RECAP: 2019 Thorne Cup Round Robin

04/12/2019


The El Paso Rhinos topped the Ogden Mustangs in overtime in the final game of the preliminary stage of the 2019 Thorne Cup, giving them the #1 seed for the playoff round.

The El Paso Rhinos topped the Ogden Mustangs in overtime in the final game of the preliminary stage of the 2019 Thorne Cup on Thursday night, giving them the No. 1 seed for the playoff round. The Rhinos will next go up against their Mid-Western Division rivals, the Oklahoma City Blazers, in Friday’s early (3:00 p.m. MDT) semifinal game. OKC defeated Long Beach yesterday to snag the fourth and final semifinal spot.
The Mustangs meanwhile, as the No. 2 seed, will go up against the Edson Aeros. Edson was in pretty good shape going into the third and final day of the round robin, but defeated Bellingham to remove any doubt. Ogden and Edson met in the preliminary round with the Mustangs winning, 4-1.
 
2019 THORNE CUP – FINAL PRELIMINARY ROUND STANDINGS
regulation wins-regulation losses-OT wins-OT losses (points)
 
  1. El Paso Rhinos                   2-0-1-0 (8 points)
  2. Ogden Mustangs              2-0-0-1 (7 points)
  3. Edson Aeros                       2-1-0-0 (6 points)
  4. Oklahoma City Blazers    2-1-0-0 (6 points)
  5. Long Beach Bombers      0-3-0-0 (0 points)
  6. Bellingham Blazers          0-3-0-0 (0 points)
 
The Top four teams qualify for semifinals
 
FRIDAY’S GAMES – SEMIFINAL ROUND:
 
3:00 p.m. - El Paso Rhinos vs. Oklahoma City Blazers – The Rhinos edged the Blazers for both the regular season and playoff titles in the Mid-Western Division. Can they make it three-for-three and oust OKC from the Thorne Cup as well?
 
7:30 p.m. - Ogden Mustangs vs. Edson Aeros – The Mustangs are one win away from the opportunity to play for the Thorne Cup on their home ice. The Edson Aeros stand in their way in what is a re-match of Wednesday’s round robin meeting won by Ogden, 4-1.
 
--- Compiled by Scott Harrington for Harrington Sports Media