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Revision as of 00:49, 13 September 2015 by Yosemiter (talk | contribs) (simplifying franchise history)(diff) ← Previous revision | Latest revision (diff) | Newer revision → (diff) Ice hockey team in Rapid City, South Dakota| Rapid City Rush | |
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| File:Rapid City Rush logo.png | |
| City | Rapid City, South Dakota |
| League | ECHL |
| Conference | Western |
| Division | West |
| Founded | 2008 (In the CHL) |
| Home arena | Rushmore Plaza Civic Center |
| Colors | Red, Black, White |
| General manager | Joe Ferras |
| Head coach | Joe Ferras |
| Media | 100.3 The Fox |
| Affiliates | Arizona Coyotes (NHL) Springfield Falcons (AHL) |
| Franchise history | |
| 2008–present | Rapid City Rush |
| Championships | |
| Division titles | 1 (2010–11) |
| Conference titles | 1 (2009–10) |
| Ray Miron President's Cup | 1 (2009–10) |
 Current season | |
The Rapid City Rush are a professional ice hockey team in the ECHL which are currenty affiliated with the National Hockey League's Arizona Coyotes and the American Hockey League's Springfield Falcons. Based in Rapid City, South Dakota, the Rush play their home games at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center.
History
On June 2, 2007, the Central Hockey League announced an expansion team for Rapid City, who began play in the 2008-09 season. Two months later, the team named Joe Ferras as their head coach and Director of Hockey Operations, and Jason Rent as General Manager. Jason Rent resigned from the organization and Tim Hill was named General Manager in the spring of 2009. In September 2007, the Rush unveiled their name, colors, and logo. The team is owned in majority by Scott Mueller . Mr. Mueller was previously involved in ownership with the Colorado Eagles, also of the Central Hockey League. Barry Petersen and Luke Petersen are combined minority owners.
In their second season (2009–10) the Rapid City Rush defeated the Allen Americans 4 to 3 with 39.3 seconds left in double-overtime in game 6 of the Ray Miron President's Cup Finals at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City, SD to win the Ray Miron President's Cup. The Rush lost game one of the series but rebounded to win game 2 in overtime on a Blaine Jarvis goal.The Rush then traveled to Allen for three straight games where Allen won game 3 but the Rush responded to win games 4 and 5. In game six of the series it returned to Rapid City and looked as if there would be a game 7 when entering the third period with the score 3 to 1 in favor of the Allen Americans. The Rush's Blaine Jarvis scored with 5:06 remaining in the third to bring the Rush within one. Exactly two minutes later, Brendon Cook lit the lamp, knotting the score at 3 and forcing overtime. With 39.3 seconds left in the second overtime a shot by Les Reaney deflected off the Allen goaltender Chris Whitley and the Rush's Scott Wray, rolling into the goal, sealing the win for the Rush and their first President's Cup.
During the 2010–11 season, the Rush were the host to the 2011 Central Hockey League All-Star Game. The Rush ended up losing to the All Stars 11-6. Also, The Rush made the playoffs for the 2nd straight season during the 2010-11 season. In the 1st round, the Rush faced the Dayton Gems. The Rush took care of them with the series sweep and went on the face the Fort Wayne Komets. In game 2, the Rush leading scorer, Ryan Menei was blindsided on a dirty hit by the Komets Sean O'Connor. O'Connor was suspended the rest of the series and the Rush went on to win the series in 7 games. Next, the Rush faced their arch rivals, the Colorado Eagles. The series lasted 7 games and this time, the Eagles came away with the series win.
The 2012–13 season brought new changes to the Rush organization. Assistant Coach and former team Captain Mark DeSantis accepted the head coaching position with the Fayetville Fire Antz of the SPHL (Southern Professional Hockey League). Head Coach Joe Ferras was the lone bench boss for the season. Rush All-Star and fan favorite goalie Danny Battachio was able to return to the team after suffering a serious injury in the 2011-12 season. During the regular season, inconsistent play left the Rush battling for a play-off spot. The Rush were plagued with a low scoring offense (last in the league). The Rush finished the regular season strong, finishing fourth in the regular season standings.
For the 2014–15 season, Rapid City announced that former assistant coach and team captain Mark DeSantis would return as an associate coach. Desantis had a successful 2013–14 season as the head coach of the expansion Brampton Beast. In addition, several roster changes were made. Goaltender Tim Boron was released and former CHL Rookie of the Year Danny Battochio was signed to replace him. Also, longtime team captain Scott Wray and Konrad Reeder both announced their retirements.
On October 7, 2014, soon before the 2014–15 Central Hockey League season was set to begin, it was announced that the Central Hockey League ceased operations and the Rush, along with the Allen Americans, Brampton Beast, Quad City Mallards, Missouri Mavericks, Tulsa Oilers and Wichita Thunder, were all approved for membership into the ECHL for the 2014–15 season.
On August 11, 2015, the Rush announced that they had signed a one-year affiliation agreement with the National Hockey League's Arizona Coyotes and the American Hockey League's Springfield Falcons. This marks the first time the Rush has ever been affiliated with an NHL team.
Season records
Regular season
| Season | GP | W | L | OTL | PTS | GF | GA | PIM | Regular Season Finish |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | 64 | 22 | 33 | 9 | 53 | 183 | 231 | 1376 | 3rd, Northwest Division |
| 2009–10 | 64 | 43 | 14 | 7 | 93 | 253 | 197 | 1334 | 1st, Northern Conference |
| 2010–11 | 66 | 40 | 22 | 4 | 84 | 210 | 200 | 1285 | 1st, Turner Conference |
| 2011–12 | 66 | 38 | 22 | 6 | 82 | 226 | 176 | 1142 | 4th, Turner Conference |
| 2012–13 | 66 | 35 | 24 | 7 | 77 | 177 | 179 | 1118 | 4th, Berry Conference |
| 2013–14 | 66 | 39 | 23 | 4 | 82 | 220 | 189 | 1088 | 4th, Berry Conference |
| 2014–15 | 72 | 37 | 28 | 7 | 81 | 218 | 206 | 1229 | 3rd, Central Division |
Playoffs
| Season | 1st Round | 2nd Round | 3rd Round | League Finals |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008–09 | — | — | — | — |
| 2009–10 | — | W, 4-0, Wichita | W, 4-3, Bossier-Shreveport | W, 4-2, Allen |
| 2010–11 | W, 3-0, Dayton | W, 3-2, Fort Wayne | L, 3-4, Colorado | — |
| 2011–12 | — | L, 2-4, Fort Wayne | — | — |
| 2012–13 | L, 2-4, Missouri | — | — | — |
| 2013–14 | L, 4-3, Quad City | — | — | — |
| 2014–15 | W, 4-3, Quad City | L, 2-4, Allen | — | — |
Current roster
Updated September 7, 2015.Template:Ice hockey minor league team roster
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References
- "Rapid City, SD to join Central Hockey League in 2008-09". National Hockey League. 2008-06-02. Retrieved 2012-03-14.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - "Rapid City Names GM & Head Coach". Central Hockey League. 2009-09-02. Retrieved 2009-09-02.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help) - "CHL Clubs Join ECHL for 2014-15 Season". Central Hockey League. October 7, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
- "ECHL Accepts Seven Members". ECHL. October 7, 2014. Retrieved October 7, 2014.
- "Coyotes Announce New Affiliation Agreement with Rapid City of ECHL". Arizona Coyotes. August 11, 2015. Retrieved August 11, 2015.
- "Rapid City Rush roster". Rapid City Rush. 2015-08-12. Retrieved 2015-08-12.
{{cite web}}: Italic or bold markup not allowed in:|publisher=(help)
External links
| Arizona Coyotes | |
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| Franchise | |
| History | |
| Personnel |
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| Central Hockey League (1992–2014) | |
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