(RAPID CITY, S.D.)—The Rapid City Rush, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames, face off with the Tulsa Oilers in the first regular season game at WeStreet Ice Center. Puck drop is scheduled for 6:05 p.m. MST on Friday at WeStreet Ice Center.

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LAST TIME OUT
The Rapid City Rush won the inaugural Black Hills Brawl on ice with a resilient 5-3 victory over the Worcester Railers at The Monument Ice Arena on Saturday. The Rush, wearing South Dakota Mines jerseys, scored in all three periods and did not trail throughout the game. Blake Bennett got the party started with a snipe less than eight minutes in. Ryan Chyzowski banked home a power play goal from behind the net to give the Rush a 2-1 lead at the first intermission. Chase Pauls funneled in a point shot off a faceoff win halfway through the second period, reclaiming a 3-2 Rush lead. With Worcester goaltender Parker Gahagen caught behind the net, Quinn Olson scored on the empty goal to double the lead early in the third. The Railers trimmed it to 4-3 and pressed for the equalizer, but the Rush killed off a late penalty and Cameron Buhl finished things off with his 15^th goal of the season.

BATTED .700
While the Rush only took home three points in the series against the Railers, the homestand was a successful one overall. Rapid City went 3-1-1, securing seven out of a possible ten points against Tahoe and Worcester with both defeats by just one goal. The Rush outscored the opposition, 23-17.

WHAT A HOMESTAND
The Rush put on a show offensively for much of the two-week homestand, but three men stood out in particular. In the five games, Quinn Olson led the group with nine points (3g+6a), Blake Bennett paced them with five goals (5g+3a), and Brett Davis dished out a team-best seven assists.

RETURN OF THE MACK
Simon Mack is back. The rookie defenseman was assigned by the Calgary Wranglers on Thursday and joined the team on their way to Tulsa. Mack has played 19 AHL games this season and has three assists in four games with Rapid City. Tonight will be his first Rush game since November 5^th at Tahoe.

ONE MO TIME
Look who else is back! After heading overseas in October and playing 32 games in Denmark, Maurizio Colella is back with the Rush. The fourth-year pro has played 142 games over two seasons with Rapid City as a steady presence up front. He was activated on Sunday and is ready to roll in Tulsa tonight.

CHYZ CALLED UP
After a red-hot two weeks, Ryan Chyzowski earned his first call-up to Calgary on Monday. His scoring touch continued: Chyzowski scored his first Wranglers goal in his first game on Wednesday against San Jose. The fifth-year pro leads Rapid City with 22 goals and four game-winners this season.

READY FOR 1,000
Connor Murphy has spent the entire season as the league leader in saves, currently at 977. Nobody else is within 100 saves of him. With a 35 save-per-game pace, Murphy has a legitimate chance to reach 1,000 tonight. Technically, he already has: if you include his AHL stats from this year, Murphy enters this game with 1,071 stops.

R&R
The Rush opted to use their ‘all-star break’—three consecutive days off, which every team must take once each season—on Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday, giving them some time away from the rink ahead of this road trip. The group returned to the ice on Wednesday.

DON’T GET TRAPPED
This is the Rush’s first of six matchups against the Tulsa Oilers. While Tulsa is currently at the bottom of the league standings, don’t underestimate them: the Oilers are coming off a win last Sunday in Greenville and their last nine games have been decided by two goals or fewer.

WE’RE PLAYING WHERE!?
Tonight brings a ‘little’ Rush history: the smallest arena the team has ever played a regular season game in franchise history. Due to arena availability, the Oilers are hosting the Rush at WeStreet Ice Center, Tulsa’s practice facility and the home of the NA3HL Tulsa Jr. Oilers. We’re told the capacity will be close to 1,000 fans, with much of it standing room. The Oilers have played two preseason games in this building, but never a regular season contest. Don’t worry, the remainder of the series will be back at the BOK Center—ironically enough, the largest building in the league with 17,096 seats.

The Rapid City Rush kick off the month of March at home on March 4^th, 6^th, and 7^th against the Wheeling Nailers! Saturday, March 7^th is Military Appreciation Night, presented by AARP South Dakota, featuring specialty jerseys and a Coca-Cola youth jersey giveaway. Head to www.rapidcityrush.com or call 605-716-7825 to secure your seats today.