Chad Cesarz had five goals to lead El Paso Rhinos to an 11-3 victory over Wichita Jr. Thunder.
Cesarz's first goal came 5:09 into the second period. He then added goals at 8:05 into the second, at 14:46 into the second, at 6:44 into the third, and at 9:51 into the third.
El Paso Rhinos pulled out the victory even though it was hit with 35 penalty minutes.
El Paso Rhinos' penalty kill was spotless, allowing no goals on eight Wichita Jr. Thunder power plays. El Paso Rhinos' offense rang up 63 shots on Wichita Jr. Thunder's net. El Paso Rhinos' goal total was higher than its season average. El Paso Rhinos averages 6.7 goals per game.
El Paso Rhinos also got points from David Nelson, who also had one goal and one assist, Trey Hughes, who also grabbed one goal and one assist, and Peter Plesa, who also finished with two goals and one assist. Others who scored for El Paso Rhinos included Nick Plesa and Scott Oelkers, who scored one goal each. In addition, El Paso Rhinos received assists from Eliot Herz, Tom Bartel, Andrew Bradford, Jeremy Rezaeepour, Chris Wilhite, and Nick Wright, who contributed one a piece.
El Paso Rhinos was unable to stop Wichita Jr. Thunder from sending pucks towards the net, and Wichita Jr. Thunder eventually piled up 38 shots on goal.
Wichita Jr. Thunder was helped by Braden Smith, who registered one goal and one assist. Smith scored 22 seconds into the first period to make the score 1-0 Wichita Jr. Thunder. Keegan Hull assisted on the tally. Wichita Jr. Thunder additionally got points from Carter Suski, who also had one goal and one assist. John Crusinberry also scored for Wichita Jr. Thunder. More assists for Wichita Jr. Thunder came via Joel Gellvear and Layton Dornn, who each chipped in one.
El Paso Rhinos' Isaak Tjaden stopped 35 shots out of the 38 that he faced. El Paso Rhinos registered one goal on four power play opportunities. Marco Medina rejected 52 shots on goal for Wichita Jr. Thunder. Wichita Jr. Thunder ended with 17 minutes in penalty time with six minors and one major.
