Friday: West Texas Wranglers 1 @ El Paso Rhinos 5 – Rhinos & Wranglers face off once again, this time here in Rhino Country. The puck dropped on the weekend to an eager crowd, looking to see some mid-week hockey! Unfortunately for the crowd, the first period is scoreless as Brayden Macko holds back Amarillo for the all 20 minutes. Entering the second period the Rhinos take it further, finally getting the puck in the net with Carter Lehmann being first to score. 1-0 now with 11:16 left in the second and the Rhinos run down the clock where at just under three minutes we take a shorthanded goal, courtesy of Kenneth Cadwallader, followed not even a minute later by Mikhail Levaniuk to make it 3-0.
We return to the ice after second intermission where the Rhinos keep the momentum going. Cadwallader takes his second goal of the night, putting us up 4-0 with 12:54 left to go in the third, and he follows it up with a Hattrick just three minutes later to put the Rhinos up 5-0 with 10:01 left in the third. With one last goal from Justin Fielden for the Wranglers, Rhinos take Game #1 with a 5-1 lead.
West Texas Wranglers 2 @ El Paso Rhinos 3 (OT) – Fresh off last nights’ victory, the Rhinos return to the ice once more to face off against the visiting West Texas Wranglers! Amarillo takes first blood tonight with Zachary Polkes earning himself a goal just four minutes in to the game. The Wranglers’ lead would last throughout the first period, holding back the Rhinos for the entirety of the period. Headed in to the second the Rhinos refuse to let the Wranglers’ goal stay unanswered. With 9:21 left in the second, Mikhail Levaniuk ties up the game at 1-1. In the last few minutes of the second period Amarillo takes a penalty, giving us a powerplay opportunity where Britton Oldham takes the lead for the Rhinos!
We’re up 2-1 over the Wranglers headed in to the second, but this wouldn’t be the last we saw of Amarillo. William Andegren scores himself a shorthanded goal, tying up the game for a second time. With the score knotted up at 2-2, regulation time runs out, sending us in to overtime. With just 1:48 left in overtime, Carter Lehmann scores the game-winning goal for the Rhinos, taking a 3-2 win.
