EL PASO, Texas – The Oklahoma Warriors blanked the El Paso Rhinos 3-0 to earn their 100th franchise win, and 15th straight Saturday at the El Paso County Events Center.
Dylan Johnson kept the Rhinos off the board early with a cross-crease, toe save as El Paso snuck into the zone on a 2-on-1. Through the rest of the period, the netminder added four more and though Oklahoma led in the shot column 11-5, the squads headed into the first intermission knotted in a scoreless game.
Oklahoma broke the ice for the game’s first goal on its 28th shot on goal. Late in the middle frame, Owen Baumgartner helped win a board battle and sent the puck to Hunter Jones off Blaise Miller’s skate. Jones promptly flicked a shot from near the blueline, and it found its way into the top of the net to give the Warriors a 1-0 lead with just 41 seconds remaining in the second.
William Lawson-Body extended his team’s lead late in the third period when he scored off a give-and-go with Brendan Williams with 6:54 remaining. Johnson held off the Rhinos with a flurry of saves before Owen Dyer soared in an empty-net goal for his first of the season off a Lawson-Body faceoff win with 25 seconds left, cementing the historic franchise win.
The Warriors will be back in action for a three-in-three against the New Mexico Ice Wolves and Lone Star Brahmas at Blazers Ice Centre February 24-26.