GAME NOTES: 12/8 vs Wichita

GAME #20 vs Wichita 

12/8/22 | The Monument Ice Arena | 7:05 p.m.

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LAST TIME OUT: Logan Nelson scored twice, Ilya Nikolaev had a goal and Adam Carlson made 25 saves as the Rush beat the Allen Americans 3-2 on Sunday afternoon at the Credit Union of Texas Event Center. Rapid City swept the three-game weekend in Allen and won its fourth consecutive game.

RED HOT RAPID CITY: The Rush have now won four consecutive games, seven of their past eight, eight of the last 10 and nine of the past 12. The four-game winning streak is the longest of the season, and it matches the longest winning streak the Rush had in 2021-22. Last year’s Rapid City team won four straight on two separate occasions.

HE’S GOING STREAKING: Logan Nelson scored twice in the 3-2 win over the Americans on Sunday, extending his point streak to five games and his goal-scoring streak to four games. In his last four games, Nelson has five goals. Over 16 games thus far this season, he has seven goals and seven assists. His 14 points are tied for the fifth-most on the team and his seven goals are the third-most.

CLASHING WITH THE THUNDER: The Rush and Thunder will play the first of 13 scheduled games against one another on Thursday. Six of the games will occur in Rapid City and seven will take place in Wichita. During the 2021-22 season, the Rush went 5-2-1-1 in their nine games against Wichita and 1-1-1-0 at home. Wichita enters the weekend having won three straight games and sitting in second place in the Mountain Division, two points clear of the third place Rush.

SWITCHING SIDES: Wichita’s roster features two players who skated for the Rush in 2021-22, Jake Wahlin and Kyle Rhodes. Wahlin had 15 goals and 20 assists in 59 games with the Rush last season before being traded to Wichita in March. Rhodes was acquired by Rapid City at the end of March and had six assists in seven games in the regular season. He then added a goal over 11 postseason games. Rhodes was traded to Wichita in the offseason, completing the future considerations promised in a three-team deal that brought in Avery Peterson.

ODDS AND ENDS: Wichita has played 12 of its 19 games at home this season. The Thunder are 8-3-1-0 at home and 3-3-1-0 on the road...in its last eight games, during which it has won seven times, Rapid City is outscoring its opponents 45-24...the Rush are averaging 3.84 goals per game, the fourth-most in the ECHL...Rapid City’s weekend sweep over Allen was the first time this season it has won every scheduled game in a week...since being acquired from the Norfolk Admirals, Carter Robertson has played in five games, recorded two goals and an assist and is +10.

UP NEXT: The Rush and Thunder meet again on Friday night, for the second of three games this weekend. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. at The Monument Ice Arena.