GAME NOTES: 1/27 at Utah

GAME #41 at Utah

1/27/23 | Maverik Center | 7:10 p.m.

Watch | Listen

LAST TIME OUT: Alex Aleardi scored a shorthanded goal in the first period to give the Rush an early lead but that was all Rapid City would manage as it was beaten by the Utah Grizzlies 3-1 on Wednesday night at Maverik Center. Adam Carlson made 29 saves on 31 shots in the loss.

BEAR HUNTING: Friday’s game is the second of three between the Rush and the Grizzlies in Utah this week. Rapid City is 3-3-0-0 against Utah this season including a 1-2-0-0 mark at Maverik Center. Matt Marcinew leads the Rush with six points against Utah and Max Coatta has five goals.

IMPROVEMENT IN NET: Despite taking the loss in net, Adam Carlson continued his strong play on Wednesday night by making 29 saves on 31 shots faced. In his last four starts, Carlson is 3-1-0-0 with a 2.21 goals against average and a .929 save percentage. He has raised his save percentage by 23 points and lowered his GAA by 68 points in those four games.

MINER ROLLING: Utah goaltender Trent Miner was named ECHL Goaltender of the Week on Tuesday. In three appearances, Miner went 3-0-0-0 with a 0.67 goals against average and a .984 save percentage. He was Utah’s starting goaltender in Rapid City’s 3-1 loss on Wednesday night and made 31 saves on 32 shots to earn the win. In Miner’s last four starts, he is 4-0-0-0 with a 0.75 GAA and a .981 save percentage.

POWER OUTAGE: The Rush went 0-for-5 on the power play in Wednesday’s loss and have just two power play goals in their last 10 games. During that stretch Rapid City has gone 2-for-31 on the power play, a 6.5% success rate. For the season, Rapid City scores on 16.6% of its power plays, the 24th-best in the 28-team ECHL.

ODDS AND ENDS: The Rush have now scored shorthanded goals in back-to-back games. They have a total of three on the season...Utah has won five of its past seven games. The Grizzlies took two out of three in Tulsa against the Oilers last week and two out of three against the Idaho Steelheads prior to that...Daniil Chechelev is 2-2-0-0 with a 3.28 goals against average and a .903 save percentage in four starts against the Grizzlies this season.

UP NEXT: Rapid City and Utah will finish their week of games on Saturday night. Puck drop at Maverik Center is scheduled for 7:10 p.m.