Rush savoring final four status

by Jim Holland (Rapid City Journal)

The Rapid City Rush will take a couple of days to savor their four-game sweep of Missouri before focusing on the next challenge — Bossier-Shreveport — in the Central Hockey League’s Northern Conference finals.

The first game of the conference finals between conference regular-season champion Rapid City and third-seeded Bossier-Shreveport is set for 7:05 p.m. on Saturday at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Ice Arena. Game 2 will feature the first Sunday home game in Rush franchise history at 5:05 p.m. on April 11.

The series then shifts to the CenturyTel Center in Bossier City, La., for Game 3 through Game 5, returning if necessary to Rapid City for Game 6 and Game 7.

“We’ll take today and the next to enjoy this, and then it’s back to business,” said Rapid City Rush coach Joe Ferras on Saturday, the day after Rapid City’s epic 7-6 overtime triumph over the Mavericks.

“Anytime you can rest bodies and get in a good week of practice, you’ll take it,” he said. “We want to have a high-paced week of practice, because we know on Saturday night the games are going to be so intense.”

Both the Rush and Mudbugs are coming off four-game sweeps in the conference semifinals. Rapid City started the best-of-seven series winning a pair on the road, then returned to the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Ice Arena to complete the series with victories on Wednesday and Friday.

“The league is 15 teams and by the time the next weekend rolls around it’s down to four teams (in the playoffs),” Ferras said. “It’s pretty exciting stuff.”

Bossier-Shreveport also put the broom to good use against the Colorado Eagles. The Mudbugs negated the Eagles’ home-ice advantage, stealing both series-opening games at Colorado, then sealed it with a pair of wins at home.

“Bossier has as much time off as us, so they want to try to stay as sharp as possible,” Ferras said.

Rush forward Les Reaney who scored twice and added a pair of assists in Friday’s clincher, including the game-winning goal 2:29 into the extra frame, is glad for the breather after a hard-fought semifinal round.

“There’s a lot of bumps and bruises,” Reaney said. “We’re going to take this week and use it to our advantage and hopefully be 100 percent against Bossier.” 

The Rush won all five regular season games against the Mavericks and kept the unbeaten string going in the playoffs.

Bossier-Shreveport is a different story. In just three matchups with the Mudbugs, Rapid City has an overtime win, a regulation loss and a shootout loss.

“They’ve got so much history behind them and we know how hard they work,” said Ferras of Bossier-Shreveport. “We thought Missouri never quit. This team will be coming all night long at us.”

We’ve got a great opportunity to play an unbelievable hockey club. We’re 1-1-1 against them so it’s going to be a tight battle. We’re expecting a long series and I’m sure they are too.”