REGULAR SEASON GAME  FIFTY-ONE- 2/15/2020

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

Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Ice Arena

THIS SEASON

Allen: 52gp, 34-10-6-2, 76pts (1st ECHL)

• Last Game - 2/14 @ Rapid City (4-0 W)

Rush: 50gp, 26-20-4-0, 56pts (4th Mountain)

• Last Game - 2/14 vs Allen (4-0 L)

HEAD TO HEAD - 7 of 9 Games Played

Allen: 6-1-0-0, 12pts

• Power Play: 9.7% (3/31)
• Penalty Kill: 94.2% (32/34)
• Leading Scorer(s): Tyler Sheehy (7gp, 4g-2ast-6pts)

Rush: 1-4-2-0, 4pts

• Power Play: 5.8% (2/34)
• Penalty Kill: 90.3% (28/31)
• Leading Scorer(s): Tyler Coulter (7gp, 2g-2ast-4pts)

NOTES

CALL AND RESPONSE: For the ninth time in team history, regardless of if the Rush have won, lost, or traded, the team saw shutouts in back-to-back games. It’s the fourth time, however, that these back-to-back shutouts, regardless of outcome, have involved the same opponent in back-to-back games. Additionally, it’s the second time in team history that the Rush have either won or lost by shutout and traded the result to the same team in the same series. The last time it happened was against the Dayton Gems on January 20th and 21st in 2012 in Rapid City, with Dayton winning the first game 3-0, only to be answered by a 6-0 Rush win the next night. For what it’s worth, both teams played a third straight game in Dayton the next week, a rubber match of sorts, and Dayton won 3-2 in a shootout.

DEFIEL-ING THE HEAT: Since coming to the Rush in mid-January, Rush net-minder Gordon Defiel has been a steady hand in the crease for his new team. Defiel has played in five of the last six games for the Rush entering tonight’s series finale against Allen in both starting and relief capacities. Since giving up 3 goals on 21 shots in his Rush debut on January 17th at Indy, Defiel has only allowed 6 goals in his last 127 shots faced, for a save percentage of .953. With the Rush in 6 games, Defiel has a 2-1-0-0 record with a 1.81 GAA and .942 SV%.

I AM RUBBER: Tonight’s series finale marks the fifth rubber match scenario the Rush have encountered in three-game series’ this season.  In the last four rubber matches the Rush have played, the team is 3-1-0-0, with their only loss coming to the Cincinnati Cyclones in early January.

THE BIG PICTURE: Coming into tonight’s series finale against Allen, the Rush are currently in the last playoff spot, and have 22 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 22 remaining games this year, 13 are against current playoff teams (2 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 Utah rematches Kansas City on the road, Tulsa rematches Wichita at home, and Idaho visits Toledo for a non-divisional showdown.