Friday: Tulsa Oilers 1 @ El Paso Rhinos 12 – Oilers are in town this week to do a little prospecting on Rhino turf for the first of a two-game series! The first period is squarely in Rhino control with Mikhail Levaniuk taking point and giving us our first goal of the night at just over a minute in to the game. Carter Tuplin and Donovan Bradford follow closely behind and put the Rhinos up 3-0 with 11:16 left on the clock in the first period. With two more goals courtesy of Drew Reiger and Maxwell Wright we wrap up the first period up 5-0 over the Oilers.
Returning to the ice after the second period Parker Brinner widens the gap just before the Rhinos cede the man advantage to a penalty, giving the Oilers a powerplay opportunity. Even up a player though, the Oilers let one slip past as Carter Lehmann takes a shorthanded goal with just under six minutes to go in the second period. Going into the third period El Paso is up 7-0 over Tulsa.
This game wouldn’t be a blowout though, as right out of the gate in the third period the Oilers’ Alexander Elsner puts them on the board, but they’ve got a long way to go to make up for the 7-1 gap. Unfortunately for Tulsa, the Rhinos would continue the onslaught with Austin McPherson scoring at the 16:08 mark, followed not even a minute later by Tuplin for his second goal of the night. 9-1 now as the clock ticks down and Levaniuk snags himself a goal off a powerplay, followed close behind by Lehmann and Aldiyar Irik for two more. Rhinos round out the third period with a whopping 12-1 lead over the Oilers, taking Game #1.
Rhinos are up 57 shots tonight to Tulsa’s 8 with Goaltender Nathan Graybill taking 7 saves.
Saturday: Tulsa Oilers 2 @ El Paso Rhinos 4 – Rhinos & Oilers hit the ice once more tonight to begin Game #2 of this series! Oilers bolster their defenses tonight in a clear strategy to counter last night’s aggression from the Rhinos. This new tactic does work in their favor for the first ten minutes, but the cracks in the wall are busted down with Carter Lehman taking the first goal of the night with ten minutes left on the clock. Rhinos are up 1-0 and are looking for an opportunity to take another goal. This second score wouldn’t come until late in the period where Carter Tuplin sinks the puck in the net with 1:40 to go in the period, putting the Rhinos up 2-0 by the end of the first.
Oilers’ clap back with a goal of their own after first intermission with Robert Naro putting them on the board. 2-1 now with Rhinos still out front and Aldiyar Irik finds himself in position to make it 3-1 with 7:01 left to go in the second. With no further scoring this period, we move on to intermission and the third period where Irik once again gives us a goal. Rhinos are up 4-1 now and hold on to this lead, but a late game penalty gives the Oilers a power play opportunity where Alexander Elsner cuts the lead in half with 16 seconds to go.
Rhinos come out on top of Game #2 with a 4-2 lead, taking this series with a sweep. El Paso leads with 43 shots on goal to Oilers’ 17 with Goaltender Nathan Graybill ending out his night with 15 saves on those shots.
