Friday: El Paso Rhinos 6 @ New Mexico Ice Wolves 3 – Rhinos are on the road for their first game of the new year and head over to Albuquerque, NM to face off against the New Mexico Ice Wolves. Rhinos take the early game lead thanks to Tory Lund giving us our first goal if the night at just under 4 minutes into the game followed by AJ Reed for a 2-0 lead. Ice Wolves return the favor as Graham Harris cuts the lead in half with a goal at just past 11 minutes, followed not to far behind by Cade DeWolf regaining a 2-point lead for the Rhinos with one more score. We’d head into the second period with the Rhinos ahead 3-1 over the Ice Wolves. This second period would only see two goals as Bradley Walker and Ryan Seelinger giving the Rhinos & Ice Wolves each a goal respectively. As we head into the third period the Ice Wolves make one last play to try and make a comeback, but it would be their third and final goal of the night as Yusaku Ando scores. Rhinos would go on to score twice more as Carson Triggs and Tory Lund both wrap up the game by doubling the score over the Ice Wolves for a 6-3 victory.
Saturday: El Paso Rhinos 4 @ New Mexico Ice Wolves 2 – We’ve got another game today as Rhinos & Ice Wolves take to the ice for Game #2. The first period starts relatively slow and it wouldn’t be until just under 10 minutes where Eddie Shepler puts the Rhinos on the board. With Michael Manzi preventing New Mexico from scoring, we’d move on to the second period with a 1-0 lead. Ice Wolves tie us up at 1-1 in the first five minutes of t he second, but Bolduc brings El Paso back into the lead with a goal of his own. Camden Bajzer gives us one more score before Ice Wolves take their second goal of the period. This exchange left the score at 3-2 with Rhinos out in front. With four seconds remaining in the period, Bradley Walker sneaks in one last goal to set us at 4-2 as we await the third period. With no more scoring tonight, the game would be set with a Rhino victory.
Sunday: El Paso Rhinos 4 @ New Mexico Ice Wolves 2 – Rhinos & Ice Wolves take to the ice one last time this series for game #3! Ice Wolves take the early game today with two goals in the first period as Michael Schermerhorn and Graham Harris take a goal each. Moving on to the second period the Rhinos put themselves on the board and take two goals of their own to tie up the game courtesy of Bradley Walker and James Hooley. The third period would start with a 2-2 tie and some fierce competition as now both teams vie for control of the match. It wouldn’t be until deep into the period where the Rhinos steal the lead from the Ice Wolves as Tory Lund gives us a goal at the 18:32 mark, followed by Paavo Hiltunen to make it 4-2 in the last 30 seconds of the game. Rhinos take the series with a 3-game sweep with a final score of 4-2.
