Friday: New Mexico Ice Wolves 2 @ El Paso Rhinos 4 – For the series of the regular season your El Paso Rhinos are defending against the visiting New Mexico Ice Wolves! Puck dropped to a cheering crowd and Rhinos took right to the ice to fight for control. Carter Tuplin takes a penalty and gives up a power play opportunity to New Mexico, but our very own Carter Lehmann takes the first point of the night with a shorthanded goal! Just when it looked like it was about to happen again, Kenneth Cadwallader takes yet ANOTHER shorthanded goal a few minutes later to put us up 2-0 over the Ice Wolves. The period wouldn’t be all Rhinos, though, as Alvaro Ramazzini puts the Ice Wolves on the board with three minutes to go. At the end of the first period Rhinos are up 2-1 over the Ice Wolves.
After the first intermission we returned to the second, but there would be no scoring as New Mexico adapted their strategy to meet the Rhinos’ line head-on.
With one more intermission we come back for the final 20 minutes of regulation time. Ice Wolves take one point to tie up the game at the 11:44 mark, but this would be their last chance. Cadwallader takes two more goals over the remainder of the period, the third being on an empty net to earn himself a hattrick with just three seconds to go.
Rhinos take Game 1 with a 4-2 lead.
Saturday: New Mexico Ice Wolves 0 @ El Paso Rhinos 2 – We’re back in the Sun City tonight for game #2 against the Ice Wolves! Marek Gallenberger puts Rhinos on the board first tonight halfway through the first period for a 1-0 lead. Both teams take possession from one another back and forth over the course of the period, but with only a single penalty dished out this period the time ticked down swiftly to the buzzer with no more scoring.
The second is mostly quiet as well with goaltenders on both ends blocking shots, sending us in to the third period with the Rhinos still out in front.
In a very similar situation to last night, Rhinos take an empty net goal with just three seconds to go as Carter Lehmann scores to put us up 2-0 at the end of regulation time. Rhinos take Game #2 @ home.
Sunday: New Mexico Ice Wolves 4 @ El Paso Rhinos 2 – Game #3 is upon us and the Ice Wolves are out to try and sneak in some last second points for the final game of the regular season here in Rhino Country. Cade Tilley starts off the night for New Mexico by taking the first, and only goal of the period with 11:18 left on the clock. We’d head in to the second period with Ice Wolves up 1-0.
Back at it again after the intermission the Rhinos adjust their strategy to counter the Ice Wolves and are ready to rumble once more. Jaxon McKnight ties up the game halfway through the second with the Rhinos’ first goal of the night, the team’s morale now restored. Cutter Daniel follows just a few minutes later to steal back the lead from the Ice Wolves, putting us up 2-1 by second periods’ end.
One more intermission and we’re down to the final 20 minutes of the 2025/26 regular season. Ice Wolves may not be able to take the series, but are ready to fight tooth and nail to take this one last game. Hunzeker Piersimoni brings it back to a 2-2 tie to signal the start of a counterattack. Over the latter half of the game the Ice Wolves’ Brock Seeger doubles the score, rounding out the third period with the Ice Wolves now up 4-2.
That would do it for Game #3, and while Ice Wolves did take the battle, Rhinos won the war and clinch their spot in the Playoffs!.
