(Rapid City, SD) – The Rapid City Rush announced today the return of center Les Reaney and goaltender Tim Boron for the 2011-12 season. The duo led Rapid City’s 2011 playoff run which brought the Rush to within one game of their second consecutive finals appearance.

In Reaney, the Rush bring back their all-time leading scorer and 2010 Presidents’ Cup Playoff Most Valuable Player.

“Getting Les committed to another season with the Rush is very exciting,” said Rush Head Coach Joe Ferras. “He has been working extremely hard this offseason and is determined to build off of his stellar playoff performance and lead the Rush both on and off the ice.”

Last season, Reaney finished third on the team in goals (23), points (49) and penalty minutes (107) in 62 games. He led the Rush during the postseason with 9 goals, 11 assists and 9 powerplay points.

“When Lester is focused and driven, he can undoubtedly be one of the premier players throughout the entire CHL, and this is what I expect to see from him in his fourth season in a Rush uniform,” noted Ferras.

The Ceylon, Saskatchewan native had a breakout season in 2009-10, racking up 28 goals and 58 assists for 86 points and 150 penalty minutes in 64 regular season games. Compared to the rest of the league, Reaney finished fourth in assists and fifth in overall points. Reaney led the Rush in assists (58), points (86) and tied for the team lead with 2 shorthanded goals and finished second in rating (+22), penalty minutes (150), and powerplay points (25).

Reaney’s strong play continued into that postseason, leading the Rush and finishing 2nd overall with 26 points in 17 games en route to the 2010 Presidents’ Cup Championship.

The fourth-year pro began with the Rush in the fall of 2008, appearing in 8 games for Rapid City at the start of the 2008-09 season where he collected 5 goals, including a game-winning goal for the first win in Rush history (10/24 @ CRP).

Boron, heading into his sixth professional season, joined the Rush at the midway point of last season, first appearing on December 18th. Boron made a strong first impression that night, turning away 42 saves in a 4-2 victory over the Arizona Sundogs. The Winnipeg, Manitoba native went on to win his first eight decisions and finish with a very impressive 9-2-0 record during the regular season.

“Getting Timmy signed was a huge priority for us,” continued Ferras. “He came in last year when we were looking for that goaltender to push Danny Battochio, and he came in with a tremendous attitude. His stellar play in both the regular season and in the playoffs, in my opinion, gave us the best two-goalie tandem in the league.”

The netminder’s play carried over into the playoffs where he led all goaltenders with a 2.01 goals-against average and .941 save percentage in 12 games played. In game #4 of the Turner Conference Finals, a game that finished as the fifth longest playoff game in CHL history, Boron broke a league record that stood for over fifteen years, making 68 saves.

“When Danny got injured in the playoffs, this gave Tim his opportunity to show his capabilities and he didn’t disappoint, leading the Rush to within one game of a second consecutive trip to the Presidents’ Cup Finals,” stated Ferras. “As a coaching staff, Mark and I are very excited because Boron and Battochio will give us a chance to win every night.”

In Boron’s rookie campaign of 2006-07, he appeared in 18 games for the Colorado Eagles, finishing with a 13-4-0 record. In 10 playoff games, he led all netminders with a 1.79 gaa and .944 sv%, culminating with a 27-save performance in game six of the Presidents’ Cup finals to secure the Championship over the Laredo Bucks. During that 2007 playoff run, Boron set a CHL record for shutouts in the playoffs.