Wednesday: El Paso Rhinos 2 VS Rochester Jr. Americans 3 – The NAHL Showcase is in full swing this week and your El Paso Rhinos are off to the NSC Super Rink here in beautiful Blaine, Minnesota. Rhinos take the early game and push Rochester to the backfoot and keep them on their toes. Troy Hunka draws first blood for the Rhinos, scoring with just under three minutes to go in the first period for a 1-0 lead as we move in to the second period. The Jr. Americans came back after first intermission with newfound confidence and earn themselves two goals to steal the lead. With just over five minutes to go, Diago Hotta brings it back to a 2-2 tie. Unfortunately for the Rhinos it would ultimately be Rochester with Murray Kanerva scoring the game-winning goal with 8:49 left to go in the third period for a 3-2 victory.
Thursday: Kenai River Brown Bears 4 VS El Paso Rhinos 8 – Rhinos bring it back to the ice here at the Super Rink today as they ready up to face off against the Kenai River Brown Bears. The first period is fraught with scrapes on both sides of the rink but the Bears bring the first goal of the day with 8:17 left on the clock. This first goal came a bit late, but the Rhinos manage to bring it back just a couple minutes later as Nolan Smith ties it up at 1-1 to close out the period. The second period is truly where sparks fly with the Bears taking an early power play off a penalty that converts into a point, making it 2-1 at just one minute in. This lead would not stand though as the Rhino rage is now awakened and El Paso takes two back-to-back goals with Kamden Kaiser and Troy Hunka stealing the lead. With the score now at 3-2, Smith decides to steal one more for a 4-2 lead with 8:37 left to go. Brown Bears fight back though and tie it back up at 4-4 by the end of the third, taking two more over the course of the period. The second intermission is nigh and the Rhinos head to the locker rooms for one last strategy meeting with one goal: crushing defeat. The moment the puck hit the ice the Rhino stampede began with Kaiser taking a goal in just under two minutes followed by Drew Peterson and Jackson Porco later in the period which set the lead at 7-4. Just when it was looking down and the Brown Bears take another power play, we get an amazing shorthanded goal from Nolan Smith at the last moment to win the game with just 12 seconds left on the clock. Rhinos take Game 2 doubling their lead over the Brown Bears with a whopping 8-4 victory.
Friday El Paso Rhinos 3 VS Philadelphia Rebels – The 2025 NAHL Showcase may be wrapping up today but the energy at the Super Rink is in the air as your El Paso Rhinos face off against the Philadelphia Rebels! Simon Nealy starts us off tonight to put the Rhinos first on the board with a goal within the first five minutes of the game and goaltender Jakob Hanlan keeps the Rebels at bay. We’re up 1-0 going in to the second period. Rebels take a penalty early in the second but manage to score a shorthanded goal off it as Ryan Bunting ties up the game at 1-1. Following this we see another penalty but this time on the Rhinos’ end giving Philadelphia’s Jordan Brothers an opportunity to take the lead off of a powerplay goal. At the end of the second period we see the Rebels taking the 2-1 lead, Rhinos trailing behind. After one final intermission both teams return to the ice and stare each other down as the final puck drop takes place. Tommy Shore takes off and ties up the game for the Rhinos and we’ll see a 2-2 scoreboard for the next ten minutes while the fight rages on. Both teams manage to take one more a piece over the next few bouts as Broxton Ingle for the rebels and Shore once more for the Rhinos bring the game to yet another tie, this time at 3-3. With 3:49 left on the clock it would ultimately be the Rebels to take the game-winning goal and Philadelphia would take victory over the Rhinos in this final showcase game 4-3.
