pair of games on St. Patrick’s Day weekend against the Wichita Thunder. March concludes with the final home games of the regular season against the Quad City Mallards on Friday, March 30th, and Saturday, March 31st. For the first time since the Rush joined the ECHL in the 2014-15 season, the team will finish their regular season schedule on the road.

The Rush will play 26 of their 36 home games on Fridays and Saturdays. The remaining 10 games will be played on Wednesday and Sunday, with 9 of those 10 games coming at the midway point of the week. The lone Sunday game will be played on January 21st against Utah.

Here is a breakdown of the season regarding upcoming opponents, and days in which the Rush will play this season:

REMINDERS:

• The Rush are holding a contest for fans to create our 10th-year anniversary logo. Send logo submissions to Brandon Schumacher at brandon@rapidcityrush.com by May 22nd.

• The 2017-18 ECHL Schedule is OUT! Head to www.echl.com to see where the Rush play during their 10th anniversary season!

• For more information on Season Ticket Memberships for our 10th anniversary, call 716-7825.

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