GAME NOTES: 3/18 vs Kansas City

GAME #58 vs Kansas City

3/18/22 | The Monument Ice Arena | 7:05 P.M.

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LAST TIME OUT: The Rush jumped out to a 3-0 lead after two periods and withstood a late surge as they hung on to beat the Utah Grizzlies, 3-2, Sunday, March 6 at The Monument Ice Arena. David Tendeck made 39 saves to earn the win in net and each Logan Nelson, Calder Brooks and Gabe Chabot scored.

RESTED AND RECHARGED: Rapid City takes the ice on Friday night having not had a game for 12 days. Prior to that break, the Rush had played three games in three consecutive days in eight of their previous nine weeks. Rapid City has 15 games remaining in the regular season, nine of which will take place on home ice.

NEW FACES: Since the Rush last played, the team has acquired defenseman Elijah Vilio from the Atlanta Gladiators and signed defenseman Tyson Helgesen to a contract. Vilio arrives completing a November trade that sent the ECHL rights to forward Kameron Kielly to Atlanta. Vilio had played 50 games for Atlanta, where he had nine goals and 14 assists along with a +13 plus/minus rating. Helgesen, the younger brother of Rush captain Kenton Helgesen, signed with Rapid City following the conclusion of his collegiate career at Mount Royal University in Canada, where he had two goals and eight assists in 20 games this season. Helgesen played four seasons of junior in the WHL with the Spokane Chiefs, where Rush head coach Scott Burt was the assistant coach at the time.

THE MATCHUP: The three games this weekend between the Rush and the Mavericks will finish up the season series between the two teams. Rapid City is 4-3-0-0 against Kansas City thus far this season, including a 2-1-0-0 mark at home. Logan Nelson leads the Rush with three goals and seven assists in six games against Kansas City.

RAPID CITY SUITS HIM: Ryan Zuhlsdorf has been red-hot since joining the Rush in a trade from the Indy Fuel. He has a goal and eight assists in nine games and is +9. Zuhlsdorf is on a six-game point streak, during which he has a goal and seven assists. For Indy this season, he had a goal, three assists and was –1 in 29 games played.

ODDS AND ENDS: The Rush have points in four straight games, in nine of their last ten and in 11 of their past 13. The four-game point streak is one shy of their longest point streak of the season...Rapid City’s leading goal-scorer Stephen Baylis was called up to the AHL Tucson Roadrunners on Sunday. Baylis recorded a fighting major in Tucson’s 4-0 loss to San Jose on Wednesday...Logan Nelson is one point away from reaching 50 for the first time in his professional career.

UP NEXT: The Rush and Mavericks meet again on Saturday night. It’s Military Appreciation Night, presented by Ebelution Heating and Cooling, and the Rush will wear specialty jerseys inspired by the 1942 Doolittle Raid. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at The Monument Ice Arena.