Eagles Come up Short of Steelheads 2-1 in Game One
April 18, 2014 - ECHL (ECHL) - Colorado Eagles News Release
BOISE, Idh. - The Colorado Eagles (0-1) fell just short of the Idaho Steelheads (1-0), 2-1, at CenturyLink Arena in Game 1 of the Western Conference Quarterfinals. The victory gave the Steelheads the 1-0 series lead over the Eagles.
Less than one minutes into a Steelheads power play, as Eagles defenseman Kevin Young was sent to the penalty box at the 3:12 mark of the first period for delay of game, Idaho cashed-in as forward David de Kastrozza caught a cross-slot pass from rookie forward William Rapuzzi to give the Steelheads the early 1-0 lead. The Eagles would outshoot the Steelheads by a count of 16-6 in the first 20 minutes.
The second period saw the two teams scoreless even though the Eagles had multiple chances and another 11 shots on net. Steelheads goalie Josh Robinson held strong in the second frame as did Eagles netminder Dustin Butler.
At the 3:22 mark of the third frame Eagles forward Kyle Kraemer found the 1-1 equalizer as he stuffed home a pass from Colorado captain Riley Nelson. With just under three minutes left in the third the Steelheads took the lead with de Kastrozza's second and final goal of the game to push Idaho to the 2-1 victory.
Butler stopped 23 of the 25 shots thrown on him while Robinson halted all but one of Colorado's 43 shots-on-net. "We really have to give [Robinson] credit, he is a great goalie, our effort was there and we played well. We just need to bounce back tomorrow and then head home to Colorado, that's really the playoff way," Kraemer expressed.
When asked about strategy for converting more shots to goals, assistant coach Aaron Schneekloth said, "not much will change, this is the first game in a long series and we need to push forward and stay patient with the game plan we have."
The second matchup for these two teams takes place tomorrow night in Boise. Don't miss the Eagles official Watch Party at STUFT Burger Bar in Windsor, CO as the puck drops at 7:10 pm.
Great seats are still available and start at just $17 for Tuesday and Thursday's game. Friday's 'if necessary' game will feature one of the best ticket specials that the Colorado Eagles offer- the Pepsi 4-Pack: get 4 Tickets - 4 Hot Dogs - 4 Bags of Chips - 4 Pepsi's for only $80 (a savings of $8 per seat)! Reserve your seats today by calling 970-686-SHOT (7468), clicking ComcastTix.com. or visiting the Budweiser Events Center box office.
Don't forget to follow the Eagles on our social media like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and use the #SquishTheFish during this first round of playoffs against the Idaho Steelheads!
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