GAME NOTES: 4/7 at Greenville

GAME #67 at Greenville

4/7/22 | Bon Secours Wellness Arena | 7:05 P.M. EDT

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LAST TIME OUT: The Rapid City Rush allowed a pair of goals in the third period to surrender the lead but then struck twice to take it back and eventually beat the Utah Grizzlies, 4-3, Saturday night at Maverik Center. Max Coatta and Gabe Chabot both had a goal and an assist and Brad Arvanitis made 33 saves in net in the win.

THE MAGIC NUMBER: Rapid City’s magic number to clinch a playoff berth is four. Any combination of four points gained by the Rush or possible points lost by the Idaho Steelheads would put the Rush in the Kelly Cup Playoffs. Rapid City has not appeared in the postseason in seven years; it last did so in the 2014-15 season, the first season the Rush competed in the ECHL.

BACK FROM THE AHL: Rapid City regained the services of center Calder Brooks and goaltender Dillon Kelley from the AHL on Saturday when the pair returned from stints with the Henderson Silver Knights. Brooks played in Saturday’s game and scored the game-winning-goal in the third period. Kelley was dressed as the backup goaltender. Goaltender Lukas Parik also returned to the Rush on Wednesday, via assignment from the Ontario Reign. Parik is 13-7-3-4 with the Rush this season with a 2.57 goals against average and .920 save percentage.

DOWN SOUTH: Thursday’s game against Greenville is the first of three scheduled between the two teams this week and the seventh game the Rush have played against a team in the South Division. In six games against the Norfolk Admirals and Atlanta Gladiators, the Rush are 3-0-1-2. Nine of Rapid City’s 12 out of division games have come against teams in the South Division.

BACK TO SCHOOL: Rapid City placed goaltender Brad Arvanitis on team suspension on Thursday morning, retaining his rights for the remainder of the season while he returns to Babson College to complete his graduate degree. Arvanitis first joined the Rush directly from Babson on March 26. He appeared in five games for the Rush and went 3-1-1-0 with a 2.80 goals against average and .922 save percentage.

PENALTY ASSASSINS: The Rush went 4-for-5 on the penalty kill on Saturday and have now killed off 33 of the last 35 penalties they have committed. That includes a stretch of 23 in a row, that was snapped when Utah scored a power play goal in the third period on Saturday. Rapid City leads the ECHL in penalty kill percentage at 85.9%.

ODDS AND ENDS: The Rush and Swamp Rabbits are both owned and operated by Spire Hockey...Rapid City went 2-1-0-0 in three games at home against Greenville in the 2020-21 season...there are only two games in the ECHL on Thursday, Rapid City at Greenville and Norfolk at Orlando.

UP NEXT: Rapid City and Greenville will meet again on Friday night for the second of three games against one another this week. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. EDT at Bon Secours Wellness Arena.