Rhinos 14, Knights 2

Feb 4, 2012

GILBERT, AZ — John Morales and Matt Pietrzykowski notched hat tricks while teammates Matt Tritsch and Chris Wilhite scored two goals each as the El Paso Rhinos dominated the Phoenix Knights, 14-2, Friday night.

Rhinos’ goaltender Trent Caspar stopped 23 of 25 Phoenix shots to earn his 14th win this season.

El Paso (27-7-1, 55 points) improves its lead over the idle Dallas Ice Jets (24-9-4, 52 points) in the Western States Hockey League’s Mid-West Conference with the victory.

The Rhinos outshot the Knights, 70-25, on the niBrett Galley, after the 11th goal in the third period. Galley gave a valiant effort in defeat, facing 56 shots before Pietrzykowski scored his hat trick goal at 10:56, ending the goalie’s night.

The teams play twice more. Saturday’s game will also be heard in the El Paso area via 600 ESPN El Paso and online at 600ESPNElPaso.com. Face-off is at 6:45 p.m. MST. Fans can also download the free RadioPup app to listen to the game on their iOS or Android devices.

The Rhinos and the Knights end the series Sunday morning at 11:30 a.m. MST.