Grit Push Home Opener to Shootout
El Paso 3, COLORADO 2 (SO)

Sep 18, 2024

The Grit scored a late tying goal in the third period, goaltender Jack Erickson made 34 saves, but Colorado fell 3-2 in a shootout to El Paso on Friday night in Greeley.

Colorado got the scoring started just over three minutes into the period. Defenseman Braden Junker scored the home opening goal on a wrist shot from the top of the zone that pinged off the post and in and the Grit had the lead, 1-0, just 3:22 into the game to kickstart the 2024-25 season. Rhinos forward Rasmus Nousiainen quickly scored two goals, at 4:24 and 10:15, to give El Paso their first lead of the night, 2-1. The Rhinos retained the lead into the first intermission.

Despite no goals in the middle period, a physical tenor took over. Both teams took multiple penalties in the middle frame, with the teams finishing a combined 12-for-12 on the penalty kill. The nastiness came to a head with 8:38 remaining in the period when newcomer Grit forward Kennan Reyelts and Rhino defenseman Lawson Kimble tossed down the gloves in the Grit defensive zone and exchanged punches. Both players were given a fighting major and head contact misconduct and the officials restored order down the stretch in the second period.

Colorado found their equalizer late in the third period. Reyelts completed his remaining time in the penalty box and the fresh legs were key in the Grit’s game-tying tally. Reyelts swung a puck in front of the net and El Paso goaltender Michael Manzi made one of his 36 saves, kicking the shot aside. The rebound made its way to Sheldon Rioux, whose first goal of the year tied the game with 5:23 to play in regulation.

In the overtime session, the Grit had to fend off two power play opportunities for El Paso. Colorado netminder Jack Erickson made a pair of tremendous saves, finishing with 32 stops, and sending the game to the shootout. The second Rhino shooter, Ryder Many Gray Horses, pushed a shot to the glove side over a prone Erickson for the lone tally in the shootout to get El Paso the extra point.

Box Score

1st Period

(COL) – Junker (Ori, West) – 3:22
(ELP) – Nousiainen (Solano, Gentzler) – 4:24
(ELP) – Nousiainen (Kimble, Kavc) – 10:15

2nd Period
No Scoring

3rd Period
(COL) – Rioux (Reyelts) – 14:33

Overtime

No Scoring

Shootout

ELP:

Tuomiokska: MISS
Many Gray Horses: SCORE
Nousiainen: MISS

COL:

Ori: MISS
Smutney: MISS
Poirier: MISS