The Tahoe Knight Monsters played the Rapid City Rush on Saturday. The game was at The Monument. The Tahoe Knight Monsters were fourth in the Mountain Division with a record of 34-30-7. The Tahoe Knight Monsters are the ECHL affiliate of the Vegas Golden Knights. The Tahoe Knight Monsters were coming off an overtime loss to the Rapid City Rush. The Rapid City Rush were in sixth place in the Mountain Division with a record of 29-35-7. The Rapid City Rush are the ECHL affiliate of the Calgary Flames. The Rapid City Rush were coming off an overtime win over the Tahoe Knight Monsters. This was the last game of the 2025-26 regular season for both teams.
Alex Tracy got the start in net for the Tahoe Knight Monsters. It was his fourth game played for Tahoe this season. Nathan Torchia got the start in net for the Rapid City Rush. It was his tenth game played of the season for Rapid City.
Thirteen minutes into the game, the Rapid City Rush scored the first goal of the game. The goal was scored by Ryan Wagner. His goal was assisted by Quinn Olson and Ryan Chyzowski.
With under five minutes left in the opening period, Sean Strange of Rapid City was called for tripping. The Rapid City Rush were leading the game 1-0 after the first period.
A minute into the second period, the Tahoe Knight Monsters scored to tie the game. The goal was scored by Jordan Gustafson. His goal was assisted by Trent Swick.
Five minutes into the second period, the Rapid City Rush scored to retake the lead. The goal was scored by Mitchell Smith. His goal was unassisted.
Eight minutes into the second period, Kaelan Taylor scored to tie the game for the Knight Monsters. His goal was assisted by Devon Paliani and Connor Marritt.
Nine minutes into the second period, Tucker Ness of Tahoe was called for fighting. At the same time, Garrett Klotz of Rapid City was also called for fighting.
Midway through the second period, Aidan De La Gorgeniere scored to give the Knight Monsters their first lead of the game. His goal was assisted by Jake McGrew and Jordan Gustafson.
With under seven minutes to go in the second period, Connor Marritt scored to give the Knight Monsters a two-goal lead. His goal was assisted by Linden Alger and Devon Paliani.
With under six minutes left in the second period, Kevin Wall scored for the Knight Monsters. His goal was assisted by Samuel Huo and Kaelan Taylor.
With under five minutes left in the second period, Ryan Wagner scored an unassisted goal for the Rush. This brought the lead back down to two goals.
The Tahoe Knight Monsters were leading the game 5-3 heading into the third period.
Four minutes into the third period, Samuel Huo scored to give the Tahoe Knight Monsters. His goal was assisted by Aiden De La Gorgendiere and Alex Tracy.
Midway through the final period, Jake Durflinger of Tahoe was called for interference. On the power play, Brett Davis scored for the Rapid City Rush. His goal was assisted by Brett Davis and Clay Hanus.
With under seven minutes left in the game, Manurizio Colella of Rapid City was called for high-sticking. With under three minutes left in the game, Briley Wood of Rapid City was called for hooking. The final score was 6-4, Tahoe Knight Monsters.
https://echl.com/videos/tahoe-knight-monsters-vs-rapid-city-rush-apr-18-2026
The Tahoe Knight Monsters finished the regular season with a win. The Rapis City Rush scored first in this game. They held onto their lead going into the second period. The Tahoe Knight Monsters tied the game early in the second period. The Rush were able to retake the lead. The Knight Monsters scored four goals in a row to take a commanding lead. The Rush did get one more before the third period. The Knight Monsters scored early again in the third period. The Rush scored one more to finish the game on the power play. The Knight Monsters dominat offensive performance in the second period won this game. Losing to the Rush has been a consistent thing for Tahoe all season. So it was nice to see the team lock in. Consistency has been the main issue all season for Tahoe. The offense has not been performing at this level every game. I hope that this performance is not a one-off. I hope they can carry this level of offensive play into the playoffs. The Knight Monsters have allowed high amounts of shots almost every game all season. They need to either tighten up on defense or find a way to outscore their opponents consistently, or it will be a short playoff run. I am glad Tahoe won. I hope it was not their last win of the season.
The Tahoe Knight Monsters outshot the Rapid City Rush 39-38. The Knight Monsters had the better shot percentage. Tahoe went 0 for 3 on the power play. Rapid City went 1 for 1 on the power play. Tahoe had two penalties totalling in seven minutes. Rapid City had four penalties totaling eleven minutes. Alex Tracy saved 34 of 38 shots for a 895 Save percentage for Tahoe. Nathan Torchia saved 33 of 39 shots for a save percentage of 85% for Rapid City.
The Tahoe Knight Monsters finished the regular season with a record of 35-30-7 with 77 points after 72 games. The Knight Monsters finished the regular season in fourth place in the ECHL Western Conference Mountain Division. The Knight Monsters finished in eighteenth place overall in the ECHL. The Knight Monsters finished ninth in the Western Conference. Tahoe finished seven points into a playoff spot. That is the largest gap between fourth and fifth place in any ECHL division this season. Tahoe finished 38 points back from the top spot in the division, conference, and overall league standings. Tahoe would have missed the playoffs if they were in the Eastern Conference’s North Division or the Western Conference’s Central Division. In the overall league standings, the Kalamazoo Wings, the Trois-Rivières Lions, and Worcester Railers all finished ahead of the Tahoe Knight Monsters but did not qualify for the playoffs. The Savannah Ghost Pirates are the only playoff team to finish the regular season behind Tahoe in the overall standings. The Tahoe Knight Monsters had six more wins last season. They had five fewer losses. They had one fewer overtime or shootout loss. They had eleven more points last season. The finished one spot lower in the division standings compared to last season. They finished four spots lower in the conference standings compared to last season. They finished eight spots lower in the league overall compared to last season. There was a noticeable drop-off in performance this season. The Tahoe Knight Monsters will be a number four seed going into the ECHL Kelly Cup Playoffs. The Tahoe Knight Monsters first-round playoff opponent will be the Kansas City Mavericks.
The regular season is now over. The playoffs start this week.
Zac Electrifly 
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