RECAP: 2019 Thorne Cup Finals

04/14/2019


The El Paso Rhinos successfully defended their Western States Hockey League championship, defeating Ogden in the final game for the second year in a row.

OGDEN, Utah - Final Score: El Paso 2, Ogden 0 – Richie Parent posted a 23-save shutout and Martin Dubsky scored the game-winning goal early in the second period as the El Paso Rhinos won their fourth Thorne Cup championship with a 2-0 win over the Ogden Mustangs on Saturday. 

The Rhinos successfully defended their Western States Hockey League championship, defeating Ogden in the final game for the second year in a row.

The first period went by without either team scoring. El Paso held an 11-7 edge in shots on goal.

El Paso’s Jonas Burman set up Dubsky on a two-on-one and he one-timed a shot up over Artur Ogandzhanyan’s blocker at the 5:31 mark of the second period.  It was the only goal of the first 58:42 of the game.

Ogandzhanyan did a fantastic job, stopping 24 of 25 shots, but Parent was perfect at the other end of the rink.

As the third period wore on with the Rhinos still leading 1-0, the Mustangs dialed up the pressure. Ogden’s Shane Gilbert hit the far post from the top of the left circle with just over nine minutes to go and there were a few pucks that trickled just wide with traffic in front of Parent, but none of them found their way into the net. The Mustangs out-shot El Paso 8-4 in the final frame.

With a faceoff in the El Paso zone with just under two minutes to go in the game, the Mustangs took the opportunity to pull Ogandzhanyan for the extra attacker. With 1:22 left on the clock the Rhinos won a faceoff at their own blue line and Max Kamper slid the puck all the way down the ice and into the empty net to seal the victory for El Paso.
The Rhinos also won the Thorne Cup in 2008, 2014 and 2018.
 
--- Compiled by Scott Harrington for Harrington Sports Media