Rhinos Are About to Get Thorne-y
Feb. 29, 2012
El Paso, TX – After months of a grueling season filled with travelling, exhaustion, and adrenaline crashes, all the hard work is finally going to be put to the test for the El Paso Rhinos. The post-season has arrived in western Texas and the final push is about to commence for the WSHL’s Holy Grail: The Thorne Cup.
While seeding is still yet to be finalized, there are two things that are certain. One is that the Rhinos have clinched the number 1 seed during the Conference Playoffs, and two is that their opponent will be the New Mexico Renegades. Game one of this best of three begins on March 9th; so with El Paso having no remaining regular season games on the schedule, they have plenty of time to straighten out the blunders of the season finale weekend and get back to their elite level of play.
It has also been determined that the Dallas Ice Jets and the Texas Brahmas will be facing each other in the Conference rounds but it is still yet to be determined who will have home ice advantage. Winner of the El Paso/New Mexico series will play the victor of the Dallas/Texas series.
On top of dealing with the pressures of performing well in playoffs, the city of El Paso is blessed with the opportunity of hosting the grand-daddy of the tournament: The Thorne Cup Finals. Once the Conference champs are crowned and a consolation team has been determined, those four teams will travel to play on the home ice of the Rhinos to see who will take home the hardware.
El Paso has a great shot at winning the Thorne Cup this year. In 2012, nobody has earned more points than the Rhinos and they have only lost four games. The Fresno Monsters and the Idaho Junior Steelheads could prove to be tough competition though if they find their way to Texas this year. Hosting the WSHL’s playoffs is no easy task, but this franchise is certainly up for the challenge.
Matt Prosser, El Paso Rhinos Beat Writer for JuniorHockey.com. Owner of Fifty8 Productions and freelance writer from the San Francisco Bay Area. Voice of California State University, Sacramento Hockey and host of The Sports Cycle with Matt Prosser on KSSU1580 Sacramento. For comments and writing ventures e-mail Matt@Fifty8productions.com. Follow on Twitter @MattProsser58 or visit www.kssusportsycle.com.
