Wednesday, April 28, 2010 - - PLAYOFF EDITION
Distributed every Monday, Wednesday and Friday until the end of the Ray Miron Presidents’ Cup Playoffs
The Rapid City Rush and the Allen Americans meet tonight in Game 3 of the Ray Miron Presidents’ Cup Finals with the series tied at one win apiece. Tonight marks the first of three straight games at the Allen Event Center where the Americans are 5-2 this post-season. Game’s 4 and 5 are scheduled for Friday/Saturday at the AEC. Game 3 has not been much of an indicator in the past as the team that wins Game 3 has won either the CHL or WPHL Championship 13 of 21 times. The Game 3 winner has won the series in each of the past two seasons and in three of the last four.
Ray Miron Presidents’ Cup Finals Schedule: (Series Tied 1-1)
Rapid City vs. Allen (best-of-7, all times local)
Game 1 – Friday, April 23 – Allen 4 @ Rapid City 1
Game 2 – Saturday, April 24 – Allen 4 @ Rapid City 5 (OT)
Game 3 – Wednesday, April 28 – Rapid City @ Allen, 7:30 PM
Game 4 – Friday, April 30 – Rapid City @ Allen, 7:30 PM
Game 5 – Saturday, May 1 – Rapid City @ Allen, 7:30 PM
*Game 6 – Tuesday, May 4 – Allen @ Rapid City, 6:35 PM
*Game 7 – Friday, May 7 – Allen @ Rapid City, 7:05 PM
* - if necessary
Game 1 – ALN 4 @ RPD 1
Allen goaltender Chris Whitley made 48 saves and the Americans scored four times in the second period to earn the Game 1 win. Nino Musitelli led the way offensively scoring a pair of goals.
Game 2 – ALN 4 @ RPD 5 (OT)
Rapid City defenseman Dave Grimson scored the game-tying goal with less than a minute remaining and Blaine Jarvis scored his first professional playoff OT game winner as the Rush evened the series. Allen’s Chris Whitley made 52 saves in the losing effort. Brendon Hodge and Les Reaney each had three helpers for the Rush.
CHL-TV
Catch all of the Ray Miron Presidents’ Cup Playoffs LIVE on CHL-TV. Individual LIVE games and archives are available as well as packages that allow you to purchase a series at a time. Throughout the post-season, the CHL has partnered with Bieler Bros. Records (www.bilerbros.com) giving each LIVE game or archive purchases a free song download from a Bieler Bros. Records artist and for every package purchase, fans receive a free Bieler Bros. Records CD. Visit http://chltv.insinc.com for more information.
Close Calls
The Americans will play each of the next three games on home ice where they are 5-2 during the post-season. Although they have an impressive home record, the Americans have only outscored the opposition 27-21 in their seven home playoff contests. The line of Justin Bowers, Bruce Graham and Nino Musitelli have combined to score 39 points (14-25=39) with a +22 in the seven home games so far.
Comfortable in Allen
The Rapid City Rush may have lost home-ice advantage but they do have good memories in their only previous visit to the Allen Event Center. On Friday, January 15, the Rush dismantled the Americans 6-1 handing them one of just five regulation losses on home ice during the regular season. Les Reaney scored a pair of third period goals and Scott Wray had a goal and two assists. Danny Battochio stopped 33 of 34 shots earning the win.
Quick Hits
-Nino Musitelli leads all skaters with 12 goals in the post-season (CHL playoff record is 17). He is currently on a four-game goal scoring streak with five scores over that stretch.
-Rapid City’s OT win on Saturday moves their OT record in the post-season to 4-0. Conversely, the Americans are 0-3 in playoff overtime games.
-Allen goaltender Chris Whitley has made 100 saves on 106 shots in the two games combined so far versus Rapid City. The rookie stopped 48 shots in Game 1 and 52 in Game 2. Whitley is 9-7 in the playoffs so far and with his next appearance, he will tie the CHL record for most appearances by a goaltender in a playoffs (Chad Erickson, San Angelo and Steve Plouffe, Fort Worth Fire). Whitley is within reach as well of breaking Erickson’s records for most minutes played and saves in a playoff season.
-The importance of drawing first blood is magnified with the Rush and Americans as the team that strikes first typically wins the game. So far in the playoffs, the Rush and Americans are a combined 14-3 when scoring first and through the first two games of the Finals, the team that scored the first goal won the game.
