GAME NOTES: February 26, 2025 vs. Idaho Steelheads

(RAPID CITY, S.D.)—The Rapid City Rush, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames, looks to slay a dragon and continue its winning streak as it takes on the Idaho Steelheads. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. MST on Wednesday at The Monument Ice Arena.

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LAST TIME OUT
Blake Bennett recorded a hat-trick, Connor Murphy made 33 saves, and the Rapid City Rush defeated the Utah Grizzlies 5-2 at the Maverik Center on Sunday for its ninth consecutive win. Bennett opened the scoring 5:49 into the game on a tremendous individual-effort goal. Jack Jeffers scored a power play goal in the second, but Utah evened things up at 2-2 going into the final period. Rapid City went on to tally three unanswered—the game-winning goal from Braeden Tuck and two insurance strikes from Bennett—to secure the series sweep.

HISTORY MADE
Rapid City has won nine consecutive games dating back to February 5^th, the longest winning streak in the franchise’s ECHL history. It is the longest streak since the team won ten in a row to start the 2013-14 season, the final year of the Central Hockey League era.

BENNY AND THE NETS
Blake Bennett picked up Inglasco ECHL Player of the Week honors after a monster performance in Utah. The second-year forward scored four goals and six points over the three games, capped off by his second career hat-trick on Sunday. He is the third Rush player to earn league honors, joining Brett Davis (player of the week) and Matt Radomsky (goalie of the week).

COLLISION COURSE
The Rush and Steelheads meeting up in Rapid City means the end of one lengthy winning streak. Rapid City has won nine straight games overall, a streak that began against Idaho exactly three weeks ago. Meanwhile, Idaho has won 12 in a row at The Monument Ice Arena. The Rush’s last home win against the Steelheads was a 2-1 win on April 12, 2023.

NOBODY BETTER THAN BENNETT
Since Blake Bennett made his season debut on January 17^th, he leads the league in goals (12) and points per game (1.44).

NICE TUCK, TUCK
Braeden Tuck scored twice on the three-game trip to Utah. Both were go-ahead goals, and Sunday’s third-period one-timer stood as the game-winning goal for the Rush. It was the rookie forward’s first career GWG.

QUALITY OVER QUANTITY
The Rush has had few problems shooting the puck this season, but a quirky statistic about the nine-game winning streak is that Rapid City has been outshot in all nine games. In fact, 16 of the Rush’s 21 wins have come in games where the team was outshot. The team is shooting 15.8% over its last nine games, a mark that would be the best in the National Hockey League if it were over a full season.

‘NEW’ TOP LINE, NO PROBLEM
The Rush returned to a familiar top line of Blake Bennett, Ryan Wagner, and Deni Goure with Trevor Janicke being called up to Calgary. The trio did not miss a beat as they combined for seven goals and 14 points in the three-game sweep of Utah.

The Rapid City Rush takes on the Idaho Steelheads on February 26^th, 28^th, and March 1^st at The Monument Ice Arena. Saturday, March 1^st is Military Appreciation Night, presented by AARP. Secure your seats today and be a part of the action. Check out the 2024-25 promotional schedule for a list of all themed nights. Call the Rush front office at 605-716-7825 or visit www.rapidcityrush.com for more information.