El Paso took all six points from its three games this weekend, improving to 22-0-2 with 46 points to keep its lead in the Mid-West Division, beating the San Antonio Diablos (17-10-3, 37 points, third place), 7-4, at the Sierra Providence Events Center Sunday.

Arthur Hollinger picked up his 13^th win between the pipes asEl Paso ’s defense was notably better than in the Rhinos two prior wins in the series. El Paso had to erase a two-goal, then a three-goal deficit Friday and Saturday, respectively. But the Rhinos never trailed Sunday, grabbing their first early lead of the series on Costi Hinn’s seeing-eye shot at 3:30 of the first period.

Hayden Kowalski scored the hat trick with a goal in each period and, for the second straight game, the El Paso Rhinos found a way back to win, as the Rhinos came from behind to beat the San Antonio Diablos, 6-4, staying ahead ofTulsa in the Mid-West Division.

The Rampage (20-7-2, 42 points) are nipping at El Paso ’s heels, but the Rhinos (21-0-2, 44 points) have six games in hand.

As they did Friday, the Diablos grabbed the initial lead. Edgar Soto beat El Paso goaltender Arthur Hollinger at 6:28 of the first, unassisted, to open the scoring.

Kowalski equalized at 11:11, assisted by Austin Balko and Zach Kohn, and this turned into a theme – pieces of the line would account for all six Rhinos goals on the evening.

However, Soto grabbed the lead for San Antonio at 11:48 of the first period, followed by Malcolm Richards just 1:21 into the second, followed by Peter Cardasis on the power play at 8:05 of the second, and for the first time this season, the Rhinos trailed their opponents by three goals, 4-1.

Again, though, El Paso answered the challenge, doing so in grand fashion.

The El Paso Rhinos know the rest of the Western States Hockey League is gunning for them. Upstarts in just their second season, head coach Cory Herman’s Rhinos not only won the Mid-West Division title in the team’s first year, they went all the way to the Silver Cup tournament – Junior B hockey’s national championship – assuring the team of being the gunfighter everyone wanted to challenge when the league moved up to Junior A this season.

Sure enough, the San Antonio Diablos have come to El Paso looking to challenge the Mid-West Division’s top gun. Seeing its first action in three weeks, El Paso was a little slow on the draw and off on its aim facing the Diablos. Fortunately for the Rhinos, they got six shots – and six goals – as goaltender Arthur Hollinger finally nailed the coffin shut in game one after Marcus Wilhite’s goal in shootout started the Diablos on their journey to Boot Hill.