RAPID CITY - Three months into the Rapid City Rush's first season general manager Jason Rent couldn't be more pleased with the results - well, almost.

Rent praises the entire organization, players and coaches, but like any competitor, he only wishes for a few more wins down the road.

Rent is no stranger to the general manager role, having held the same position for the Central Hockey League's Bossier-Shreveport franchise for eight seasons before coming to Rapid City. He has also been part of starting up a new team before, but there is something about the Rapid City team that makes it stand out.

"It was so much easier than some of the other ones I have done because the people were so receptive, which makes it easier," Rent said.

Rent said the biggest challenge for him was trying to sell the team throughout the community, while the Rush was on a league-tying record 14-game road trip to begin the season.

"We were selling air to them up until November," he said. "This is not a traditional hockey market, so you have people who have never seen a hockey game, a pro hockey game or just seen it on TV. So that was a big hurdle for us."

The first home game for the franchise is still a special day for Rent and the rest of the Rush staff that worked to make that day a possibility. Playing in front of a sold out crowd of 5,119 on Nov. 29 was a great beginning for the team.

"It was kind of surreal after 14 months of trying to put this thing together," he said. "It is funny because like anyone in a line of work, you know where your imperfections are … there were things that made us cringe but no one noticed anything."

The play on the ice has pleased the GM given the fact that the team is a young, first-year squad hovering around the .500 mark.

"Obviously, you hope to win a couple more games but we are still in the battle for the playoffs," he said.

Rent credits head coach Joe Ferras with helping build hockey within the Rapid City community more than most anyone. While the two grew up about 10 minutes apart in Canada, they did not know each other until coming to the CHL. But it has been a relationship that has worked well for both.

"We came in as a team, and it has worked great," Rent said. "Joe is great for the sport and there isn't anyone he won't talk to and promote hockey with."

Rent said his focus is to build a strong foundation within the community to ensure the Rush are playing at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Ice Arena for years to come. Providing fans with good entertainment is key, but he said the Rush has also committed to winning and working for a playoff berth even in the first season.

"Winning on the ice doesn't translate to success as a business," Rent said. "Winning isn't as important as making sure your fans enjoy the product, but we put that as important to us as a franchise. Making the playoffs is a goal we have not only for on-ice purposes, but making the playoffs is good for the business model because it means more revenue for the team."

Success on the ice was already tested with the long road trip to begin the season, meaning the Rush has had to play a lot of consecutive home games to make up for the imbalance. Rent's concern with the condensed home schedule is that fans will believe that is the way it will always be.

"To condense those 32 (home) games, which are normally over 22 weeks, to what we had to do it over has put a strain on it," he said. "We have had some weekday games that haven't been strong, but we aren't worried about it because as the games spread out, we expect the crowds to increase."

The Rush has enjoyed three sellout crowds since its first home game and had another near sellout, all while averaging 3,880 fans per game this season, which is good for seventh among the 16 teams in the league.

"We knew going in with the schedule the way it was we weren't going to sell out every night, but we are ahead of where we thought we would be," Rent said.

The ability of the crowd to learn the game has impressed Rent for a city that was not rich in hockey tradition before the Rush came. Rent admits that not everyone at the games knows all the rules yet, but he has noticed that more and more fans seem to be picking up on the nuances of the game.

Rapid City has had professional teams come and go before, but Rent believes he has seen signs that the Rush are here for the long haul already.

"People have taken ownership of this hockey team and the Rush is part of Rapid City already," he said. "People are using the term 'we' when they talk about the hockey club and we are only two months into home games. So that is very exciting for me.

"The civic center is committed to the team and the owners signed a 10-year lease. They are local so they go out to eat and go to the same churches as everyone else and look everyone in the eye."

Rent points to the Rushmore Hockey Association and other grass-roots organizations as key to the Rush's success because the kids today are tomorrow's season ticket holders.

While Rent is hoping for a strong finish to this season, he expects next season to be even bigger for the Rush.

"The offseason is going to be big for us because when we go out and talk to businesses, people and players they will know what we are all about now," he said.