Week in ReviewMonday, October 26; Eagles Trade Welch To Texas WINDSOR, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles announced today that they've traded forward Dan Welch to the Texas Brahmas in exchange for future considerations.
Welch was drafted in the 8th Round of the 2000 NHL Entry Draft by the Los Angeles Kings and is entering his first season in the CHL. He has spent the majority of his seven previous seasons of professional hockey in six other leagues spanning six total countries. In three games with the Eagles this season, Welch registered an assist, a minus-1 plus/minus rating and three shots.
Tuesday, October 27; Kid's Haven Baby Races Set for Nov. 15th Ready, set, crawl!
Does your child have what it takes to be a diaper derby champion? The second annual Kid's Haven Baby Race is your chance to prove it during the first intermission of the Eagles' home game against the Allen Americans on Nov. 15, 2009.
The rules are simple: If your baby is between seven and 12 months old and still crawling, you are eligible to participate. If your child is one of the first three contestants to cross the finish line, Kid's Haven - the official daycare/preschool provider of the Colorado Eagles - will be awarding prizes, with the first place winner receiving a FREE WEEK of daycare at Kid's Haven (up to an $180 dollar value).
To enter, simply submit a photo of your baby with their age, height, weight and birth date to info@coloradoeagles.com. Or you can visit the Guest Services booth on or before the deadline of November 9, 2009 and wait and see if you are selected.
Eight contestants (seven-12 months old) will be chose to participate, and each family will receive two FREE TICKETS to the Nov. 15 game (discounted tickets are available for additional family members). Families who enter but are not selected will receive a complimentary gift of having their daycare registration fee waved (a $50 dollar value).
To get a better idea of how it will work, check out last year's race at http://tinyurl.com/BabyRaces2
Wednesday, October 28; Eagles Sign Forward Jason Deleurme WINDSOR, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles announced today the signing of longtime pro forward Jason Deleurme (pronounced: del-erm). In a seperate move, rookie forward Shane Foster has been placed on 14-day injured reserve.
Deleurme (5-foot-8-inches, 185-pounds) is entering his 12th professional season with most of his career (428 of 512 games) having taken place overseas. His resume boasts 394 points (157-237-394) and 770 PIMs in addition to a more than point-per-game average in the postseason (46 points in 44 career playoff games).
Thursday, October 28; New This Season... Eagles Fans,
We'd like to take a moment to inform and educate you about some of the great new things going on at Colorado Eagles games this season.
Go.Click.Win. Go.Click.Win. is a new online prize system that allows fans to enter their ticket barcodes for the chance to win great Eagles prizes. Fans can find the entry page on our Web site in several ways (there is a static button along the right side of the homepage, a rotating button above the Events & Promotions box, and a drop-down link under the Fan Zone tab). Once you've signed up, be sure to enter your barcode after every home game to see if you're an instant winner! Several entries per game will qualify to win an Eagles puck, hat or jersey.
OtterBox OpponentBox Donations For every trip an Eagles' opponent takes into the penalty box, OtterBox -- a Fort Collins company that produces protective cases for today's coolest electronics -- will donate $10 to the Colorado Eagles Foundation.
Eye Center of Northern Colorado FREE LASIK Box The Eye Center of Northern Colorado has set up a donation/registration box next to the Eagles' merchandise stand on the main concourse. The box will remain there all season long, and all donations will go straight to the Colorado Eagles Foundation. Fans can stop by to either donate or register to receive FREE LASIK at the end of the regular season.
If donations inside the box reach $5,000 by the end of the regular season, the Eye Laser Center of Northern Colorado will randomly pick one lucky Eagles fan to receive FREE LASIK. Be sure to stop by and help a great cause, while at the same time getting a chance to receive FREE LASIK.
Friday, October 30; New Eagles Help Bring 150th Home Win LOVELAND, Colo. - Some old faces and some new faces helped the Colorado Eagles notch the 150th home win at the Budweiser Events Center with a 7-4 victory over the Rapid City Rush. Kevin Ulanski, Aaron Schneekloth and Riley Nelson all had at least three-point nights, while Jason Deleurme and Kurtis Dulle each got goals in their first game with the franchise.
The two teams played an even first period, but it was Rapid City that got on the scoreboard first at 5:22 after a turnover deep in the Eagles' zone. The puck was picked off along the right wing boards by Luke Erickson who sent the disc on net where Les Reaney put home the rebound from the doorstep.
The Eagles tied it up at 6:42 after a turnover deep in Rapid City's zone when Nelson found Ulanski alone in front, registering a goal on the team's first shot of the contest. Then, about three minutes later, the Rush's Brendon Hodge put his squad back up by one with a wrister from the left circle. Colorado tied it back up at 16:09 when Adam Hogg picked up a loose puck behind the Rapid City net and found Steve Haddon whose shot deflected past Miguel Beaudry to knot the score back up at 2.
The Eagles doubled up the Rush in shots in the second period, but it was Rapid City that doubled up Colorado on the scoreboard, netting two goals after Schneekloth gave the Eagles a 3-2 lead in the frame's first minute. The 5-on-3 power-play goal was the defenseman's first goal of the season, but the assist by Nelson was his 300th as an Eagle (two games after registering his 500th point in a Colorado jersey).
The Rush took a 4-3 lead with a pair of goals 35 seconds apart, starting at 17:22 of the second. The first goal came after the puck bounced around between defenseman Jason Beatty and goaltender Andrew Penner, and Brendan Cook swooped in to put it in the net. Moments later, Blaine Jarvis got his team back on top with a shot from along the goal line that snuck behind Penner's right leg.
Schneekloth and Nelson teamed up again at 3:26 of the third period to even the score up again when the defenseman circled behind the Rapid City net and found the team captain skating down the slot. Then, just over four minutes later, the recently-signed Deleurme got the game-winner with his first goal as an Eagle in his first game with the team. On the play, Ed McGrane won a faceoff in the left circle of the offensive zone and Schneekloth put a shot on net before Deleurme threw the rebound past Beaudry.
Just 44 seconds later Kurtis Dulle followed suit -- getting his first goal with his new club in his first game -- by converting a tic-tac-toe play through the offensive zone from Nelson and Ulanski. McGrane added an empty-netter in the final minute to account for the final score.
The Eagles (now 3-0-1 on the year) will have another week off before taking on the Wichita Thunder at the Budweiser Events Center. Colorado's all-time record at home sits at 150-32-12 (a winning percentage of .804).
The Week Ahead
Friday, November 6; Season-Opening Homestand Ends With Wichita The Eagles will end their season-opening -- and season-long -- five-game homestand with a matchup against the Wichita Thunder. The Eagles are 3-0-1 so far this season, outscoring opponents 20-11 at the BEC. Wichita is 2-5-0 on the year, picking up victories against Tulsa and Mississippi, but they've scored a league-low 14 goals on the year.
Saturday, November 7; Eagles Play First Road Game at Surprising Amarillo Colorado will hit the road for the first time in 2009-10 when they travel to Amarillo to take on the second-place Gorillas. Amarillo ended last season with the fewest points in the league (19-42-3, 41pts.), but began this season by winning their first four. Entering the week, they're tied for first in the league with five wins, and have the second-most points with 10.
Notable Numbers
RACKING UP THE MILEStones - After hitting the 500-point mark in his Eagles career in the second game of the season, Riley Nelson picked up his 300th assist an Eagle in the fourth. Nelson also scored a goal in that game, leaving him just one shy of tying Greg Pankewicz for the team's all-time goals mark of 207. The team's newest captain is a good bet to reach the mark this Friday, as he's scored a goal in all four games this year. A five-game goal scoring streak would tie the third-longest streak in team history (his personal record is six games). Nelson currently has the highest shooting percentage of any player in the league with at least 15 shots (.353).
ON A STREAK OF HIS OWN - Forward Ryan Tobler has an assist in every game so far this season (six in all) and has a 11-game point streak dating to last season. Dating back to March 7, Tobler has 19 points (7-12-19) in the past 11 regular season games.
ON THE FAST TRACK - Kevin Ulanski has had quite the back-to-back games, registering nine points (2-7-9) in the past two contests for a 4.5 points-per-game average. On Friday night, he recorded four assist on the way to five point game -- both ranking high in the franchise's record books. The five-point game ties the second-most in team history, and the four-assist game ties for fourth-most. He is also moving up the team's all-time points list, with his big five-point night on Friday moving him past Steve Haddon into 14th place. The second-year Eagle is just 26 points away from cracking the top 10, having racked up 94 points (26-68-94) in just 67 games.
AMONG THE ELITE - With a three-point night (1-2-3) on Friday, defenseman Aaron Schneekloth moved out of a tie with Scott Polaski and into sixth place on the team's all-time points list. The CHL's reigning Most Outstanding Defenseman has recorded 165 points (51-114-165) in 174 games as an Eagle. He trails -- in order -- Riley Nelson, Greg Pankewicz, Ryan Tobler, Ed McGrane and Brad Williamson.
SLOW START, STRONG START - The Eagles' season is undergoing an odd start with just four total games in the first three weeks. Moreover, the team will endure a season-long homestand of five games right out of the gates. All of that, though, should help Colorado get off to a strong start as they have a .804 winning percentage all-time at the Budweiser Events Center. Their home win Friday night was the 150th regular season home victory in franchise history (150-32-12).
FEELING RIGHT AT HOME - The Eagles' penalty killing units are performing spectacularly through the first four games of the season -- all at the Budweiser Events Center. They lead the league with a penalty-killing percentage of 95.24%, stopping 20 of 21 opposing power plays so far this season.
PENNING HIS NAME IN THE BOOKS - Heading into the third period down a goal on Friday night, goaltender Andrew Penner stopped all 20 Rapid City shots in the final frame to help the Eagles come out on top. Those 20 saves in the third period rank tied for second-most on the team's all-time record sheet. Penner's next win will be his 33rd with the team, tying him for third place all time with Ryan Bach and Tyler Weiman.
FIRST IMPRESSIONS - A pair of Eagles made their team debuts in Friday night's win, with both of them making good first impressions. Forward Jason Deleurme notched a goal (the game-winner) and an assist after signing two days before, and defenseman Kurtis Dulle registered a goal after being acquired the previous week in a trade with Rio Grande Valley.
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