(STATELINE, Nev.)—The Rapid City Rush, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL’s Calgary Flames, look to keep their playoff hopes afloat as they get their next crack at the fourth-place Tahoe Knight Monsters. Puck drop is scheduled for 8:00 p.m. MDT on Friday at Tahoe Blue Event Center.

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LAST TIME OUT
The Kalamazoo Wings won a wire-to-wire rubber game, 6-1, over the Rapid City Rush at Wings Event Center on Sunday. Braden Birnie scored the lone Rush goal, a rebound slam-dunk on the power play with under five minutes remaining in regulation. Birnie picked up his second professional goal in six games with Rapid City. Kalamazoo had the jump at the start of the game, opening the scoring just 25 seconds in. The K-Wings led 3-0 after the first period and outshot the Rush, 14-2. After a scoreless second, Kalamazoo put up three more in the third to run away with the win. Connor Murphy started the game and stopped 11 out of 14 in the first period. Rico DiMatteo played the final 40 minutes and made 27 saves on 30 shots. Shots on goal were 44-26 in favor of the K-Wings.

THE FINAL FOUR
We are down to the last four series of the regular season. Of the Rush’s 11 games remaining, five are against the Knight Monsters. Rapid City trails Tahoe by 12 points for the final playoff spot, meaning each head-to-head matchup is critical.

FRESH INK
Ahead of this series, the Rush acquired two defensemen out of the Canadian college ranks, Clay Hanus (#72) and Hunter Donohoe (#74). Hanus, who was named USports Player of the Year in 2025 and a Two-Time First-Team All-Canadian at Mount Royal University, signed with the Calgary Wranglers on Wednesday and was assigned to Rapid City. Hunter Donohoe, a 6-foot-5 D-man from Toronto Metro University and junior teammate of Brett Davis, signed a Standard Player Contract on Tuesday.

A WEEK BY THE WATER
The Rush flew from Kalamazoo to Tahoe for a week-long stay, which began on Monday. After an off day on Tuesday, the team returned to the ice for practices on Wednesday and Thursday. This is the second leg of Rapid City’s six-game road trip. Both teams traveled from Eastern Time to Pacific Time for this series, as the Knight Monsters were in Toledo last weekend.

SUAVE SAVES
Rico DiMatteo is putting together his best run in the ECHL. In his last three appearances, the 25-year-old rookie is 2-0-0 with a .935 save percentage. In those two wins, his save percentage jumps to .949. DiMatteo earned his first road win with the Rush last Saturday in Kalamazoo.

MORE GREAT DISCIPLINE
The Rush stayed out of the box while in Kalamazoo. The Friday and Sunday games saw no penalty kills for Rapid City, something that had only happened once in their first 58 games. Discipline may well be a significant factor this weekend—Tahoe has been shorthanded a league-leading 235 times this season.

GETTING THE NAILERS INVOLVED
Both of the Rush’s acquisitions from the Wheeling Nailers have suited up for their new team. Eric Parker played all three games in Kalamazoo and recorded a primary assist on Sunday. Cole Tymkin made his debut on Sunday and dropped the gloves in the first period.

WEARING OUT THE GOAL LIGHT
These are two teams who love offense. Tahoe leads the league in combined goals for and against (222 each.) The nine-game season series has featured 66 total goals, with the Rush attributing for 40 of them. That is 4.4 goals per game head-to-head for Rapid City.

THE DEVELOPMENTAL LADDER
The fourth year of the Rush-Calgary affiliation has resulted in more contracted players in Rapid City than before. Those players have also seen AHL exposure: eight of the 11 Calgary-contracted players who have played a game with the Rush have also suited up with the Wranglers and totaled 114 AHL games this season.

FACING SPIDERMAN
The Knight Monsters are wearing Spiderman-themed jerseys on Marvel Night tonight. Tahoe has worn specialty jerseys a ton this season and thrived in those games: The Knight Monsters are 11-4 when wearing specialties.

The Rapid City Rush return home to face the Tulsa Oilers on April 1^st, 3^rd, and 4^th at The Monument Ice Arena! We’re rolling out the C of Red on Saturday, April 4^th for Affiliation Night, presented by KT Connections. Head to www.rapidcityrush.com or call 605-716-7825 to secure your seats today.