The Rhinos set team records for goals scored as well as margin of victory as goaltender Anthony Natali got his second shutout of the season stopping all nine Cajun Catahoulas shots on goal.
This three-game series was to have been played in Lafayette, LA, but ice problems forced the Catahoulas to make the journey to El Paso instead. With prior commitments at theSierra-ProvidenceEventsCenter , Friday’s and Saturday’s start times were 10:30 p.m.
Credit Parkyn’s heart, as the Calgary native has faced 130 shots in two nights of action.
Second Star goes toHarrison ’s linemate, centerman Jefferey Schmudlach, who also had a five-point effort with two goals and three assists.
Catch live game-tracking of Sunday’s game at www.pointstreak.com. Just key “WSHL” into the hockey searchbar and follow the links. The game can also be seen with a subscription at www.elpasorhinos.com
El Pasoan J.R. Arnett was Third Star of the Game, scoring his second goal of the season and contributing two assists.
Natali picks up win number 17 on the season, dropping his goals-against average to a miniscule 1.88, second in the Western States Hockey League.
Four of the top ten scorers in the WSHL wear the Rhinos uniform – Marcus Wilhite, tied for fourth (33 goals, 44 assists), Zach Kohn right behind Wilhite at sixth in the league (23 goals, 49 assists), then Hayden Kowalski (35 goals, 32 assists) and Austin Balko (33 goals, 34 assists) tied for ninth.
New Rhinos forward Parker Harrison was named First Star of the Game for his hat trick, and along with two assists,Harrison finished the night with five points.
Adding to the visitors’ pain is an injury-riddled lineup that has also suffered numerous defections. Lafayette suited up only eight skaters and goalie Brenden Parkyn, but has toughed out two games in two nights with one more to come Sunday afternoon.
Sunday’s series-ender will start at the normal time of 5:30 p.m. MST.
