The Rapid City Rush are back in action this week after a rough week at home against the Idaho Steelheads. The Rush are on the road this week where they will faceoff against the Utah Grizzlies in West Valley City, Utah.
Last Week
Last week, the Rush were at home and took on the Idaho Steelheads. The Rush came in looking to get some points at home against the Steelheads, but the result of the games did not go in favor of the Rush. The series against the Steelheads was a very physical series, like it normally is, with a total of 153 penalty minutes in the two games. Regardless, the Rush left the series with zero points as they lost both games by scores of 2-5 and 1-6. Two players that stood out in the series were the two players who just returned from the AHL. Jarrod Gourley and Will Riedell both had a goal and an assist in the games. One area the Rush struggled in again was special teams. The Rush went 1/13 on the powerplay and allowed a shorthanded goal. On the penalty kill, they went 7/9, which is not horrible, but it still has their average of about a powerplay goal against per game.
Milestones
The Rush have a few players that could see milestones hit this week. The first one is defenseman TJ Fergus who could play in his 100th ECHL game as he currently sits at 98 games played. Fergus has played in 36 games for the Rush this season where he has two goals and 14 assists for 16 points. He has ten penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -6. In his 98 ECHL games, he has six goals and 32 assists for 38 points. He has 18 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -7.
Forward Alex Aleardi could hit 100 ECHL goals as he currently sits at 96 goals. This season, Aleardi has played in 38 games with the Rush, where he has 13 goals and 25 assists for 38 points. He has 22 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +1. In 210 ECHL games played, Aleardi has 96 goals and 108 assists for 204 points. He has 122 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +19.
A milestone that is less likely to happen is for defenseman Kenton Helgesen. If Helgesen plays this weekend, he could hit 100 games with the Rush, as he currently sits at 98. Helgesen has dealt with a few injuries this season. He has played in eight games with the Rush this season, where he has zero goals and one assist for one point. He has 14 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -2. In 98 games played with the Rush, Helgesen has seven goals and 31 assists for 38 points. He has 141 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +1. In 212 ECHL games played, Helgesen has 18 goals and 59 assists for 77 points. He has 235 penalty minutes and a plus/minus of -23. This milestone is less likely to happen as Kenton Helgesen is currently on injured reserve.
New and Returning Faces
The Rapid City Rush have a couple of players who have been added to the roster. Starting with the new face, the Rush have announced that they have signed forward Simon Boyko. Boyko is joining the Rush from the Fayetteville Marksmen in the SPHL. Boyko played in 30 games with the Marksmen, where he had 18 goals and 19 assists for 37 points. He had nine penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +13. Last season, Boyko spent a little bit of time in the ECHL with the Norfolk Admirals. He played in five games where he did not register a point. He had two penalty minutes and a plus/minus of +1.
The Rush also announced that goaltender Connor Murphy has returned from the Calgary Wranglers. While with the Wranglers, Murphy played in one game. He entered the game in relief of Wranglers goaltender Oscar Dansk after he allowed six goals. Murphy played for 23:09 and had nine saves on ten shots. Murphy has played in 12 games with the Rush this season for a total of 702 minutes on ice and has a record of 5-7-0. He has faced 393 shots where he has 352 saves and 41 goals against for a save percentage of .896 and a goals against average of 3.51.
This Week
This week, the Rush will head to West Valley City, Utah, to take on the Utah Grizzlies in a three game series. While these two teams normally see each other a lot during the regular season, this is the first time they will see each other this season. Both teams have had rocky seasons thus far and will be coming into the series looking for some consistency in their games. The Grizzlies currently sit sixth in the Mountain Division with a record of 15-22-0-0 for 30 points and a win percentage of .405. The Grizzlies are 5-5-0-0 in their last ten games, but they have a record of 11-6-0-0 at home. The Rush currently sit fourth in the Mountain Division, where they have a record of 17-19-2-0 for 36 points and a win percentage of .474. The Rush are also 5-5-0-0 in their last ten games and are 9-9-1-0 on the road. This series could be a very interesting series as the Grizzlies have found success at home, and the Rush have been able to find success on the road. The two teams will have to see who has the better success and who is able to find enough consistency to win some games. These games should be a lot of fun to watch, as Utah vs. Rapid City games are always intense, gritty, and physical games.
The series will start Wednesday night with puck drop at 7:10 p.m. MST and wrap up Friday and Saturday with puck drop at 7:10 p.m. MST both nights.
