Rhino forward Ty Erramouspe put the Rhinos on the board during the first period and the defense held that lead until the end of the period. The Eagles, however, posted five unanswered goals in the second and third periods. Dominic Erdt and Bobby Hathcock cut the Eagles’ lead to two with just under seven minutes left in regulation. Northern Coloardo forward Mark Revniaga scored an empty netter with a minute and 12 seconds left to seal the 6-3 win.
On Saturday, both teams played a defensive first period, ending the first twenty minutes knotted at 0. At the 7:51 in the second period, Eagle defenseman Michael Petrotto gave Northern Colorado a one-point lead. Less than three minutes later, Dillon Manchester tied the game at one. A scoreless third period forced the game into overtime. Defenseman Donald Alchin gave the Rhinos the 2-1 win when he slid one past Eagle goalie Marshall Murphy less than a minute into overtime.
The Rhinos’ offensive strength showed Sunday as they posted 7 goals throughout the game. Jonas Burman, Alchin, and Erramouspe all scored in the first period to give the Rhinos a 3-0 lead. Erramoupse and Martin Dubsky extended that lead to five points during the second period before Adam Stalzer and Dubsky got the final two Rhino points in the last period. With only 42.6 seconds left in regulation, Tyler Trombly scored for the Eagles, ending El Paso netminder Nils Velm’s chance of a shutout. With the 7-1 win, the Rhinos also won the series, 2-1.
Both teams will look to settle the score this weekend when the Eagles travel to El Paso for a rematch. The Rhinos, who are currently ranked second in the Midwest Division, enter their final November series with a record of nine wins and three losses. Fourth-ranked Northern Colorado comes to the Sun City with eight wins and seven losses. The puck will drop at 7 pm on Friday and Saturday and at 4:30 pm on Sunday at the El Paso County Coliseum Events Center (4100 E. Paisano). Tickets start at $5 and can be purchased online at Ticketmaster.com or by calling the El Paso County Coliseum Box Office at 915-533-9899.
