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Colorado Eagles

Colorado Eagles Weekly Update

November 5, 2012 - ECHL (ECHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


LAST WEEK IN REVIEW

Monday, October 29; Altitude Sports & Entertainment To Broadcast Eagles' Military Appreciation Night For Fourth Time in Past Five Years

The Colorado Eagles and Altitude Sports & Entertainment announced today that the Denver-based network -- which has broadcast 46 Eagles games over the past eight seasons -- will air the team's annual Military Appreciation Night (scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 7) for the fourth time in the past five years. The broadcast will be carried on the "Altitude 2" channel (check www.altitude.tv for listings in your area).

Tuesday, October 30; Ryan Schnell Re-Assigned to Eagles

LOVELAND, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles of the ECHL, proud affiliate of the NHL's Winnipeg Jets & the AHL's St. John's IceCaps, announced today that forward Ryan Schnell has been re-assigned to Colorado. He has spent the past three seasons split between the AHL's Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins & the ECHL's Wheeling Nailers.

Schnell brings good size (6-foot-3-inches, 220-pounds) and plenty of penalty minutes to the Eagles' lineup. Since 2009-10, Schnell has registered 522 penalty minutes in 137 games -- an average of 3.8 PIMs/game. Last season alone, he averaged over 5 PIMs/game (154 in 30).

Friday, November 2; Eagles Snap Skid With 6-1 Win Over San Francisco

LOVELAND, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles picked up a 6-1 win over the San Francisco Bulls in the first of back-to-back games between the teams. The Eagles were led offensively by Chad Costello (1-4-5) & Jack Combs (2-2-4), and defensively by Kyle Jones (26 saves). The well-rounded victory snapped a five game winless streak for Colorado (celebrating their 10th anniversary season), the longest in their history.

Saturday, November 3; Eagles Sweep Bulls With Another Blowout

LOVELAND, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles defeated the San Francisco Bulls, 7-2 -- one night after topping them 6-1 -- to claim a weekend sweep over the expansion club. Michael Forney led the Eagles' offense with a hat trick -- giving him the league lead with nine goals in as many games -- as part of a four point night (3-1-4), while Kyle Jones was strong in net once again in stopping 24 shots.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Wednesday, November 7, Friday, November 9 & Saturday, November 10; Eagles Look To Stay Hot in Three Game Set Against Grizzlies

Colorado and Utah -- who already met once in late October -- will get three more of their 13 match-ups this season out of the way. As if the Eagles needed more motivation against their closest and most frequent opponent, the games against the Grizzlies always seem to be close contests on the scoreboard as well. Of the 14 meetings all-time, nine have been decided by just a single score, six times via a shootout; in their lone meeting so far this season, Utah claimed a 4-3 shootout win. Despite that, the Eagles have fared much better when playing at home, owning a 4-1-1 record and out-scoring Utah by a 2:1 margin (28-14).

NOTABLE NUMBERS

FEELING BULLISH - The Eagles snapped out of their early season skid in a big way with a sweep of the San Francisco Bulls at the Budweiser Events Center over the weekend. Colorado out-scored the Bulls 13-3 in a pair of blowouts, winning 6-1 on Friday night & 7-2 on Saturday night.

DON'T BET ON A BLOWOUT - Contrary to the Eagles' past two games, fans shouldn't bet on a blowout against this week's opponent: the Utah Grizzlies. If history has any bearing, the games will likely be decided by just a single goal, which will likely come via a shootout. That's because of the 14 all-time meetings between the teams, nearly 65% of them have been one-goal contests (9 of 14), and 43% have gone to a shootout (6 of 14).

THE LEAGUE'S TOP LINE - Chad Costello, Jack Combs & Michael Forney don't make up just the Eagles' top line, they make up the best line in the ECHL. Costello -- the ECHL's reigning MVP -- ranks 3rd in the league points (16) and 1st in assists (14). Combs ranks 4th in points (15) and is tied for 3rd in assists (10). Forney ranks 1st in goals (9) and shooting percentage (39.1%) among active players.

MUST BE THE HAIR - Michael Forney continued his hot start to the season, registering a hat trick in Saturday night's win. The three goals pushed him into the league lead in the category with nine in as many games. Not only that, but he scored on each of the three shots he took in the game, increasing his shooting percentage on the year to 39.1%, 1st in the league among active players. It was the second hat trick of his career; the other one came Feb. 24 against Ontario.

FIRST OF MANY- Several Eagles rookies got their first pro goals in Saturday's 7-2 win over San Francisco. Forward Dylan Hood got his first on a 2-on-1 rush with Joe Sides to open the scoring in the first frame. Defenseman Cody Sol got his -- which ended up being the game-winner -- with a shorthanded tally in the second period. The latter was a wacky one that was blasted from the Eagles' blue line and deflected off a defenseman and past the Bulls' goalie.

KILLIN' IT - Colorado's penalty-killing units have been on fire since Oct. 20. In the five games since they've stopped 28 of their opponents' 30 power plays, including a stretch of 23 in a row. They've gone perfect in four of the season's nine games so far, and have allowed more than two power-play goals against in a game just once (the season-opener when Alaska went 5-for-8).

BE HOME EARLY - Colorado's early season schedule is "home heavy," with 10 of their first 12 games taking place at the Budweiser Events Center, wrapped up with three this week against Utah. That should be good news for the Eagles who had one of the better home ice advantages in the league last year (21-12-3), and who have an all-time regular season record of 215-65-18 at the BEC (for a winning percentage of .752).

OTHER HAPPENINGS

Military Appreciation Night - Wednesday night's game is our annual Military Appreciation Night, in which season ticket holders and corporate partners donate their tickets to military members and their families as a way of showing their appreciation. The Eagles will wear special military-themed jerseys that will be auctioned off later to benefit local military causes, and just about everything during the game will be done with a nod to the military in mind. For complete details, keep an eye on our web site in the coming days.

Altitude 2 to Air Military Appreciation Night Game - The Colorado Eagles and Altitude Sports & Entertainment announced today that the Denver-based network -- which has broadcast 46 Eagles games over the past eight seasons -- will air the team's annual Military Appreciation Night (scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 7) for the fourth time in the past five years. The broadcast will be carried on the "Altitude 2" channel (check www.altitude.tv for listings in your area).

American Eagle Distributing Co. Creates Commemorative Coins - In celebration of the Colorado Eagles' annual Military Appreciation Night (Wednesday, Nov. 7), American Eagle Distributing Company has created a collectable coin to commemorate the event. Proceeds from the one and a half inch coins (which will cost $5 each) will benefit military charities in Northern Colorado. Only 1,000 coins will be produced, so fans in attendance next Wednesday are encouraged to purchase them quickly. The coins, which feature the Eagles 10th anniversary logo on one side and "Thank you for your military service." on the other side, will be available at three different locations on the concourse, including the Water Valley Tap.

Cowbell Night - This Friday night is your chance to get this season's collector's item that has become a symbol for every Eagles fan -- the Meadow Gold Cowbell! Supplies are limited to the first 2,500 fans through the doors, so get to the game early. Tickets are still available.

First of Two Skate With the Eagles Nights This Saturday - Eagles Season Ticket Holders...following this Saturday night's game (Nov, 10), the first of two Skate With the Eagles events will be held on the Budweiser Events Center ice. Each event is limited to 200 participants, and pre-registration and a signed waiver are required.

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