The Rhinos headed to Las Vegas, Nevada for the WSHL’s annual Western States Shootout, a showcase that invites hundreds of college scouts to watch players from all WSHL teams. Unlike regular season games, Showcase games only have two twenty-five minute periods.

In their first game of the showcase, El Paso played the five-time Thorne Cup champions, the Idaho IceCats. Going into the series, the IceCats had only suffered two losses at the hands of the Lake Tahoe Icemen and the Rhinos were undefeated.

While El Paso started the game outshooting the IceCats, Idaho’s Lance Herning scored less than three minutes into the first period. Ten minutes later, Colby Haugen evened the game when he put the Rhinos on the board. Chaseston Sare, with the help of Logan Orem and Austin Simpson, gave the Rhinos their first lead of the game when he scored at the eight-minute mark of the first. Lance Herning negated El Paso’s lead with his second goal of the game near the end of the first period.  

Both teams sat with two goals apiece throughout most of the second and final period of the game. With only 1.4 seconds left, Russell Harren slipped one past Krasanovsky, halting the Rhinos’ win streak at 27 games.

The Rhinos-IceCats game saw one of hockey’s biggest oddities: not a single penalty was called. Rhino netminder Filip Krasanovsky saw 23 shots while Idaho’s Tyler Matthews faced 27 shots.

On Wednesday, El Paso will face off against the Ogden Mustangs for their second game of the Showcase.