Top Stories of the McClurg Championship Series

The second season of the San Diego Elite Draft League ended with an absolute bang. Or, better yet, it ended with a crash—which, if you didn’t already know, is a group of rhinos.

The Escondido Rhinos showed up in force to take the best-of-three series against the Balboa Pandas, who were favorites to win the championship. The scores of the three games were as follows:

Game 1 — Rhinos overtime win
Rhinos: 6
Pandas: 5

Game 2 — Pandas overtime win
Rhinos: 1
Pandas: 2

Game 3 — Rhinos regulation win
Rhinos: 4
Pandas 3

The scores paint a picture by themselves. All one-goal nail-biters; two decided by sudden-death overtime. If you weren’t able to see the games in person or via livestream, we're sorry. Hate to see fans miss out on such sizzling entertainment.

But here are five storylines from the McClurg Championship series—an opportunity to see behind the scores, and an invitation to come down and see the action when games are back in session next season. 

1. Countdown to Morrison
The first two games went to OT, and it was the same Pandas player in both who was responsible for extending the contest—Josh Morrison.

On each occasion, the Pandas found themselves down by a goal with under a minute remaining in regulation. Goalie pulled, a fifth player on the rink—anticipation mounting as the benches roared and the crowds chanted. Amidst the sky-high energy, the Pandas effectively established offensive zone control with the extra attacker, and Morrison was able to strike in similar fashion both games.

The puck went from high to low, finding Morrison at the bottom of the right circle, who managed to bury from a tough angle by getting the puck off his stick before the goalie had a chance to catch up to the fast-moving play. After doing it in the first game, it was no surprise to see Morrison on the rink under the same circumstances in game two. Morrison came through big in both cases, helping extend the Pandas’ season and giving his team the opportunity to compete for the title in game three.

2. Clutch Casinghino
While Morrison was money for the Pandas, Zac Casinghino was clutch for the Rhinos. Where Morrison tied things up, Casinghino put the Rhinos ahead. The Rhinos will be chanting ‘GWG Casi’ all summer with the way Casinghino stepped up in big-time moments to seal the deal for his team.

Casinghino got the overtime winner in game one, finding some space at the top of the right circle and firing home a glove-high scorcher that found twine and earned him the player-of-the-game recognition. Then in game three, Casinghino sniped again for the Rhinos’ fourth goal of the contest, which would ultimately be the game-winning goal of the game—and season.

Apart from the clutch goals, Casinghino was instrumental in helping the Rhinos control play down the stretch. From smart plays and quick hands to crafty moves and effective shots, Casinghino showed up to compete and delivered his best when it mattered most.

3. Shutdown Meltzer
Speaking of bringing their best, goaltender Ryan Meltzer was lights-out for the Rhinos. Meltzer matched up against the Pandas’ Tom Holsheimer, who had a tremendous season and earned the title as the league’s top goalie.

Holsheimer had a good championship series, coming up big in many moments. But Meltzer had an incredible series, coming up big in almost every moment.

It’s no small feat shutting down the Pandas’ talented firepower—Nik Olsson, Bailey Ridout, Jake Pribble, Jimmy Becker, and more. That’s a lot of cannons, but Meltzer was locked in. He moved well, stayed large, and eliminated second-chance opportunities.

Meltzer nearly secured a 1-0 shutout win to secure the championship in two games for the Rhinos (but of course Morrison countdown heroics thwarted that…). But after giving it his all and losing game two in overtime, Meltzer came into game three just as determined and dialed in, making 34 saves on 37 shots to help propel the Rhinos to a 4-3 victory.

4. Pandas from behind
The Pandas never led during the championship series. While it caused some frustration in the early stages of games—particularly during game one when they may have underestimated the Rhinos—playing from behind required grit and resilience. The fact that all games were decided by one goal and that the Pandas won game two was a testament to their skill and determination as a group. The Pandas may have always been trailing, but they never counted themselves out.

5. Rhinos by Committee
The championship was decided by a crash, because it involved the entire Rhinos squad showing up and committing to excellence. The forechecking pressure was on fire. Their speed was on display. The team cycled with intent. They didn’t back down physical play. Their stars blocked shots. Their goalie was a wall. And Billy Metcalf was back checking (iykyk).

Even captain Pasha Bocharov, who was absent from the championship series due to his relocation to play with the University of Calgary, elevated energy with his activity in the team’s group chat (which, rumor has it, was legendary).

The Rhinos played as a team, and they won as a team. And that’s the beauty of hockey. They proved what it takes, and they all bought in to claim glory. Noe Santos was awarded the series MVP. With two goals and an assist in the final game and earning the top-scorer title during the regular season, it was a deserved award for Santos, but he declared that the MVP belt belonged to everyone on the team. Good co-captainship from Santos, but the Rhinos were stoked for him. Because the ultimate prize—the McClurg Championship Cup—did belong to everyone.