(RAPID CITY, S.D.)—The Rapid City Rush (29-36-7) ended the 2025-26 season with a 6-4 defeat against the Tahoe Knight Monsters (35-30-7) at The Monument Ice Arena on Saturday.
Ryan Wagner finished the season with a two-goal performance, his third multi-goal effort of the year. The captain opened the scoring with a backhand tuck and the Rush led 1-0 at the first intermission.
The second period featured seven total goals. Mitchell Smith buried an unassisted wrist shot and Wagner popped in his second of the night. However, Tahoe benefited from numerous lucky bounces and scored five times on 11 shots in the period. The Knight Monsters led 5-3 at the break.
In the third, Rapid City received their lone power play, and Brett Davis put home a rebound for his milestone 20th goal of the season, his first time reaching that mark as a pro.
The night belonged to Garrett Klotz. The Rush honored the big man with a pregame ceremony after playing his 700th career game. Three generations of the Klotz family were in the building. ‘The Sheriff’ logged one final fight this season and earned a decisive victory against Tahoe’s Tucker Ness. He received a rookie lap at the start of warmups, received first star of the game, then took a hot lap before leaving the ice for the last time.
Nathan Torchia took the loss in his 10th start of the season with 33 saves on 39 shots. In a battle of rookies, Alex Tracy was victorious with 34 saves on 38 shots.
Year 18 comes to an end with this game. The Rush host their annual end-of-season party on Monday, April 20th at 5:00 p.m. inside The Monument Ice Arena.
The Rapid City Rush, proud ECHL affiliate of the NHL's Calgary Flames, are Rapid City's premiere sports team. The 2010 President's Cup Champions have called The Monument Ice Arena home since 2008, drawing over 100,000 hockey fans each year. Call the Rush front office at 605-716-7825 or visit www.rapidcityrush.com for more information.
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