RUSH ADD PARKS AND ZENZOLA IN NET

(RAPID CITY, SD) – The Rapid City Rush announced today that goaltenders Tyler Parks and Matt Zenzola have been signed to the Rush for the 2018-19 ECHL season. Parks comes to the Rush after skating the vast majority of last season with the SPHL’s Peoria Rivermen, his second with the club.  The 6’6”, 216-pound back-stopper played in 17 games with the Rivermen, boasting a personal-best record of 12-3-2 with 1 shutout, a 2.58 GAA, and .915 SV%.  Parks led the Rivermen to the SPHL’s Presidents Cup Finals with a 5-2 record in 7 games with another shutout, a 2.16 GAA, and .926 SV%, but fell to the Huntsville Havoc in three games.  Additionally, he played in three total ECHL games with the Reading Royals and Florida Everblades.  Prior to turning professional, the Imperial, Missouri native played one season of NCAA-III hockey with Adrian College (11gp, 8-2-1, 1 SO, 1.90 GAA, .925 SV%), two seasons in the NCAA with St. Lawrence University (8gp, 2-2-0, 2.84 GAA, .871 SV%), and two seasons in the NAHL with the Springfield Jr. Blues and Minot Minotauros (63gp, 30-26-4, 3 SO, 2.78 GAA, .916 SV%). “Rapid City presented a great opportunity for me, especially being an unaffiliated team.  Coach is going to give me the chance I’ve been looking for to make an ECHL roster, so I’m pumped to show everyone what I’m made of,” Parks said about signing with the Rush.  “I’m a hard working guy, I battle every night, and I absolutely hate to lose.  My size is a big part of my game as a goalie: despite being so big, I have athleticism and I can move well around the net.  I use my size and reach to my advantage, and I read situations well, adapting constantly over the years.  I expect a competitive camp, so I have to put all my training this summer to work and prove what I can do not just to the coaches, but everyone.  I want to make a team and statement to the league.  I have a lot to prove, and can’t wait to get started.” “I want depth at the goaltending position coming into our training camp next week.  Goaltending has been a weak point of the Rush in the last few seasons, so I want to make sure there is good competition for goaltending before the season starts,” Rush Head Coach Daniel Tetrault said of signing Parks and Zenzola.  “Regarding Tyler first, he’s a big guy that has had great success at the SPHL level, especially last year finishing as the runner-up in the league.  Tyler put together a great campaign, has good skill, and competes hard every night.  He gave Peoria a chance to win every game he was in net, and I hope he brings that same compete level to us this year.” Zenzola comes to the Rush following the conclusion of his fifth season in the SPHL, coming with both the Fayetteville Marksmen and Roanoke Rail Yard Dawgs.  The 6’5”, 220-pound net-minder sported a 2-2-0 record in 5 games with the Marksmen, along with a 4.85 GAA, and .841 SV%.  He then spent the rest of the season with Roanoke, and in 22 games, compiled a record of 9-7-0 with a 3.68 GAA and .886 SV%.  In total, Zenzola has played in 121 SPHL games with Fayetteville, Roanoke, the Pensacola Ice Flyers, and the Louisiana Ice Gators, and registered a 57-33-12 record with a 2.94 GAA and .901 SV%.  In 2016, he helped Pensacola capture the SPHL title, and earned Playoff MVP honors for his stellar effort in net. “I chose Rapid City because it seemed like a great opportunity for me to get to the next level, especially considering that the team isn’t affiliated.  I’ve been called up before to the ECHL and dealt with contracted players bumping me out, so this is a great shot for me to show what I’m made of,” Zenzola remarked on signing with Rapid City.  “As a goalie, I’m very simple: I’m a ‘meat and potatoes’ goaltender.  I have great hands and reaction time with my glove, and like to come out and play the puck as well.  I’m going to give it all I’ve got in camp next week.  I thrive on competition, so I’ll buy into the battle of camp and practice next week and let the cards fall where they do.”  “Onto Matt, he, like Tyler, fills up the entire net with his size, and has shown consistency at the SPHL level,” Coach Tetrault added about Zenzola’s contributions.  “Matt won the entire league two seasons ago and was also named the playoff MVP, so getting a goalie in our camp that understands what it takes to win a championship will add that much more fuel to the fire for our training camp battle at the goaltending position.  I’m very excited to have both Matt and Tyler come to Rapid City for camp next week.” ######