GAME NOTES: 11/9 vs IDAHO

REGULAR SEASON GAME THIRTEEN - 11/9/2019

Rapid City Rush vs Idaho Steelheads - 7:05 p.m. MDT

Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Ice Arena

THIS SEASON

Idaho: 12gp, 7-2-2-1, 17pts (1st Mountain/1st ECHL)

• Last Game - 11/8 @ Rapid City (3-2 SOL)

Rush: 12gp, 7-3-2-0, 16pts (T-2nd Mountain/T-2nd ECHL)

• Last Game - 11/9 vs Idaho (3-2 W/SO)

HEAD TO HEAD (2 of 13 Games Played)

Idaho: 0-1-0-1 (1pts)

• Power Play: 11.1% (1/9)
• Penalty Kill: 60% (6/10)
• Leading Scorer(s): Will Merchant (2gp, 1g-1ast-2pts)

Rush: 2-0-0-0 (4pts)

• Power Play: 40% (4/10)
• Penalty Kill: 88.9% (8/9)
• Leading Scorer(s): Peter Quenneville (2gp, 0g-5ast-5pts)

NOTES

COMEBACK KIDS: For a second time in four home games, the Rush have mounted two successful third period comebacks en route to shootout wins. On October 26th against Utah, with a sweep on the line, Tyler Poulsen brought the Rush within one before Cedric Montminy banged home the game-winner with 77 seconds left to force overtime. Last night, Trey Phillips started the comeback with a power play goal with 7:35 remaining, and then it was Giovanni Fiore that rifled a shot off the back bar to tie the game up with 2:02 left. Speaking of the shootout finishes...

LUCKY NUMBER 7: In an eerie coincidence, the Rush have won both of their shootout games in the same style. As the home team, Coach Tetrault has the choice to shoot first or second in the shootout. Both times, he’s elected to shoot first, and both times, the Rush have won the shootout in the top of the seventh round. The Rush are 2-2 when games are played past 60 minutes: 0-2 in overtime, and 2-0 in the shootout. Tyler Parks has been in net for all four post-regulation finishes this season. 

TWICE AS NICE: The Rush have a top-10 power play this early in the season for the first time since their early CHL days, and it looks like there are not signs of it slowing down, especially at home.  Both goals in the third period last night were scored on the power play, which finished regulation and overtime at a 2/7 clip. In the four home games played thus far this season, the Rush have power play goals in three of them, and in all three have hit pay dirt twice in the contests. At home, the Rush power play is 26.1% (6/23), which ranks 8th best in the ECHL.

HOME SWEET HOME: Entering this finale against the Steelheads, the Rush are one of six teams in the entire ECHL that is undefeated at home, either overall or in regulation. To qualify the statistic further, only four of those teams (Florida, Wichita, Wheeling, Rush) have played 4 or more home games. Of those teams, Wichita is 5-0-1-0, while Wheeling is 5-0-0-0, and Florida and the Rush are 4-0-0-0.

A HELPING HAND: Rush forward Peter Quenneville has found himself at the top of the Rush leaderboard in points and assists since the very first day of the season, and shows no signs of slowing down through 12 games this season. In the last two games against Idaho, Quenneville has 5 assists, including a pair of helpers last night in the third period comeback. Of his team-leading 12 assists through 12 games, 11 of them have come in the final two periods of play, including 6 in the last 20 minutes, and 7 have come on the power play.

WE’RE GOING STREAKING!: Only one player carries a statistical streak into the series finale against the Idaho Steelheads:

• Trey Phillips—has a point in three straight games (1g-2ast-3pts)
  • Phillips also has a point in all four home games this season (1g-4ast-5pts