RAPID CITY - After nearly a full season in the newly-completed Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Ice Arena, the Rapid City Rush and its fans seem to be settling into their new barn.

That's the slang term for a hockey rink, and word is getting around that Rapid City has a nice one.

"It's a great crowd, great atmosphere and lots of fun. It's great to play in front of a crowd like that," said Oklahoma City Blazers coach Doug Sauter after a weekend set against the Rush at the Ice Arena in mid-February. "This franchise is going to do well," he said.

"Obviously Oklahoma City and Tulsa have 17,000- to 18,000-seat arenas, but for the smaller arenas, 8,000 or less, this is as nice, or the nicest in the league," Rapid City head coach Joe Ferras said. "We have NHL-quality locker rooms here, and the building is fantastic."

Rush fans seem to be taking pride in the new building as well. Rapid City is seventh out of 16 Central Hockey League teams, averaging more than 4,000 fans per game.

Season-ticket holder Chris Heiser, a structural engineer from Rapid City, wasn't involved with design or construction of the Ice Arena, but he was still impressed.

"For a structural engineer, designing a building like that is a once in a lifetime thing," Heiser said. "From an engineering standpoint, it's a really neat structure.

"It's great facility for the community.

"From the aspect of being a season-ticket holder, I think it's awesome."

Justin Christman, also a Rush season-ticket holder, grew up in rural North Dakota as a fan of University of North Dakota Fighting Sioux college hockey, and was excited to hear of the sport coming to Rapid City.

"I was one of the first couple people to call in and get season tickets," he said.

His brother, Levi Christman, works for a steel firm involved with construction of the new building.

"They did all steel trusses and the metal work. I got to see first-hand how it all came together. It's an excellent facility," Christman said. "It's a pretty darn well thought-out and built structure as far as I'm concerned. I've been to almost every game, and numerous games that have been sold out. Things seem to run pretty smoothly."

Rapid City's season will come to an end after a weekend set on home ice against the Colorado Eagles on March 20 and 21. The Rush were eliminated from postseason contention earlier this month.

Heiser would liked to have seen the Rush make the playoffs, but Christman knows an expansion team with a majority of rookie players just needs a chance to mature.

"People need to remember that these players are going to grow. It's going to get better. First-year teams rarely get close to even a .500 record," Christman said.