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Eagles Hang On For 6-5 Win Over Rush

December 22, 2009 - Central Hockey League (CHL) - Colorado Eagles News Release


RAPID CITY, S.D. - The Colorado Eagles won the first of three big meetings in the next six days against the Rapid City Rush by a score of 6-5. The high-scoring affair pitted the Northern Conference's top two teams and began anything but offensive.

The two teams played an even first period with shots, scoring chances and power play opportunities all nearly equal. The Eagles held an 11-10 edge in shots and a 3-2 edge in power plays, but neither team could find the back of the net as both goaltenders were strong in the opening 20 minutes of play.

In stark contrast, the second period turned out to be the most wide-open period in Eagles history as the teams combined for eight goals (a franchise record). Colorado jumped out to a quick 2-0 lead with a pair of goals from the second line in the first minute of play. Ryan McLeod scored 34 seconds in, and Ed McGrane beat Miguel Beaudry 20 seconds later -- both goals being snapped home from the right circle.

Jay Birnie, playing in his first game of the season after coming off the IR earlier in the day, then made it 3-0 at 9:03 when he scored from the slot. But the Rush countered with two quick goals of their own to make it 3-2. Luke Erickson got the home team on the board by putting home a rebound for a power-play tally at 11:55, and just 35 seconds later, Scott Wray knocked in another rebound goal off a Rapid City rush.

But the goals kept coming, and Steve Haddon put the Eagles back up by two at 13:49 with the team's third shorthanded goal in as many games when he beat Beaudry on a breakaway; the play occurred with the Rush on a 4-on-3 advantage. They won the faceoff in the offensive end, but it was won so cleanly that the puck went all the way down the ice and Haddon won the footrace to earn the breakaway at the opposite blue line.

But just over a half minute later, Rapid City converted on the power play to again make it a one-goal contest when Jamie VanderVeeken's shot from high in the right circle was deflected past Andrew Penner, giving Wray his second goal of the period. McGrane then countered with his second of the stanza 45 seconds later to finish the scoring flurry when he was able to put the puck past the Rush netminder on a second swipe from in front.

Colorado them made it 6-3 at 4:23 of the third period when Riley Nelson sent a pass to Kevin Ulanski behind the Rapid City defense and the CHL's leading scorer was able to put his own rebound past Beaudry from the goal line to the left of the net.

But the Rush kept coming, and they scored another pair of quick goals just 14 seconds apart to trim the Eagles' lead to just 1. The first came at 8:24 when Colorado failed to clear the puck up the right wing boards and Dave Grimson threw it toward the slot where Brendon Hodge beat Penner. Derek LeBlanc then took advantage of a faceoff win in the left circle with a spinning shot from the low slot that trickled through the Eagles' goalie's 5-hole.

But Colorado would come out victorious as they killed Rapid City's seventh power play of the night as time wound down, increasing their winning streak to eight games (tying the third-longest streak in team history). The win -- Penner's ninth in a row (also tied for the third-longest in team history) -- put the Eagles' netminder into a tie on the team's all-time wins list with 43 victories (Paulo Colaiacovo).


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Central Hockey League Stories from December 22, 2009


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