Rapid City Sweeps Goatheads in Rio Rancho, Extending Home Winless Streak

The New Mexico Goatheads dropped their record to 1-4-3 after losing two consecutive games to the Rapid City Rush on October 30 and 31 at the Rio Rancho Events Center. The two-game sweep leaves the team without a home victory in its history.

In the first game on Friday, Rapid City overcame a two-goal deficit to win 4-3 in overtime. Grant Achan gave New Mexico a 1-0 lead with 4:16 remaining in the first period. Derek Daschke extended that lead to 2-0 midway through the second period. Quinn Olson scored for the Rush on a power play with under three minutes left in the second, and Lynden Breen responded 50 seconds later. Ryan Wagner tied the game at 3-2 just 21 seconds after Breen’s goal. Ryan Hofer tied the score at 3-3 early in the third period, and Jake Ratzlaff scored the winning goal in overtime. Rapid City recorded 48 shots on goal compared to New Mexico’s 26.

The second game on Saturday resulted in a 6-1 victory for Rapid City. Logan Nelson scored the first goal for the Rush at 1:08 of the first period and added a second goal later in that same period. Seth Fyten, Will Portokalis, and Ratzlaff each scored one goal during the second period, bringing the score to 5-0. Eric Parker added another goal early in the third period to make it 6-0. German Yavaş scored a breakaway goal with 12.6 seconds left in the game to prevent a shutout, ending a nine-goal scoring streak by Rapid City. The Rush had 34 shots on goal, nearly double New Mexico’s 18.

Rapid City enters the weekend second in the 15-team Western Conference standings. The team improved its road record to 4-0 and remains one of the hottest teams in the ECHL. New Mexico went 1-3-1 in October, with three of its losses occurring in overtime.

The Goatheads will host the Allen Americans at the Rio Rancho Events Center on November 4, 6, and 7. Allen, currently sixth in the Western Conference with eight points, faces New Mexico, which is tied for last place with five points.