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Game 1

On Friday, the Rhinos opened the season with a 5-0 win over the Snipers. Donald Alchin, assisted by Chaseton Sare and Austin Simpson, scored the first goal of the night. Sare and Simpson also earned helpers on John Doyle’s goal when he netted one at 6:45 in the first period.

Just over six minutes into the second period, Sare tallied a shorthanded goal after Cole Richardson took an elbowing penalty. JC Dubecky followed up with a power play goal, giving the Rhinos a four goal lead. Shortly thereafter, Doyle earned his second point of the game with another shorthanded goal for the Rhinos.

El Paso was held scoreless in the third period, but maintained their five goal lead and went on to shutout the Snipers. The Rhinos outshot the Snipers 51 to 16 with El Paso netminder Filip Krasanovsky stopping every shot he faced.

Game 2

In game two on Saturday, the Rhinos started their offensive attack early when Jayden Ritchie scored only three minutes into the first period. Chaseton Sare and Leeam Tivers, both scoring power play goals, extended the Rhinos’ lead to 3-0. Minutes later, Sare and Dubecky fed the puck to defenseman Colby Haugen who scored as the horn sounded to end the first period.

Lukas Moravsky earned his first goal as a Rhino just before veteran Ty Erramouspe increased the Rhinos’ lead to 6-0 with a power play goal. For the first time of the series, Dallas answered back when Alex Hladonik slipped one past Krasanovsky, squashing hope for a second straight shutout. Until the Snipers’ first goal of the weekend, the Czech goaltender had gone over 92 minutes without allowing a goal.

Max Kamper, Austin Simpson and Adam Stalzer all tallied goals in the third period. Nine different Rhinos earned goals and contributed to the 9-1 win over the Snipers in game two. Despite matching game one’s eight penalties, the Rhinos’ penalty kill remained perfect, and their power play unit finished the game at 60%.

Game 3

The Rhinos, just like in the first two games, remained in Dallas’ zone for the majority of the third game. Unlike the previous games, Dallas scored two goals, giving them a total of 4 points on the series. Kayne Pasquet saw his first start as a Rhino in game three, facing 28 shots and allowing two.

Over sixty minutes on Sunday, Simpson, McCollum (2), Sare, Erramouspe, Ritchie, Kamper, Stalzer (2), and Tivers collectively scored ten goals. El Paso also received 11 penalties for a total of 33 minutes, and Rhino Colby Haugen, along with Dallas’ Trevor Borlace, received game a misconduct for spearing in the second period. Although there was no shortage of time spent on the penalty kill, the Rhinos only gave up one power play goal and even scored shorthanded. With a final score of 10-2 in game three, the Rhinos swept the Snipers, starting the season off 3-0.  

El Paso will look to extend their win streak when they take on the Ontario Avalanche in Palm Springs, CA on Oct. 13, 14, and 15. They will play at 9 pm and Friday and Saturday and the puck will drop for game three at 1 pm on Sunday. For game updates, follow the Rhinos on Facebook (El Paso Rhinos Hockey) and Instagram and Twitter (@el_paso_rhinos).