(ALLEN, Texas)—The Rapid City Rush, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames, face the fourth-place Allen Americans to kick off a six-game road trip. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:10 p.m. MST on Friday at Credit Union of Texas Event Center.

WATCH | LISTEN

LAST TIME OUT
Brett Davis picked up a hat trick, Rico DiMatteo earned his first ECHL win, Garrett Klotz scored his first goal since 2021, and the Rapid City Rush exacted revenge on the Utah Grizzlies with a 6-3 win at The Monument Ice Arena on Sunday. All five of Rapid City’s goals against Utah’s goaltender were remarkably similar: net-front redirections on centering passes from the outside. Klotz opened the scoring in the first period and Quinn Olson doubled the lead before intermission. In the second, Brett Davis buried twice on the power play and Connor Joyce added a shorthanded goal. Davis finished his hat trick in the final minute of the third.

OFF THE SCHNEID
Everything seemed to go the right way for the Rush on Sunday, a welcome sight after a five-game losing streak where the opposite was the case. Rapid City led from start to finish with little doubt in the result. They outshot an opponent for the first time in January and tallied 40 shots for the first time in the month. Special teams struck three times, including a massive shorthanded goal. Garrett Klotz scored his first goal, and Rico DiMatteo won his first game. To cap it off, Brett Davis added to his incredible January with a hat trick.

NOT ONE, NOT TWO, NOT THREE…
But four assists for Ryan Wagner in Sunday’s victory over Utah. It was Wagner’s third four-point game and second four-assist game of his Rush career. Wagner has recorded a point in four straight games, and that performance moved him up to a tie for fourth in the ECHL with 40 points this season.

THE SHERIFF HAS SCORED
The waiting is over: Garrett Klotz scored his first goal since December 15, 2021 when he directed Darian Pilon’s centering feed by the five hole. It set the tone as the opening goal of Sunday’s game. Klotz celebrated with a shimmy as he skated to the bench, well-earned for his first goal in 73 games.

RICO DESERVED THAT ONE
After facing a whopping 106 shots in two one-goal losses to start his ECHL career, Rico DiMatteo won his first game in affiliated hockey with a 32-for-35 performance on Sunday. DiMatteo was solid throughout the game and only allowed one even-strength goal against Utah. Rico’s parents were in town from New York to celebrate.

150 FOR BENNY
Blake Bennett has had his best playmaking season yet, and he added to that with two primary assists on Sunday, which brought him to 150 career points with the Rush. In the team’s ECHL era, Bennett is first in career goals and second in points behind Logan Nelson, his former teammate as a rookie.

IT’S BEEN DAVIE’S MONTH
Brett Davis started the season slow out of the gates but has more than made up for it in January. Davis has seven goals over his last eight games, and 11 points in 10 games during the month.

WE GOT A MONTANAN!
Head Coach & General Manager Dave Smith acquired Lucas Helland from the Iowa Heartlanders on Monday. A Billings native, the 6-foot-3 forward is the second Montanan to play for the Rush: Beau McCue suited up for 11 games during the 2019-20 season.

AT THE SITE OF THE ASG
Allen, Texas hosted the 2026 Warrior/ECHL All-Star Classic on January 19^th, a Stars vs. Stripes game with skills competitions between periods. While every team had an All-Star nominated, Rapid City’s Arsenii Sergeev did not attend the game due to his December 12^th call-up to the Calgary Wranglers.

TOUGH PLACE TO PLAY
Allen is 10-2 in their last 12 home games, a stretch which dates back to October 31^st during the Rush’s last trip here. This series opens up a seven-game homestand for the Americans.

SEE YOU AFTER STOCK SHOW
The dirt has rolled into The Monument, and that means the Rush are gone for their six-game ‘Stock Show Road Trip.’ These are two crucial series, with the Rush getting a crack at the two teams directly above them in the standings.

The Rapid City Rush are back home to battle the Tahoe Knight Monsters on Valentine’s Day Weekend! Join us on Friday, February 13^th and Saturday 14^th at 7:05 p.m. Call the Rush office at 605-716-7825 or visit www.rapidcityrush.com to learn more and secure your seats today.