Friday Corpus Christi 0 @ El Paso Rhinos 1 – Rhinos host the IceRays for the start of a new series here in El Paso. Both teams brought their A-Game with neither even letting a single score go for the first two periods of the game, but this isn’t to say it wasn’t interesting. Over the course of the first two period the tensions were slowly growing with a few minor penalties being handed out. It wouldn’t be until the 3rd period that Frank Tafelski would finally break the stalemate with the only goal of the night at the 7:37 mark. Nolan Suggs would take the home the first star of the game tonight with 21 saves.
Saturday: Corpus Christi 5 @ El Paso Rhinos 6 OT – Rhinos & Ice Rays battled it out for a second time tonight with a high-scoring, high-octane game! Rhinos come out of the gate with an early game goal by Frank Tafelski followed shortly behind with a second by AJ Reed. The goals went unanswered for most of the period until Stepan Kuznetsov put the Ice Rays on the board to end the period with a 2-1 Rhino lead at the end of the first. The second period immediately saw action as Peteris Purmalis scored for the Ice Rays within just 13 seconds of the period starting. Frank Jenkins went on to steal the lead away from the Rhinos temporarily until the game was brought to a tie by the Rhinos’ Kolby Amici. Leonhard Korus would edge out one more goal before the 2nd period would end with the score now at a margin 4-3 Ice Rays lead. Rhinos would come back to the ice with determination as Jacob Roberson scores followed by AJ Reed to take his second goal of the night. Not willing to let their opponents keep this lead the Ice Rays’ Blake Lewis tied up the game one last time at 5-5, throwing the game into overtime. With one final push in overtime the Rhinos would come out on top as Bo Cosman scores the game winning goal at the 3:03 mark. The final score: El Paso Rhinos 6, Corpus Christi 5.
