Rio Rancho NM – On Halloween night in Rio Rancho, the New Mexico Goatheads held indoor trick-or-treating and a costume contest before puck drop, then took the ice in Peanuts-themed jerseys with Snoopy asleep on his doghouse across the front. The Rapid City Rush scored twice in the first period and never let them back in.
Logan Nelson and Will Portokalis each scored twice, and Shane Farkas made 17 saves as the Rush beat the Goatheads 6-1 Saturday at the Rio Rancho Events Center to sweep the two-game series.
The Rush are 5-2-0. New Mexico is 1-4-3.
Nelson Sets the Tone
It took Nelson 69 seconds. The alternate captain scored 1:09 into the game off a feed from Braden Birnie, and 46 seconds later Ryder Boulton and New Mexico’s Aaron Chiarot dropped the gloves for fighting majors.
New Mexico nearly answered. Defenseman Trevor Zins rang a shot off the post, and a review confirmed the puck stayed out.
Nelson made it 2-0 at 18:44 on the power play, with captain Ryan Wagner and Quinn Olson assisting.
Portokalis Breaks It Open
Defenseman Tyler Inamoto scored at 11:05 of the second, with assists from Wagner and Seth Fyten. Then Portokalis scored twice in 2:43, at 16:00 and 18:43, his first two goals of the season. Jake Ratzlaff, who scored the overtime winner the night before, assisted on both.
Before the game, head coach Dave Smith described Ratzlaff on the Rush radio broadcast as having a heavy, hard shot and being strong on the penalty kill, and called Wagner tenacious on the puck. Both showed it: Ratzlaff finished with two assists, Wagner with two as well.
A Change in Net, a Late Goal
Eric Parker scored his first goal of the season 1:55 into the third, from Nelson and Birnie, to make it 6-0. New Mexico pulled starter Isaiah Saville after that goal. Saville made 26 saves on 32 shots, and Nikita Novoselov stopped both shots he faced the rest of the way.
Tempers rose at 6:43 of the third, when Rush defenseman Andy Noel was assessed two roughing minors and a 10-minute misconduct, and New Mexico’s Grant Ahcan took a roughing minor.
Farkas carried a shutout into the final minute. German Yavaş ended it with 12 seconds left, from Chiarot and Tyler Drevitch. By then the building had gone quiet, and New Mexico’s only goal drew little more than a murmur on the broadcast.
Special Teams Hold Up Again
The Rush went 1-for-6 on the power play and killed all six New Mexico power plays. Head coach Dave Smith has said assistant coach John Mitchell runs the Rush special teams. It’s a turnaround from last season, when Rapid City ranked last in the ECHL on the power play (7.5%) and 29th on the penalty kill (74.0%) as of mid-December.
By the Numbers
- Shots: Rapid City 34, New Mexico 18.
- Goaltending: Farkas made 17 saves on 18 shots for the win. Saville made 26 saves on 32 shots; Novoselov made two saves in relief.
- Special teams: Rush 1-for-6, Goatheads 0-for-6.
- Nelson’s night: two goals and an assist.
- Two assists each: Wagner, Ratzlaff and Birnie.
- Three stars: 1. Logan Nelson (RC). 2. Will Portokalis (RC). 3. Ryan Wagner (RC).
- Attendance: 4,636.
Roster Notes
- Lines: Fyten moved up to the top line with Wagner and Olson, and Alex Young moved to the second line.
- In goal: Farkas started, with Brett Mirwald backing up after his win Friday.
- New Mexico moves: The Goatheads acquired forward Max Helgeson from Cincinnati for forward Luka Burzan on Saturday. Helgeson did not dress. Forward Tyler Paquette, acquired Thursday from Greensboro, made his Goatheads debut. Forward Jake Chiasson was activated from injured reserve and defenseman Connor Kelley from reserve. Forward Cameron Buhl was placed on injured reserve and defenseman Noah Barlage on reserve.
Up Next
The Rush open a three-game series at the Idaho Steelheads on Wednesday, Nov. 4, at 7:10 p.m. at Idaho Central Arena in Boise, with games following Friday and Saturday.
Sourcing
ECHL official game sheet (Oct. 31, 2026, unofficial final); ECHL transactions (Oct. 31, 2026); ECHL Today (Oct. 31, 2026); New Mexico Goatheads game-day and game-night social posts and roster (Oct. 31, 2026); Rapid City Rush projected lineup (Oct. 31, 2026); Dave Smith, pregame interview, Rapid City Rush radio broadcast (Oct. 31, 2026); Dave Smith, pregame interview, Rapid City Rush radio broadcast (Oct. 25, 2026, vs. Kansas City); Idaho Steelheads game notes, league statistics through Dec. 17, 2025; Stats Crew rosters; Idaho Steelheads schedule.
Leave a Reply