GAME NOTES: 1/28 at Utah

GAME #42 at Utah

1/28/23 | Maverik Center | 7:10 p.m.

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LAST TIME OUT: Calder Brooks scored twice and Rory Kerins had two assists but the Rush were beaten by the Utah Grizzlies 6-4 on Friday night at Maverik Center. Utah’s Brandon Cutler factored in on every Grizzlies goal and finished with four goals and two assists.

BEAR HUNTING: Saturday’s game is the third of three between the Rush and the Grizzlies in Utah this week. Rapid City is 3-4-0-0 against Utah this season including a 1-3-0-0 mark at Maverik Center. Calder Brooks, Rory Kerins, Matt Marcinew and Alex Aleardi are tied for the team lead with seven points in the seven games against the Grizzlies and Max Coatta leads Rapid City with five goals against Utah.

BROOKS SCORES: Calder Brooks had two goals on Friday night and now has 17 on the season. He is tied with Matt Marcinew for the team lead. His 17 goals and 12 assists have come in 35 games played. During the 2021-22 season, Brooks had 19 goals and 18 assists over 43 games.

PENALTIES LIVE: Rapid City went 4-for-7 on the penalty kill in the 6-4 loss on Friday night. It was the eighth time this season the Rush have allowed two or more power play goals and the second time they have let in at least three. For the season, the Rush have killed off 75.3% of opposing power plays, 24th in the ECHL.

ENTER NIKOLAEV: Ilya Nikolaev was reassigned by the Calgary Flames from the Calgary Wranglers to the Rush on Friday morning. Nikolaev had been in the AHL with the Wranglers since January 7 and appeared in five games while with the team. He was in the lineup on Friday night and recorded an assist in the 6-4 Rapid City loss. Nikolaev now has 10 goals and 15 assists in 30 games with the Rush this season.

KEY ON CUTLER: Utah’s Brandon Cutler finished with six points on Friday night as he scored four goals and had two assists. In two games against the Rush, Cutler now has five goals and two assists. He became the first player in the ECHL to score four goals in a game this season.

ODDS AND ENDS: The Rush scored two power play goals on Friday night, the sixth time they have had multiple power play goals in a game this season. Rapid City had been 2-for-31 on the power play in its previous 10 games...the Rush fell to 8-13-1-0 on the road with Friday’s loss. Rapid City is in the midst of five consecutive road games….Lucas Feuk scored his second goal of the season on Friday, a power play strike in the third period.

UP NEXT: The Rush will head to Wichita for a pair of games next weekend against the Thunder. It starts on Saturday and puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. CT at INTRUST Bank Arena.