It's one thing to look at the glass and see it as half full because the boys are still within striking distance of a playoff spot. But the pessimist in me however knows the Rush are fighting an uphill battle and the news they got this week only makes their assent that much steeper. After a very successful 3 week home stand the Rush hit the road this week looking to improve upon an abysmal 5-7-2 record away from the Civic Center.

     The organization got some bad news on Thursday when it was announced that Carl Hudson would be leaving the team to play for the German team ESV Kaufbeuren. The next day the boys rolled into Dayton and lost 3-2 in an overtime shootout. After that game the organization got even more bad news when they learned that the team's leading scorer Jesse Schultz would miss a minimum of four weeks with a MCL injury. On Saturday they had a chance to even this week's record in Bloomington but they were handed a 4-2 loss by the Blaze.

     Let's take a look at the updated Turner Conference standings. Evansville has overtaken Ft. Wayne for the top spot in the conference. The Komets fall into second followed by Missouri and Quad City. The Rush currently sit in fifth place in the conference however it is worth noting that Rapid City has played in a conference low 37 games this season which is up to 4 fewer games than some of their conference foes. The boys will have their hands full this week with four games on the road starting tomorrow night at Bloomington.

Cory J. Coppock