The Rapid City Rush are back on the road this weekend to take on the Wichita Thunder for the first time this season.
Last Week
Last week, the Rush had their season opener against the Utah Grizzlies, where they saw their losing streak get extended to four games, and the Grizzlies found their first wins and sweep of the season. The Rush lost the second game 5-2, but they were able to take away one point in a 4-3 shootout loss in the first game. Rapid City gave up their first shorthanded goal of the season on their already struggling special teams. But the Rush did see Trevor Janicke, Tyler Burnie, and Deni Goure all score their first professional goals.
The Wichita Thunder played a home-and-home series against the Tulsa Oilers. They took the first game in overtime with a final score of 4-3 and then won the second game 6-2. The Thunder then headed to Texas, where they faced the Americans on Wednesday. The Thunder won by a final score of 5-4 in overtime.
Incoming Stats
The Rapid City Rush are coming into this weekend on a four-game losing streak with a record of 0-3-0-1. They are currently converting at 16.7% on the powerplay and are at 80% on the PK. The Rush are getting shots on net, averaging 33.75 shots per game, but they are also allowing an average of 32.50 shots against per game. On top of that, the Rush are averaging only 1.75 goals for per game and allowing an average of five goals against per game.
The Wichita Thunder are coming into the series on a three-game win streak after dropping their first two games of the season. The Thunder are converting at 15% on the PP and 66.7% on the PK. Wichita has not been able to find a lot of success on special teams, but finding offense has not been an issue for them. The Thunder are averaging 4.40 goals per game and 30.20 shots per game. The Thunder however are allowing an average of 3.80 goals against per game and 32.60 shots against per game.
Players to Watch
The Wichita Thunder are coming into this series with one forward who is on fire right now. Thunder forward Michal Stinil has scored in all five of the Thunder’s games this season and has 12 points on the season.
The Rapid City Rush have activated goaltender Christian Propp for this series. This will be the first time Propp suits up this season, but Propp was stellar for the Rush late last season, giving them a chance to push for the playoffs. He came in to be a backup to Matt Radomsky but ended up having to take over the starting goaltender role for a while when Radomsky was injured, and Connor Murphy was in the AHL. Propp was able to embrace the role and help the team find some success and will be looking to pick up where he left off last season.
The Rush and Thunder will start their series on Friday night in Wichita with a 6:05 MDT puck drop. The series will continue Saturday night with a 5:05 MDT puck drop, and they will wrap up the series Sunday with a 1:05 MST puck drop.
