Wednesday: El Paso Rhinos 4 @ New Mexico Ice Wolves 7 – Rhinos hit the road for two mid-week games today as we make way for Albuquerque, New Mexico: Home of the Ice Wolves. Ice Wolves engage in some pack hunting this evening taking the first goal off the night on man advantage after being offered a Power Play with Hunzeker Piersimoni drawing first blood. Caleb Debruyne follows behind and make it 2-0 Ice Wolves with 6:24 left in the first. Rhinos announce their presence with Nick Nunez taking a late period goal to cut the lead in half. At the end of the first period Rhinos trail behind the Ice Wolves at 2-1.
Andrew Golsin ties it up at 2-2 at just over two minutes in to the second period but New Mexico’s defenses hold firm and for the next ten minutes not a single goal would be seen. That is until the Ice Wolves are hit with a roughing penalty, giving Carter Tulpin the perfect chance to seize a power play goal to take the lead. Unfortunately two goals in the later half of the period from the Ice Wolves (Alex Ihling & Ryan Hoogsteen) the lead is lost. 4-3 headed in to the third but the game’s not over yet!
Donovan Bradford surprises everyone with a goal from a near-impossible shallow angle, barely making contact with the opposing goaltender’s pads and tying up the game for the Rhinos at 4-4. That play would go on to kick the game’s pace up for the Ice Wolves and they’d go on to score two more times over the course of the next few minutes as Jackson Antonelli and Brock Seeger break away to make the score 6-4 with eight minutes to go in the third. Ryan Hoogsteen puts the final nail in the coffin, taking the last goal of the night for the Ice Wolves and securing a 7-4 victory for New Mexico.
Thursday: El Paso Rhinos 3 @ New Mexico Ice Wolves 2 – Back on the ice for Game 2 the Rhinos take on the Ice Wolves for the second time this week. Ice Wolves are up first today with Tanner Ross taking the early lead at just over two minutes in to the first. Rhinos answer in kind just a few minutes later as Huero Rivera ties it up at 1-1. Donovan Bradford rounds out the period with another at 5:44 to put El Paso up 2-1 at the end of the first. Defense holds up on both ends of the ice and the second period is scoreless, sending us in to period 3 with Rhinos still up 2-1. Deep in to the third Ice Wolves get slapped with a penalty but manage to eke out a shorthanded goal from Jacob Wenner to tie it at 2-2 with 6:28 left on the clock, but Bradford brings it back for El Paso and steals back the lead. Final score is Rhinos up 3-2 over the Ice Wolves.
