GAME NOTES: 2/14 vs ALLEN

REGULAR SEASON GAME  FIFTY- 2/14/2020

Rapid City Rush vs Allen Americans - 7:05 p.m. MDT

Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Ice Arena

THIS SEASON

Allen: 51gp, 33-10-6-2, 74pts (1st ECHL)

• Last Game - 2/12 @ Rapid City (1-0 L)

Rush: 49gp, 26-19-4-0, 56pts (4th Mountain)

• Last Game - 2/12 vs Allen (1-0 W)

HEAD TO HEAD - 6 of 9 Games Played

Allen: 5-1-0-0, 10pts

• Power Play: 11.1% (3/27)
• Penalty Kill: 93.3% (28/30)
• Leading Scorer(s): Tyler Sheehy/Corey Durocher (5pts Each)

Rush: 1-3-2-0, 4pts

• Power Play: 6.7%% (2/30)
• Penalty Kill: 88.9% (24/27)
• Leading Scorer(s): Tyler Coulter (6gp, 2g-2ast-4pts)

NOTES

PUTTIN ON THE SPLITS: For the second time in team history, two goalies split a shutout win. Gordon Defiel started the game and stopped all 8 shots he saw in the first 20 minutes, but could not continue at the start of the second period. Merrick Madsen was tasked with continuing the last 40 minutes of play, and stopped all 21 shots he saw in relief, securing the win and the Rush’s fourth shutout win of the season. The last time two goaltenders combined for a shutout was on December 19, 2014 when Etienne Marcoux (W, 25 sv in 28:11 of start) and Danny Battochio (16 sv in 31:49 of relief) teamed up in a 4-0 win against the Tulsa Oilers.

BLANK SPACE: As mentioned above, the Rush earned their fourth shutout win of the season in the split between Defiel and Madsen. The other three shutouts this year came from Tyler Parks (twice, most recently December 28th vs Wichita) and Ivan Prosevtov (November 9th vs Idaho). All of last season, the Rush had 4 shutouts, all belonging to Adam Carlson.

99 PROBLEMS AND A GOAL AINT ONE: For just the seventh time in Rapid City Rush history, winning or losing, the Rush played in a game that ended with a 1-0 score. Gordon Defiel and Merrick Madsen split the shutout and became the third and fourth goaltenders to play in such a game, joining Adam Carlson and Danny Battochio in the feat. In such games, the Rush are now 4-3-0-0, and have won three straight 1-0 finishes.

HOME SWEET HOME: We’re on fire with the music puns, aren’t we? After Wednesday’s win against Allen, the Rush now have 16 wins and 32 points on home ice this season. Last year, the Rush finished 15-18-1-2 on home ice with 33 points. Additionally, the Rush only managed 15 wins or less in each of the last three seasons at home (15 last season, 15 in 2017-18, and 11 in 2016-17). The last time the Rush won more than 15 games at home was in 2015-16, when they finished 17-16-1-2. The franchise record for most home wins in a season is 25 back in the 2009-10 CHL Championship season.

THE BIG PICTURE: Coming into this morning’s game, the Rush are currently in the last playoff spot, and have 24 games remaining in the season, all against Mountain Division opponents. The Rush still have a minimum of 1 game in hand on their division rivals. Of the 23 remaining games this year, 14 are against current playoff teams (3 against Allen, 5 against Idaho, and 6 against Utah), while the remaining 9 games are against chasers of the Rush (4 against Tulsa, 5 against Kansas City). Tonight, the Rush rematch the Americans, while Tulsa visits Wichita and Utah visits Kansas City. Idaho is idle tonight, making this a game-in-hand against the Steelheads, currently five points ahead of the Rush in 3rd place.

WE’RE GOING STREAKING!: Only one player carries a streak into tonight's matchup against Wichita:

• Brennan Saulnier - has assists and points in four straight games (4gp, 5g-4ast-9pts)