Friday: El Paso Rhinos 6 @ Shreveport Mudbugs 3 – Rhinos are off to Louisianna this weekend lookin’ to fish up some Mudbugs and whip up a storm on the ice for the first of two games this weekend! Gaige Giblin is first in line taking the first goal of the evening at just past the halfway point in the first period. 1-0 headed in to the second and the Mudbugs didn’t take too kindly to our intrusion on their home ice. Vincent Diiulio answers back for the Mudbugs, tying up the game at 1-1 with the clock reading 13:21 left in the second. Troy Hunka brings it back under control for the Rhinos, sinking his puck in the net just a few minutes later to put the Rhinos up 2-1. Ian Kastamo and Jackson Potulny double down on the lead and by period’s end the Rhinos are up 4-1 over the bugs.
Kamden Kaiser keeps the ball rolling in the third period for a 5-1 lead, but the Mudbugs aren’t out of steam just yet. With just three minutes to go the Mudbugs launch their final offensive with Johnathon Berndt leading the charge and scoring off a powerplay, followed not too far behind by Evan Hoglund. Unfortunately for the Mudbugs this would be all they could muster for the night. Kastamo takes one more for the Rhinos by period’s end, bringing the final score to 6-3, Rhinos taking the win.
Saturday: El Paso Rhinos 3 @ Shreveport Mudbugs 4 – We’re back on the ice today for the second game of the series and the Mudbugs are out for blood after last night’s Rhino victory on their home turf. Rhinos take the early game lead tonight with Troy Hunka taking a power play goal just three minutes in to the period. Goaltender Ethan Phillips holds off 8 shots from the Mudbugs through the period and we’d enter first intermission at 1-0, Rhinos leading. The second period is all bugs though as Owen Case and Chase Secriskey snatch the lead out of the Rhinos’ hands and end the second period with a 2-1 lead.
With the clock ticking down its looking to be a definitive Mudbugs win, but two back-to-back goals from the Rhinos’ Raphael Laviolette and Ethan Woolcott the game is flipped back into El Paso’s hands. Shreveport puts up one final play as Evan Hoglund scores a late-game goal to tie up the game at 3-3, sending us in to overtime. Extra time is even more tense, neither team able to pin down a favorable position, sending us into a shootout where the Mudbugs’ Duke Ehrhard would ultimately take the final goal of the night. Mudbugs win this one 4-3.
