(RAPID CITY, S.D.)—Let’s turn back the clock to January of last year. In the midst of a forgettable first half, the Rush pulled off a couple trades with the expansion Bloomington Bison. Fairly innocuous at the time, the coaching staff was just trying to dig for diamonds in the rough. To find those pieces who could help an underperforming group turn it around.

On January 6, 2025, Rapid City acquired Chase Pauls from the Bison. Just over a month later, on February 10, Mitchell Smith came along in a trade. Little did we know it, but that would mark the start of a close friendship, a steady defensive pairing—and the linking of two sons of first responders on the Rapid City Rush.

Chase Pauls hails from Osler, Saskatchewan. It’s a small town, housing just 1,251 people, or a very light crowd at a Rush game. As far as the ECHL goes, it’s a population of 1—Chase is the only Osler native ever to play in the league.

Pauls is 22 years old. His father, Jason, started working as a firefighter at Osler Fire Department before he was born. He has served as fire chief for 12 of his 27 years with the volunteer fire department, serving the town of Osler while assisting with the surrounding Rural Municipality.

That’s only one piece of his work as a first responder. Jason has spent the last 22 years as a paramedic in the nearby city of Saskatoon, just a half-hour south along Highway 11.

“It is inspiring, and kind of tough at the same time,” Chase recalled. “The job takes so much out of him, and he is working all the time. It takes a lot and you see some really brutal stuff. To be able to push through that and try to be in a good mood every day when you come home is really inspiring.”

“You are always on call,” Jason said. “It is similar to hockey. You have to be on all the time to do your best, and there is lots of teamwork. Just like a hockey team, without a good team, you don’t get the job done. I have a really good bunch of people who work under me. It makes my job super easy. Not only do we go (to the fire hall) and train, but we are all friends. We are friends away from the hall, we know each other’s families—it’s like a big family.”

Chief Pauls grew up playing hockey and passed his love for the game on to Chase. Even with his grueling schedule, Jason found time to take Chase to practice and go for skates on the outdoor rink during the brutally cold winters in the Prairies. He made trips out to Lethbridge, Alberta and Prince George, B.C. to watch Chase play junior hockey.

As I write this, Jason and his wife, Janice, are on his way across the border to be a part of First Responders Night on Saturday. Chief Pauls will get to drop the puck, and the Rush will honor him, along with numerous local first responders, during the game.

“It is going to be awesome,” Jason said. “I’m not really a nervous guy, but I’m a little nervous about going into the locker room and talking with the boys. I’m sure by the time that happens, I’ll be chilled out and I’ll be good.”

“It is exciting,” Chase said. “I don’t think he gets enough credit for what he has done for so many years. It is cool that he is going to be able to come down here and be honored.”

Pauls took a trip around the Black Hills on Tuesday, delivering cupcakes to several Rapid City and volunteer fire stations along with a couple of his teammates.

Mitchell Smith is a native Michigander. Just ask him about the Detroit Lions. He grew up in Saginaw, about 100 miles from Detroit in Central Michigan.

He never strayed far from home to pursue athletics as a youngster. Smith played AAA hockey in the state of Michigan, then elected to stay home and suit up for the Saginaw Spirit in the Ontario Hockey League. In his third and final junior season—all with Saginaw—he became the first native son ever to captain the Spirit.

Smith is the son of a police officer. His dad, Tim, began a 33-year career in law enforcement in 1990. He started out on the force in Huntington Woods, Michigan, a little suburb of Detroit. He met his wife, Wendy, and moved up north to be closer to her family in 1996. Smith started working for the Bay County Sheriff’s Office, serving as a road patrol officer, Drug Abuse Resistance Education (D.A.R.E.) instructor, and Active Shooter instructor.

“I could not imagine doing it, to be honest with you,” Mitchell said. “Especially as a guy who loves sports so much. The sacrifices that my mom had to make, carrying me and my brother around. It was a family of understanding and just love.”

“He worked 12-hour shifts, mainly the six to six,” he continued. “With my travel hockey and baseball and our schedules, I never really saw my dad for weeks on end (growing up). But there was always a feeling of safety in the house. My dad, just having him around no matter where we were, it was always a safety blanket.”

“It was tough, especially in our younger years,” Tim said. “It seemed like I had to work every Christmas or every holiday. So, on Christmas mornings, they would wake up and I would be at work. It was tough in the early years. Later on in my career … I didn’t live in the county I worked in, but I was allowed to bust home for a few minutes to be with them.”

Smith comes from a baseball family. Mitchell and his older brother both played the game all through their childhood. Mitchell was a standout player at Heritage High School in Saginaw. While he chose hockey over baseball, citing a greater opportunity to play professionally, Smith has always had baseball as his second love. Before turning pro, Mitchell spent a year away from the ice to pursue collegiate ball at Jackson Community College in Michigan during the 2023-24 season.

Officer Smith’s schedule opened up as he progressed in his career, affording him more time to see his family through a six-on, two-off shift which included weekends. He made every effort he could to coach Mitchell through AA baseball until the high school level.

“As the kids got older, I was able to coach whenever I could,” Tim said. “That coaching was probably the closest times I could be with the kids. It was awesome to coach them, especially when they were younger. We grew a bond while coaching.”

After two decades of service, Smith stepped away from the Sheriff’s Office. He didn’t have to look too far—Tim stayed involved in law enforcement, spending a couple years doing security at Mitchell’s high school. He then became a School Resource Officer at the Frankenmuth Police Department in 2017.

Tim retired in 2023. Now, he can focus on being a dad more than ever. He and Wendy are on a trip to Florida, escaping the Michigan winter.

“He’s a grandpa now, too,” Mitchell said. “My brother has a kid. My mom and dad travel all over. They definitely enjoy their retired life.”

With the timing of the trades, Pauls was still getting settled in Rapid City when First Responders Night came up last year. It was his second game in a Rush sweater. Smith was still in Bloomington at the time.

Reunited in Rapid City, the duo grew their games together. As a defense pairing, they were nearly inseparable, providing steady play over the last two months of the season, including the team’s record 11-game winning streak. Off the ice, they are truly inseparable.

“It is a special friendship,” Pauls said. “If you had asked me going into last year about Mitchell Smith, I would have said, ‘he’s just a guy I played with.’ Now, we’re best buddies. I’m super happy to have him here and be here with him. We live together, too. We pretty much do everything together—I think a lot of guys can comment on that—and it is super special.”

“We can bond over the fact that both our dads are first responders, for sure!” Smith added.

One thing that both Pauls and Smith shared is respect and admiration for first responders—especially right here in Rapid City—and their fathers, for supporting their careers and aspirations through all the demanding hours worked to serve their communities for a combined six decades.

Of course, the two share a teammate whose career is just getting started. Garrett Klotz completed firefighter training at Rapid Valley Fire Department last year. Amazingly, the first blaze he ever fought as a trainee was on the same day he became Pauls’ teammate: January 6, 2025.

When the Rush battle it out on the ice for First Responders Night on Saturday, it’ll mean just a little bit more for these two best friends.

The Rapid City Rush are back in town for three can’t-miss nights of hockey on January 9^th, 10^th, and 11^th against the Indy Fuel. Catch Nugget’s Birthday, First Responders Night, and Sensory Friendly Night at The Monument Ice Arena. Call the Rush office at 605-716-7825 or visit www.rapidcityrush.com to learn more and secure your seats today.