RAPID CITY - It may have been Thanksgiving but you would have to excuse the Rapid City Rush players if they felt like Christmas came early on Thursday.

Forced to open their inaugural season on a 14-game road trip beginning in October as the Rush's new arena was completed at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center, the team took to its home ice for the first time for a skate-around on Thursday morning.

"It is good, it is bright out there, it is sharp and new, so it is nice," Rush goalie Miguel Beaudry said. "A lot of the rinks in this league are the same and this one is kind of different so it is kind of nice to get out of that cookie-cutter mold."

The players took to the ice at 10 a.m. just as the Zamboni made its final few passes to clean the ice. There were more than a few smiles as players stretched and ran through drills, enjoying home ice for the first time.

"We have been thinking about this since Day 1," Beaudry said. "It is good to be comfortable in your own place and it was nice at Roosevelt (Ice Arena) but it is still not your own home and having your own room. It is nice to finally be here, be able to settle in and see some familiar faces at home games."

The players said that the ice felt like it was being skated on for the first time, but everyone was pleased with how the surface held up.

"For having the coaching staff and 20 bodies out there skating it up and tearing it up, it held up really good," Rush head coach Joe Ferras said of the team's first hour-long session.

The entire building has impressed Ferras and has him wanting to get the home portion of this team's schedule under way more than ever.

"It is a marvelous building and it is a NHL setup," he said. "We are excited to be its anchor tenant. It is a great day all around and a great sigh of relief to know that everything is working right."

Whether it is the locker rooms, the hot tub or simply the greater amount of space, the Rush did not find any fault with their new home.

"It is so nice to move into your home. Everything is so new and we just have so much more space," Rush forward R.G. Flath said.

The Rush announced that they will play their first home game Saturday against the Colorado Eagles in front of a sellout crowd of more than 5,000 fans when the puck drops at 2:05 p.m.

"It feels a lot more like home now," Flath said. "Saturday is going to be crazy … it is going to be rocking and crazy loud."

Now that the Rush has a place to call home, they hope success follows.

"There has been a lot of time and money and commitment put into this setup for the next 10 years and believe me we don't take it lightly," Ferras said. "We are going to work our tails off everyday to make sure they are proud of this hockey club."