After a convoy of Rhinos beat the New Mexico Renegades, 9-1,
Friday night, a convoy of Rhinos made the drive to Rio Rancho, NM, to witness
two more El Paso wins Saturday and Sunday.
El Paso
Rhinos’ fans pitched in to rent the team’s secondary bus, following the players
for the drive up to the Albuquerque suburb for the final two games of the
weekend series, rekindling a decade-old hockey rivalry that dates back to both
cities' days as hosts to minor pro franchises.
The fans
came back happy, as the Rhinos won both Saturday night and Sunday afternoon –
running their Mid-West Division-best record to 16-2-0 for 32 points.
Ironically,
in the 1990's, it was a team named for a species of bird happy to be last that
gave El Paso its first taste of ice hockey in 20-plus years. Plenty of fans of the old
Buzzards still hung around after the team faded away, too, hoping someday for
competitive hockey’s return.
Former
Buzzards winger Cory Herman gave them their wish in 2006, having patiently
worked with a few kids from the old Buzzards youth program beginning in 2000,
eventually creating an entirely new entity – the Rhinos.
In its
three complete seasons, El Paso has garnered three straight division championships, winning the Western States
Hockey League’s Thorne Cup in 2008.
While many
Buzzards were old pros on the downside of their careers, the Rhinos play in the
American junior hockey system – young men in their late teens and early
twenties, vying for college hockey scholarships.
And, while
a few El Pasoans still have a sour taste in their mouths after the Buzzards
pecked away at their own reputation behind a dubious ownership group, Herman –
who both co-owns and manages the team – has made the Sun City his home,
rallying many in the El Paso business community to be a part of hockey again.
The
business model that makes the Rhinos run is a solid one, too, requiring just a
small percentage of the roughly $1 million a year required to run the Buzzards.
The team’s amateur status lowers prices for sponsorships and season ticket
sales, and overhead is much, much less.
At the
same time, the hockey is still attractive. Even fighting is “allowed” at the
junior level – resulting in a five-minute major penalty, but not in ejections,
as would be the case in college hockey.
As for fan
support, it has always been there -- just waiting for someone to freeze some El Paso tap water on a
200’x85’ surface. Regardless of how the Buzzards went out, they made their
share of hockey fans in the Borderland.
Herman has
had their full support from Day One, making the Rhinos’ organization one of the
strongest in American junior hockey. That extends to other aspects of running a
successful team, too; from the fan base to having a dedicated hockey rink to El Paso’s veteran crew of
volunteers.
Made up of
transplanted rink rats and local converts, many in this crew cut their teeth
with the Buzzards. They do everything from blowing up and breaking down the
giant inflatable Rhino’s head the team skates through as it is introduced, to
working as off-ice officials. Few organizations, amateur or minor pro, enjoy
such strong support.
This, in
turn, has allowed Herman and Director of Player Personnel, Trevor Converse, to
entice some of the best young hockey talent to come play way out West. This
season’s Rhinos squad includes players from hockey hotbeds in the Midwest and
Northeast part of the United States,
but also boasts three players from Alaska, a
Canadian and one from Sweden.
Despite
the success, the team still has a number of unmet goals, led by a desire for
success at junior hockey’s national tournament. The Rhinos have made three
straight appearances, but have yet to advance out of the first round.
But give
it time. Hockey in El Paso is alive and well, and no longer picking at the leftovers.
(Duke Keith is the play-by-play voice of the Rhinos.)
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