RIO RANCHO, N.M. – The New Mexico Goatheads made franchise history Wednesday night, earning their first-ever home victory with a 5-2 win over the Allen Americans at the Rio Rancho Events Center.

Five different Goatheads found the back of the net, while goaltender Nikita Novoselov turned aside 26 of 28 shots to help New Mexico secure the historic victory in front of 3,067 fans on Pucks & Pages Night.

New Mexico opened the scoring at the 12:35 mark of the first period when Tyler Paquette netted his first goal of the season, with assists from Francesco Arcuri and Connor Kelley. The Goatheads carried the 1-0 advantage into the first intermission.

The Goatheads doubled their lead early in the second period as Tyler Drevitch scored his first goal of the season at 3:41, assisted by Max Helgeson and Maksim Barbashev.

Allen responded with two goals in a span of 47 seconds to erase the deficit. Michael Gildon got the Americans on the board at 8:20 before Liam Mistelbacher capitalized on the power play at 9:07 to even the score at 2-2.

New Mexico wasted little time responding. Just over two minutes later, Briley Wood restored the Goatheads' lead with his second goal of the season at 11:28, assisted by Jake Chiasson and captain Derek Daschke. The goal proved to be the game-winner, sending New Mexico into the second intermission with a 3-2 advantage.

The Goatheads took control in the final frame, beginning with a shorthanded goal from Lynden Breen at 8:13. Breen's fifth tally of the season, assisted by Daschke, extended New Mexico's lead to 4-2 and provided some breathing room midway through the period.

Helgeson put the finishing touches on the historic night at 15:55, scoring his first goal as a Goathead off an assist from Evan Friesen to seal the 5-2 victory.

Novoselov was strong between the pipes, finishing with 26 saves to earn the win. New Mexico was outshot 28-27 but held Allen scoreless in the third period. The Goatheads finished 0-for-4 on the power play while killing five of Allen's six opportunities.

Breen earned First Star honors for his shorthanded goal, while Helgeson was named Second Star after recording a goal and an assist. Wood rounded out the Three Stars with the game-winning goal. Daschke also contributed two assists and finished with a plus-three rating.

The victory marks another milestone in the Goatheads' inaugural 2026-27 ECHL season, as New Mexico celebrates its first win on home ice.

UP NEXT

The Goatheads continue their three-game homestand on Friday, November 6, when they welcome the Allen Americans back to the Rio Rancho Events Center! Tickets start at just $15.

New Mexico will then wrap up the homestand on Saturday, November 7, with Military Night, presented by Paws & Stripes and Veterans Integration Center.

Tickets for both games are available at NMGoatheads.com.