(RAPID CITY, SD) – The Rapid City Rush announced today the 2nd Annual Rapid City Rush Scrummage, all taking place at Premier Home Mortgage Ice in Rushmore Plaza Civic Center. Training Camp 2018 will run from October 1st to October 10th.  Players will participate in physical fitness testing on Day One on October first, but will skate in a late morning to early afternoon practice for the rest of the week.  The schedule of camp will be announced before next week.  Due to physical fitness and orientation on the first two days of camp, only the Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday practice sessions will be open to the public. “It’s hard to believe Rush Nation, but the long wait for hockey is almost over!” Rush Head Coach Daniel Tetrault exclaimed regarding the arrival of the next season of Rush Hockey.  “We’re very excited to get Training Camp 2018 underway, and get all of our players in town and acclimated to Rapid City.  Coach Ferrara and I have been working diligently to put together the best team possible on the ice, and now we get to see our hard work pay off when camp begins.  Without an affiliation this season, I guarantee that this camp will be one of the most competitive camps in team history.  No job is guaranteed, so it’s up to the players to come ready to earn their opportunity to wear our uniform this season." The main spectacle of Training Camp 2018 will be the 2nd Annual “Tetrault vs Ferrara” Scrimmage, and will take place on Saturday, October 6th, at 6:00 in Premier Home Mortgage Ice in Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.  As was the case last season, the scrimmage is FREE to the public.  Concessions will be available during the game. “Without preseason games on the schedule this season, this will be the main event to evaluate our team ahead of opening weekend against Utah on October 12th and 13th,” Tetrault added regarding the scrimmage.  “With that being said, we need a packed barn that night to show our players how intense it is to play in this building.  The game will be FREE to all of you die-hard and loyal fans, so I hope you’ll all come and support this team.  We believe that you’re the most intense fan base in the Mountain Division and in the entire ECHL, and we know you all feel the same way, so now is your chance to prove it to our new players and show this team how you come to our games and provide a ‘seventh man’ on the ice.” Last season, Head Coach Daniel Tetrault and Assistant Coach Nello Ferrara drafted players from the training camp roster to their respective teams to go head-to-head in a scrimmage, and they’ll do so again via Facebook Live on Friday, October 5th.  Just like last year, in order for Coach Tetrault and Coach Ferrara to accurately evaluate their team, they’ll have Rush staff stand-in to “coach” for them: Mark Binetti, “Voice of the Rush”, and Gavin Bechtol, new Head Equipment Manager will coach Team Tetrault, while Head Athletic Trainer Cody Lindhorst and Equipment Assistant Rick Kinstler will coach Team Ferrara.  Team Ferrara beat Team Tetrault by a 7-5 score last season. “While this is a very serious event for our players to compete for a roster spot, I’m very excited that Mark, Gavin, Cody, and Rick get to have some fun and man both benches for the scrimmage for a second season,” Tetrault concluded.  “All four of these men sacrifice so much for our team throughout the season and the offseason, so this is a great way to thank them and have a great time as well.  Cody and Rick are the ‘team to beat’, so it’ll be fun to see if Mark and Gavin can get some revenge for Team Tetrault this year.  They might have to wager dinner or something fun to amp up the stakes a bit.” Saturday night’s scrimmage will feature three full 20-minute periods of five-on-five hockey, with intermissions, 30-second timeouts, and normal stoppages and gameplay rules.  Following the regulation periods, a five-minute overtime period of three-on-three hockey will be played, regardless of the score.  Following the overtime, every player on each bench will participate in a shootout, with each goal counting towards each team’s score. A final schedule for Training Camp 2018 will be revealed soon, with times of practice and other events throughout camp.  For more information on Training Camp 2018, as well as Season Tickets for our 11th season of hockey in the Black Hills, call 716-7825. ######