GAME NOTES: 12/16 at Idaho

GAME #24 at Idaho

12/16/22 | Idaho Central Arena | 7:10 p.m.

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LAST TIME OUT: Jon Martin’s goal in the third period got the Rush on the board but Rapid City was beaten by the Idaho Steelheads 4-1 on Wednesday night at Idaho Central Arena. Daniil Chechelev made 25 saves on 28 shots faced in the loss.

ROAD TRIPPIN’: Friday’s game is the second of six in a row that the Rush will play away from home. The Rush have three scheduled games this week in Boise followed by three next week in Wichita against the Thunder. Rapid City is 6-5-0-0 away from home this season but has lost all three of the games it has played in Idaho.

REINFORCEMENTS: On Friday morning, the Calgary Flames reassigned forwards Rory Kerins and Ilya Nikolaev from the AHL Calgary Wranglers to the Rush. Kerins and Nikolaev had each been called up to the Wranglers on December 8 and Kerins appeared in two games for Calgary during that stint. Overall this season, he has a goal and an assist in five games for the Wranglers. It was Nikolaev’s first call to the AHL and he did not appear in any games.

CLASS OF THE LEAGUE: Idaho enters the week coming off a clean, three-game weekend sweep of the Worcester Railers in Massachusetts. Entering that week, the Steelheads had the best record in the Western Conference and the Railers owned the top record in the Eastern Conference. Idaho has won 11 of its last 12 games and its 37 points and 18 wins are the most in the ECHL. The Steelheads lead the league in goals per game, goals against per game and power play percentage.

GRAVELLE IN STRIDE: Brett Gravelle assisted on the Jon Martin goal in the third period on Wednesday and now has points in six consecutive games. Gravelle’s point streak is the second-longest of the season for Rapid City, trailing only Alex Aleardi’s seven-game streak. Since being activated off injured reserve on November 25, he has recorded a point in eight of the nine games he has appeared in. He played 67 games for the Rush in the 2021-22 season and had 27 goals and 27 assists.

ODDS AND ENDS: In their four games in Boise this season, the Rush have combined for four goals...Jon Martin has scored three of his eight goals against Idaho...Wednesday was the first time this season the Rush wore their black jerseys...prior to the last two games, the Rush had not lost consecutive games since dropping four straight from October 29—November 5

UP NEXT: Rapid City and Idaho will clash one more time in Boise on Saturday night. Puck drop at Idaho Central Arena is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.