The Rhinos made a miraculous recovery in the final game in the Rhinos series on Sunday night.
To start the game, the Thunder made their way onto the scoreboard for a 1-0 lead. Wichita then set themselves ahead by 2 when Trevor McClain scored the second goal of the game. The Rhinos finally put themselves on the scoreboard when Chaseton Sare netted one with just over three minutes remaining in the first.
Rhinos netminder Brendan Cytulik remained in net for the start of the second, however, after allowing two more goals, Tymen Edelkoort replaced him on the ice. With a change in net, the Rhinos notched 4 unanswered goals. Johanson picked up two goals during the second period and Sare earned a hat trick late in the third. Despite the one goal lead late in the third, Wichita’s Zachary Balodis scored with only 23 seconds left, sending the game into overtime.
After the first overtime of 4 on 4 hockey, there was no change in score. During the second 3 on 3 overtime period, Artur Laukaitis, with Alex Johnson on the assist, killed the tie and ended the game with a final score of 6-5. With the game three win over the Thunder, El Paso’s record is now 15-3. They will look for another win as they head to Tulsa to start the series against the Oilers on Thanksgiving day.
-Yazmen McCaskill