GAME NOTES: 1/6 vs Utah

GAME #33 vs Utah

1/6/23 | The Monument Ice Arena | 7:05 p.m.

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LAST TIME OUT: The Rush scored three times in the third period to provide the difference in a 5-2 win over the Utah Grizzlies on Thursday night at The Monument Ice Arena. Rory Kerins scored twice and both Ilya Nikolaev and Matt Marcinew had a goal and an assist. Daniil Chechelev made 29 saves on 31 shots in net.

PICKING IT UP: The Rush have now won three of their past four games. That comes on the heels of a season-long seven-game losing streak. In those three wins, the Rush have scored seven, four and five goals. This season, Rapid City is averaging 5.19 goals per game in wins and 1.63 goals per game in losses.

UTAH STUMBLING: Utah’s loss on Thursday was its sixth in a row and its ninth in the last 11. The Grizzlies, who won the Mountain Division title in 2021-22 and went to the Western Conference Final, currently sit in sixth place in the division. They have been outscored 30-8 during their current losing streak.

THE SEASON SERIES: Rapid City now leads the season series with Utah 2-1-0-0 following Thursday’s win. The Rush and Grizzlies will face each other a total of ten times this season with five games in each building. Matt Marcinew leads the Rush with three goals and three assists and Rory Kerins has four goals and one assist in the three games against Utah thus far. Daniil Chechelev has been in net for all three meetings and is 2-1-0-0 with a 2.69 GAA and .919 save percentage.

THREE-IN-THREE: The Rush and Grizzlies will play three games in three days this week, taking the ice on Thursday, Friday and Saturday. It’s the fourth time this season Rapid City has had a three-in-three and the Rush are 6-4-0-0 in the 10 games so far.

QUIET OFFENSE: Utah is averaging 1.3 goals per game during its current six-game losing streak. It has been shut out twice and have scored more than two goals once in its last six games. The Grizzlies average 2.59 goals per game on the season, 26th in the 28-team ECHL.

ODDS AND ENDS: Both of the goals the Rush allowed on Thursday were on the power play. Rapid City was 2-for-4 on the penalty kill and has allowed a power play goal in eight of its last nine games...Rory Kerins now has 13 goals and 14 assists in 25 games. His 27 points are tied for fifth-most among ECHL rookies...Daniil Chechelev leads ECHL goaltenders in wins (15), minutes played (1,386) and saves (712)...Matt Marcinew is fifth in the ECHL with 37 points.

UP NEXT: The Rush and the Grizzlies finish their three-in-three stretch on Saturday night. Puck drop at The Monument Ice Arena is scheduled for 7:05 p.m.