Sunday: Texas Brahmas 3 @ El Paso Rhinos 4 – Brahmas pay the Rhinos a visit this weekend for an early week showdown in Rhino Country! Nick Nunez started off the night six minutes in to the game by sniping the puck in the net past Brahmas defense for our first point. Lady luck has other things in store though as Carter Tuplin gets himself caught with a cross-checking penalty not even 30 seconds later, putting the Brahmas up a man for a powerplay. Xavier Othon seizes the opportunity to tie up the game in the Brahmas’ favor with just under twelve minutes left in the period. Not too long after the Brahmas steal the lead with Benjamin Humphreys earning himself a point too. At the end of the first Rhinos are trailing behind the Brahmas 2-1.
Second period was mostly crickets heard all around save for one brawl right in the middle. This fight led to Rhinos gaining some momentum from a powerplay where Cutter Daniel ties up the game at 2-2, however this would be the only goal of the second period.
After one last intermission both teams return to the ice and the Rhinos find themselves ready to push for the win. Kenneth Cadwallader takes back the lead for us with 17:41 to go in the period, but this wouldn’t be the last we’d see of the action. Tucker Sarkisian snags one more for our boys in orange to double our lead over the Brahmas at 4-2 with 13:23 left on the clock. With one last goal from the Brahmas’ Tyler Conrad the final score is Rhinos 4 – Brahmas 3.
Rhinos are up 41 shots on goal tonight over Brahmas 28 with goaltender Brayden Macko saving 25.
Monday: Texas Brahmas 2 @ El Paso Rhinos 1 (OT) – A rare Monday game is on the table today as the Rhinos & Brahmas are ready to settle this series out on the ice! Both teams hit the ice fresh off last nights’ game with a new understanding of each other’s mindset, leading to a back-and-forth game of zone control with no end in sight. It wouldn’t be until the last three minutes of the game where the Brahmas’ Patrick Garvey breaks the stalemate and puts them up 1-0 at the end of the first.
The second period seems to be a repeat of the first, but more and more penalties stack up on both sides until it eventually exploded in a full on fight. Rhinos do come out at the tail end of the period with a powerplay goal from Carter Lehmann to tie up the score at 1-1 by second periods’ end.
The deadlock returns in the third and both teams vie for possession of the puck, piling players on one another to take space. Unfortunately for both teams we’re sent in to extra time where Joshua Reaska takes the final point in favor of the Brahmas. Rhinos fall tonight to the Brahmas who lead 2-1 in Game 2.
Rhinos are up 47 S.O.G. tonight over Brahmas 35 and Brayden Macko walks away with 33 saves.
