Thorne Cup Preview

The Western States Hockey League (WSHL) will hold their 24th Thorne Cup Finals from April 11-15 in El Paso, TX. For the third time in its twelve-year history, the El Paso Rhinos have been chosen to host the 2018 Thorne Cup Championship. This end of season tournament will consist of six teams battling for the league’s most respected possession.  Founder and honorary commissioner of the WSHL Don R. Thorne, Ph.D. will be in attendance this year to present the winning team with the cup.

The six teams are split into two three-team groups, playing a round-robin against the three teams in the other group on April 11-13. The four teams with the highest number of points after the round-robin will advance to the semi-finals on April 14. The last two teams standing will go head-to-head for the championship title and the opportunity to hoist the Thorne Cup Sunday April 15th at 4:30pm.  

Be sure to watch every game to find out who will be crowned the 2017-18 WSHL Champion.

TEAMS:

El Paso Rhinos- Midwest Division Champion

Long Beach Bombers- Western Division Champion

Idaho Ice Cats- Northwest Division Champion

Ogden Mustangs- Mountain Division Champion

Utah Outliers- Wild Card

Oklahoma City Blazers- Wild Card

FULL THORNE CUP SCHEDULE:

April 11

10 a.m. - Outliers vs. Mustangs

2 p.m. - Blazers vs. IceCats

7 p.m. - Bombers vs. Rhinos

April 12

10 a.m. - Outliers vs. IceCats

2 p.m. - Mustangs vs. Bombers

7 p.m. - Blazers vs. Rhinos

April 13

10 a.m. - Bombers vs. IceCats

2 p.m. - Blazers vs. Mustangs

7 p.m. - Outliers vs. Rhinos

April 14

2 p.m. - Semifinal 1

7 p.m. - Semifinal 2

April 15

4:30 p.m. - Championship Game

TICKETS:

All-tournament passes range from $70 to $125, depending on where you want to sit: https://bit.ly/2GrBLJc.

Individual game tickets can also be purchased on ticketmaster.com or at the door, ranging from $7 to $35 per game: Ticket Master

HOST HOTEL:

Wyndham El Paso Airport Hotel and Water Park

Address: 2027 Airway Blvd, El Paso, TX 79925

Phone: (915) 701-3202

Watch Live on Black Dog Hockey:

Head to WSHL.org now to get your 30-Day subscription pass for only $29.99 to catch all the action!

By Laura Cisneros