(RAPID CITY, S.D.)—The Rapid City Rush, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames, face the Tahoe Knight Monsters in the first of three games this week and fourteen this season. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. MST on Wednesday at The Monument Ice Arena.

WATCH | LISTEN

LAST TIME OUT
The Allen Americans scored four third-period goals to defeat the Rapid City Rush 6-3 on Saturday. Chase Pauls and Carter Wilkie scored as the Rush built a 2-0 lead just eight minutes into the game. Allen mounted a comeback with two goals in 2:22 to break even, 2-2. The score held until the final minute of the second period when Ryan Wagner sniped a wrist shot from the right circle. The 3-2 lead slipped away in the third. Allen tied the game on a transition goal. Then, Harrison Blaisdell scored shorthanded, giving the Americans a 4-3 lead with eight minutes to play. Blaisdell went on to score two empty-netters, finishing off the game at 6-3. Connor Murphy made 34 saves on 38 shots for the Rush.

TOP LINE DAWGS
The Rush’s top forward line of Ryan Wagner, Blake Bennett, and Carter Wilkie makes up their top three scorers, all of whom have at least six points in their first seven games. Bennett and Wilkie are tied for the goals lead at four each. That line has scored a goal in every game except the 1-0 shutout loss on October 24^th.

HOMECOOKING
November features the most home-heavy schedule of any month for the Rush. Eight of the next 11 games are at home, with Tahoe, Kansas City, and Idaho coming into The Monument Ice Arena.

TRAFFIC JAM IN THE MOUNTAIN
This series is a matchup of worst and first, but that’s extremely misleading: the Rush (6 points) and Knight Monsters (10 points) are separated by only four points through three weeks of the season. While we still have ways to go, the Mountain Division is by far the closest division in the ECHL.

FIRST MULTI-GOAL DEFEAT
Saturday’s game marked the first multi-goal loss for the Rush this season—albeit a one-goal game until Allen hit two empty nets. Five of their first seven games have been one-goal decisions. In fact, the Rush didn’t even trail by multiple goals until their sixth game of the year.

THE FIRST OF… 14?
The Knight Monsters and Rush will face each other 14 times this season, the most common matchup on Rapid City’s schedule. Just under 20% of the Rush’s scheduled games will come against the Knight Monsters.

FACING SOME POWER
While Tahoe did not return a large core of players, their offense has stayed high-powered: three of the top four scorers in the ECHL are Knight Monsters. Sloan Stanick—of Rapid City, Manitoba—is back and tied for the league lead with 13 points in 8 games.

The Rapid City Rush return home to face the Tahoe Knight Monsters on November 5^th, 7^th, and 8^th! Saturday, November 8^th is Veterans Appreciation Night presented by FourFront Design and Bluepeak Internet. Call the Rush office at 605-716-7825 or visit www.rapidcityrush.com to learn more and secure your seats today.