GAME NOTES: 12/12/20 vs UTAH - RAPID CITY THRILLERS NIGHT

REGULAR SEASON GAME TWO- 12/12/2020

Rapid City Rush vs Utah Grizzlies - 7:05 p.m. MDT

Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Ice Arena

THIS SEASON

Utah: 1gp, 0-1-0-0, 0pts (T-Last ECHL)

• Last Game - 12/11 @ Rapid City (6-4 L)

Rush: 1gp, 1-0-0-0, 2pts (T-1st ECHL)

• Last Game - 12/11 vs Utah (6-4 W)

HEAD TO HEAD - 1 of 5 Games Played

Utah: 0-1-0-0, 0pts

• Power Play: 40% (2/5)
• Penalty Kill: 80% (4/5)
• Leading Scorer(s): Four Players (2pts Each)

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

• Power Play: 20% (1/5)
• Penalty Kill: 60% (3/5)
• Leading Scorer(s): Baptista/Auk (3pts Each)

NOTES

SOLID START: For a second year in a row, coincidentally against Utah, the Rush captured a win in their home-opener. All-time in 13 editions of the first home game of the season, the Rush are now 9-4-0-0, and have won back-to-back home-openers after falling in three straight from 2016-2018. Mason Baptista and Mark Auk led the way with 3 points each in the affair, keeping Kelly Klima’s 4-goal/4-point effort intact as the home-opener points record.

MULTIPLICITY: Last night saw the Rush set a home-opening franchise record with 5 different goal-scorers in the contest. Mason Baptista led the way with a pair of goals, and was joined in the goal column by Cedric Montminy, Avery Peterson, Brennan Saulnier (GWG), and Shawn Boutin. Previously, the record was four different goal scorers, which happened against the Colorado Eagles in 2010 (7-4 L), against Brampton in 2013 (4-1 W), and most recently in 2014 against Colorado (5-1 W). Additionally, the Rush have seen 3 skaters register a goal in a home opener on five previous occasions.

SHORT STAFFED: In last night’s wild second period, the Rush scored back-to-back shorthanded goals 2:07 apart. Cedric Montminy got things started for the Rush to cut Utah’s lead to 3-2, and was followed up by Avery Peterson’s laser that squared the game at 3-3. Even crazier, Charlie Gerard scored his first pro goal for the Grizzlies while they were shorthanded, ending a rally of three consecutive “shorties” between the rivals. To put this in perspective, the Rush scored 8 shorthanded goals in all of 2019-20 and allowed 7. The team reached 25% of last year’s total scored, and overall 20% of the combined total from 2019-20.

COMEBACK KIDS: In the last three seasons, the Rush have had a flair for comebacks, specifically against the Grizzlies. Spanning 2018-present specifically, the Rush have won four times against the Grizzlies when trailing after two periods of play.

AND ANOTHA ONE: Quoting DJ Khaled, Coach Tetrault added another win to the column against the Grizzlies, and continued to assert his stranglehold in the rivalry. Despite being referred to as a “perennial bottom feeder” from a Utah sportswriter that “provides an easy 2-points for the Grizzlies after just lacing up their skates”, Tetrault’s career record against the Grizzlies improved to 24-11-1-1 in 37 games since being named the Head Coach in the 2017-18 season. All-time in Rapid City, the Rush hold a record of 20-8-0-2 against Utah since becoming division rivals in 2015.