After a series win over the Tulsa Oilers, the Rapid City Rush are welcoming the Tahoe Knight Monsters to South Dakota for the first time.
Where to Watch/Listen
Tune in to FloHockey or listen live on the respective broadcast networks to catch all the action!
TV/Streaming: FloHockey
Listen Live: Rapid City Rush Broadcast Network
Listen Live: Tahoe Knight Monsters Broadcast Network
Last Week
Last week, the Rapid City Rush were at home taking on the Tulsa Oilers. After securing a 5-2 win on New Year’s Eve, the Rush were shut out 0-5 by the Oilers in the second game. The Rush managed to win the series with a 3-1 victory on Saturday, thanks to a pair of late goals that broke the 1-1 tie.
The Knight Monsters were in Maine last week to face the Maine Mariners. Tahoe won the first game 3-2 in overtime but were shut out 0-3 in the second game. The Knight Monsters clinched the final game of the series with a 5-2 win.
Incoming Stats
The Tahoe Knight Monsters are currently in their inaugural season and have yet to play against Rapid City.
The Rapid City Rush enter this series with a home record of 5-7-1-3 and an overall record of 9-16-4-3. They are currently converting at 13.7% on the power play (26th) and 79.3% on the penalty kill (19th). The Rush are averaging 32.16 shots per game but are also allowing an average of 33.13 shots against per game. They are averaging 2.56 goals per game while allowing an average of 3.72 goals against per game.
The Tahoe Knight Monsters come into the series with a road record of 9-6-0-0 and an overall record of 20-9-2-1. The Knight Monsters are converting at 20.6% on the power play (8th) and have a penalty kill rate of 84.5% (9th). They are averaging 4.00 goals per game while allowing an average of 3.28 goals against per game. Tahoe is currently tied with Norfolk for the highest average of goals per game. The Knight Monsters are averaging 33.19 shots per game and allowing an average of 32.06 shots against per game.
Rush forward Brett Davis is currently tied for first in the league for shorthanded goals with three this season.
Tahoe forward Simon Pinard is currently fourth in the league in goals with 18 and tied for first in power play goals with eight.
Tahoe forward Sloan Stanick currently leads all rookies in points, is second in goals, and is second in assists. Stanick has 14 goals and 22 assists for 36 points in 30 games played. Stanick is also second among rookies in power play assists and first in power play points with eight assists and ten points. Stanick leads rookies in shots with 109.
Familiar Faces
The Tahoe Knight Monsters will be bringing three former Rush players with them: forwards Logan Nelson and Anthony Collins, and defenseman Nate Kallen. Nelson spent four seasons with the Rush (2016-17, 2021-24), playing in 210 games and recording 70 goals and 128 assists for 198 points, with 179 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -15. Collins spent two seasons with the Rush (2016-18), scoring 11 goals and 11 assists for 22 points, with 208 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -18 in 114 games played. Kallen spent part of the 2020-21 season with the Rush, playing in four games where he did not record any points or penalty minutes.
Milestone Watch
Rush defenseman Billy Constantinou has a pair of milestones that he could hit in this series. Constantinou could achieve his 100th ECHL point, as he currently sits at 99. He is also likely to play in his 200th ECHL game, as he is currently at 198. In 198 ECHL games, Constantinou has 21 goals and 78 assists for 99 points, with 96 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -70. This season with the Rush, Constantinou has played in 31 games, recording five goals and nine assists for 14 points, with 12 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -14.
Players to Watch
The players to watch for Tahoe are Sloan Stanick and the three former Rush players. Stanick is having an incredible rookie season with the Knight Monsters and will be looking to continue to be an offensive force for them this weekend. The former Rush players, Anthony Collins, Logan Nelson, and Nate Kallen, will all be aiming to have a standout series for their new team against their old team and may be playing with a bit of a chip on their shoulder.
The player to watch for the Rush is newcomer defenseman Chase Pauls as well as the Mylymok brothers. Pauls is currently a rookie and will be looking to make an impact on his new team after being acquired from the Bloomington Bison earlier in the week. Connor Mylymok has been pretty good for the Rush all season, but after his brother Luke Mylymok has joined the team, the two of them have been amazing for the Rush, putting up points in almost every game. The two of them will be looking to continue their hot streak with the Rush this weekend against an unfamiliar opponent.
The Rush and Knight Monsters will kick off their series on Friday, January 10th, and continue on Saturday, January 11th, before wrapping it up on Sunday, January 12th. Puck drop will be at 7:05 PM MT on Friday and Saturday, and 4:05 PM MT on Sunday.
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