(RAPID CITY, S.D.)—The Rapid City Rush, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames, host the Wichita Thunder in game one of a three-in-three. Puck drop is scheduled for 7:05 p.m. MST on Thursday at The Monument Ice Arena.

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LAST TIME OUT
Maurizio Colella scored in the first minute of the game in front of a sellout crowd on Military Appreciation Night in a 3-1 loss to the Wheeling Nailers at The Monument Ice Arena. Colella’s goal, a high backhander assisted by Briley Wood and Seth Fyten, got the crowd of 5,119 on their feet in Rapid City, the first sellout of the season for the Rush. Wheeling tied the game five minutes later and went on to score twice more in the second to secure the win. Mike Posma scored twice in the game and Tristan Thompson added an insurance goal. The Nailers outshot the Rush, 37-24.

MO-PENS THE SCORING
Saturday’s goal was Maurizio Colella’s first in six Rush games since coming back to Rapid City from Denmark. Colella played the bulk of the season with the Frederikshavn White Hawks in Denmark’s top league but rejoined the Rush on February 23^rd. ECHL teams are permitted to protect the rights of players that leave for Europe, provided they return by the March 2^nd deadline.

RED, WHITE, AND BLUE
All six Rush starters on Military Appreciation Night were from the United States, and all of them carried large American flags onto the ice. The team wore specialty steel blue-colored jerseys honoring Joe Foss, South Dakota’s most decorated hero and former governor of the state. Currently, 10 members of the Rush are American-born.

CHYZ IS BACK!
The Rush welcome back a huge piece of their lineup this week. Ryan Chyzowski was reassigned by the Calgary Wranglers on Sunday after having played three AHL games. He scored in his Wranglers debut on February 25^th and even saw some power play time. Chyzowski is tied for the Rush team lead with 22 goals and is the sole leader with four game-winning goals.

READY FOR SOME DEBUTS
Dave Smith brought in two players ahead of this week’s series against Wichita. The Rush acquired defenseman Jaden Shields from the Idaho Steelheads in exchange for future considerations. Shields, a second-year pro, has four goals and 17 points with Idaho this season. The team also signed forward Braden Birnie out of the University of Alaska Fairbanks. Birnie contributed heavily on a Nanooks team that won the inaugural United Collegiate Hockey Cup last Saturday.

COOKING ON THE POWER PLAY
The Rush have made the best of a recent stretch of not receiving many power play opportunities. Rapid City has scored a power play goal in four of the last five games, and in six of the last seven when being afforded a power play opportunity. Since February 20^th, the man-advantage is 7-for-16 (43.8%).

5,119
Last Saturday’s attendance number was music to everyone’s ears: a sellout of 5,119 fans at The Monument Ice Arena. It was the first sellout of a scheduled night game in multiple years, and the crowd was engaged from start to finish.

LADIES & LACES
The Rush, in conjunction with the Rushmore Thunder Youth Hockey Association, held their annual Ladies & Laces fundraiser game on Tuesday, pitting the ladies of the Rush against the Thunder hockey moms. Powered by five goals from Lexi Torchia—Nathan Torchia’s wife—team Rush put together a wire-to-wire 7-5 victory.

ICE: PAINTED.
The ice will look a little different this week, for a great cause: the Rush held their annual Paint the Ice event on Wednesday, where fans could paint the names of loved ones who are or have battled cancer. Rush Fights Cancer Night concludes the homestand on Saturday.

BACK AND FORTH WITH WICH
The Rush-Thunder series always brings intrigue, and this season’s matchup has been no different. The two clubs have traded off wins, and four of the five games have been one-goal decisions. The last meeting on February 7^th ended in controversy, with Blake Bennett being called for a high-sticking penalty and Wichita’s Kyle Crnkovic scoring in the final second of regulation.

The Rapid City Rush face the Wichita Thunder on March 12^th, 13^th, and 14^th at The Monument Ice Arena! Saturday, March 14^th is Rush Fights Cancer, presented by Vitalant and Thrivent Financial. Head to www.rapidcityrush.com or call 605-716-7825 to secure your seats today.