Friday: El Paso Rhinos 4 @ Corpus Christi Ice Rays 2 – We’d like to extend a big welcome to our friends cross-state as the Corpus Christi Ice Rays make the trip to the Sun City! Rhinos & Rays hit the ice tonight with a hunger for battle. Ice Rays are up first tonight though, taking a goal with just 4:40 left to go in the first as Nick Sinani sinks one in the net. Scoreboard reads 1-0 transitioning to the second period where the Rhinis’ Raphael Laviolette snaps back for El Paso, tying up the game at 1-1 just two minutes in. As the fight rages on Brendan Murray pulls the team forward in to the lead to put the Rhinos up 2-1 at the end of the period. The puck drops down on the third period and both teams now have the victory within reach, but Easton Swift threads the needle and ties the game back up for the second time today at 2-2. Murray once more takes the lead for the Rhinos and one last second goal by Jackson Potulny means El Paso’s score is Doubled, securing the victory.
Saturday: El Paso Rhinos 5 @ Corpus Christi Ice Rays 3 – Back at again for the second time this weekend your El Paso Rhinos hit the Ice Ray’s home turf looking to go for back-to-back wins. Puck dropped promptly at 7:05 tonight and we’d see nearly a full period of action with no goal as both teams fight for possession of the puck. Marc-Alexandre Richard starts off the scoring tonight for the Rays by taking a goal with just two minutes to go in the first period. Corpus Christi held on to this 1-0 lead for the remainder of the period as we move on to the second. Rhinos come back from the locker rooms ready to square off and at just four minutes in to the period Aidan Bergner puts us on the board. Within the next minute both teams decided it was time to step it up and the pace of the game accelerated, giving us yet another tie, this time at 2-2 with 15:19 left on the clock in the period. The goals were awarded to Nick Sinani (Rays) and Troy Hunka (Rhinos) respectively. Charles turner makes it 3-2 for the Rhinos at just past the half way point of the game, but a few mistakes just a few minutes later give the Ice Rays a powerplay opportunity. Johnny Maruna uses the man advantage to the fullest and with just 2:09 left to go in the second ties up the game for a third time. Stamina plays a huge part for these long grind games and the cracks start to show in the Ice Rays’ formation and we’d head in to the third with the Rhinos still full of energy. Greyson Settipane finds himself in the perfect position for a goal early in the third and fires away to make it 4-3, Rhinos out in front. With one final goal from Bergner the Rhinos take Game #2 with a 5-3 victory.
