Rapid City aims to ground division-leading Eagles

By Jim Holland, Journal staff | Thursday, November 20, 2008

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RAPID CITY — After marathon bus rides, including a 28-hour sojourn to southern Texas, during a Central Hockey League record-tying string of 14 straight road games, a six-hour jaunt to Colorado for a pair of Central Hockey League contests this weekend is just a short commute for the Rapid City Rush.

The Rush (3-4-4) takes on a pair of CHL Northwest Division foes, the all-too-familiar Colorado Eagles at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland on Friday and the Rocky Mountain Rage at the Broomfield Events Center in the Denver suburb of Broomfield on Saturday.

Opening face-off for both games is set for 7:05 p.m.

“Going to Colorado? That’s almost like a home game,” said Rush coach Joe Ferras, whose team is coming off a split with the defending CHL champion Arizona Sundogs last weekend in Prescott, Valley, Ariz.

The Rush and the Colorado Eagles are no strangers to each other, having clashed already three times this season. The Eagles have emerged victorious, but only after closely-fought contests each time.

Colorado won 7-6 and 4-3 in shootouts to open the season on Oct. 17-18 in Colorado.

Colorado also claimed a 3-1 decision over Rapid City on Nov. 8. The Eagles were 11-2-0 following Wednesday’s 3-1 win over the New Mexico Scorpions.

“We’re one of two teams to come out of Colorado’s barn with points,” Ferras said, referring to the Rapid City’s pair of shootout losses to the Eagles on Oct. 17-18 that still awarded the Rush two points in the division standings.

The Tulsa Oilers handed the Eagles their only home loss of the season on Nov. 14.

Three of Rapid City’s next four games are against the Eagles. Next weekend, the two rivals meet in a home-and-home starting at Colorado on Nov. 28, and the Rush’s first-ever home game at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center on Nov. 29.

The Eagles have nine players in double-figure point production.

Prior to Colorado’s game with New Mexico, Riley Nelson led the Eagles with 19 points.

Rapid City counters with current CHL leading scorer Rich Hansen, who is tied with Odessa’s Dominic LeVeille with 22 points each, Hansen, a forward, has nine goals and 13 assists while forward Chris Lipsett has 18 points.

Defenseman Gio Flamminio has 11 points, while forward R.G. Flath added a pair of goals against Arizona on Saturday to increase his point total to eight.

Rocky Mountain trails the Northwest Division with a 3-7-1 mark and seven points, but Ferras said the Rage is plenty dangerous.

“They started out slow, but we know they’re a good team, and now they’ve won two straight,” said Ferras.

The Rage is led by center Daymen Rycroft with 10 points. Left-winger Colt King and right-wing Brent Cullaton each have 10 points.

“You can’t take a weekend off in the CHL,” Ferras said. “You have to outwork every team every night or you’re not going to win.”

Rush Notes: Rapid City defenseman Garrett Prosofsky was granted family leave by the Central Hockey League to return to Oklahoma City for the birth of a child.

Rush equipment manager Shawn “Stixie” Smith and his wife Tara, also celebrated the birth of their first child, Brandon, this week. Smith is expected to rejoin the team in Colorado this weekend.