Ice Tigers end regular season at home against El Paso Rhinos
Taos looks forward to Classic
Coach Shawn Cisneros and his Taos Ice Tigers wrapped up their 2023-24 season inside the confines of the Taos Youth and Family Ice Rink with a pair of matches against the El Paso Rhinos March 1-2. It was the second time this season that the two teams met, and the second half of the home-and-home arrangement that began with Taos traveling to the West Texas city Feb. 17-18.
Game 1
It took nearly half the first period before any goals were scored in the first game of the final series of the season. Plenty of shots were taken by both teams, but it was the Rhinos who struck first — scoring the initial goal of the match at the 8:57 mark. A mere 11 seconds later, El Paso found the back of Taos’ net again, placing the Ice Tigers at a disadvantage early on. A defensive standoff ensued and the stanza ended in at 2-0 in favor of the Rhinos.
Undeterred, Taos came out strong in the second period and quickly knotted the score with goals at the 11:21 and 8:49 marks. An additional two goals by each team resulted in a 4-4 tie as the stanza came to an end. Ultimately, the Ice Tigers were shut out in the third period and lost the match by a final score of 7-4. In the effort, Rocket Holmes scored two of the goals for Taos. David Vargas and Aiden Stow provided the other two goals, while the combo goal-keeper team of Estevan
Martinez and Cale Childers were credited with 33 saves.
Game 2
On the following day, the two teams hit the ice again, hoping to cap their respective seasons with a victory. Goals from Holmes and
Vargas helped offset the three goals made by the Rhinos in the first period. Three more goals in the second period notched by Holmes, Hayden Greywolf and Gabriella Varos gave Taos the 5-4 lead heading into the final stanza. A pair of goals by El Paso against a single goal garnered by Holmes in the final period meant the match would end in a 6-6 tie. A total of 42 shots on goal were sent toward goalkeeper Childers, who redirected 36 in the equal finish.
During the weekend festivities, the team honored their high school seniors and their parents with gifts and written messages of gratitude. The team will have one more chance to entertain their local fans when the Ice Tigers play host to three teams in the annual Coyote Classic Hockey Tournament, to be held at the Taos Youth and Family Ice Rink March 8-10.
Taos is scheduled to play Los Alamos March 8 at 1 p.m., followed by a match against the New Mexico Ice Wolves on Saturday, March 9 at 10:30 a.m.