The Rapid City Rush are back on the road to take on the Wichita Thunder and are looking to find their footing after a disappointing weekend at home.
Last Weekend
The Rush entered the weekend 0-1-1 at home and were coming off a decent road trip where they went 2-2 against the Kansas City Mavericks and Tulsa Oilers. But the Rush just couldn’t seem to get things to click against the Oilers in their three games at home. The Rush ended up dropping all three games to the Oilers with scores of 4-1 and dropping the other two games by a score of 5-2. The Rush went 0/8 on the powerplay over the weekend, but they went 6/8 on the penalty kill.
Improvements to be Made
One of the biggest improvements the Rush need to make is their powerplay. They just can’t seem to get their powerplay to be successful, and it could really start to put the team at a disadvantage. While the team should not rely on getting goals while on a powerplay, it would really help the team if they could take advantage of their man advantages.
The other improvement the team needs to make is getting more shots on net. The Rush were outshot by the Oilers in all three games and only had four shots on net in the first period on Thursday night, which is not good at all. If the Rush are not able to get shots on net, they are not going to score, and it could cause them to lose more games. With that being said, the Rush should not start shooting the puck straight to the goalie’s chest just to get shots on the board, as that isn’t going to get them goals. If they are able to get the puck to deflect off the goalie and have someone by the net to get rebounds, then shooting the puck straight at the goalie, but if they are not getting chances at rebounds, then shooting the puck straight at the goalie is not going to help them.
Possible Milestone
The only potential milestone in this series is for Logan Nelson. If Nelson plays this weekend, he can get his 200th ECHL assist, as he currently sits at 198. In his ninth ECHL season, Nelson has played in 461 games, with 124 goals and 198 assists for 322 points. He has 421 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -74. Nelson is in his fourth season with the Rush and has played in 161 games for the Rush. He has 55 goals and 93 assists for 148 points. He has 161 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -17. So far this season, Nelson has played in nine games where he has two goals and four assists for six points. He has four penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +3.
AHL Player Additions
The Rapid City Rush announced that Jarrod Gourley and Connor Murphy have been returned to the Rush from the Calgary Wranglers. Gourley has played two games with the Rush this season, where he has two goals.
Murphy has played in four games for the Rush this season with 240 minutes of ice time and has a record of 2-2. He has faced 131 shots where he has 118 saves and 13 goals against for a save percentage of .901 and a goals-against average of 3.26.
Both of these players were really good for the Rush when they were in Rapid City earlier in the season, and hopefully, both of them will continue to impact the team in positive ways.
This Weekend
The Rapid City Rush are back on the road this weekend as they travel to Wichita for the first time this season to take on the Wichita Thunder. The Rush are currently 4-2 on the road and have found quite a bit of success on the road. The Rush will take on the Thunder on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. Puck drop will be at 6:05 MST Friday and Saturday night. On Sunday, the puck drop will be at 3:05 MST. This should be a pretty good matchup as the Rush and Thunder are tied for fourth in the Mountain Division, each with nine points so far this season. Wichita is currently 4-7-1, and they are on a two-game losing streak. But the Thunder are 3-1 at home. This weekend could really put the Rush to the test, as Wichita seems to be a pretty good team at home and are going to want to get a winning streak going in front of their fans. But the Rush have found ways to win while on the road this season and will look to stay hot on the road this weekend.
