Colorado Eagles Weekly Update
April 1, 2013 - ECHL (ECHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release
LAST WEEK IN REVIEW
Wednesday, March 27; Four Goal Burst Leads Utah to 5-2 Win
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah - The Utah Grizzlies scored four goals in just over nine minutes in the second period on the way to topping the Colorado Eagles, 5-2, in the first of three games between the rivals this week to close out the regular season. The win extended Utah's unbeaten-in-regulation streak to 10 games as they try and catch Colorado in the Western Conference standings.
Thursday, March 28; Forney Named One of Three Forwards on All-ECHL Team
(LEAGUE RELEASE: PRINCETON, N.J.) - The ECHL on Thursday announced its All-ECHL First Team for 2012-13 as determined in a vote of ECHL coaches, broadcasters, media relations directors and media, who were asked to select a goaltender, two defensemen and three forwards.
Michael Forney of the Colorado Eagles leads his club with 34 goals, which is fourth in the ECHL, and 74 points, which is tied for second in the league. He is second in the league with 15 power-play goals and is fifth with 247 shots on goal.
Friday, March 29; Eagles Secure 6th Seed, Will Play Idaho in First Round
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah - With a win tonight against the Utah Grizzlies, the Colorado Eagles have solidified the details for their upcoming Kelly Cup playoff series. The #6 seeded Eagles will take on the #3 seeded Idaho Steelheads in the opening round of the playoffs, beginning next week.
Saturday, March 30; Eagles Net Point in Shootout Loss to Finish Regular Season
WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah - The Utah Grizzlies edged the Colorado Eagles, 4-3, in the final game of the 2012-13 regular season for both clubs. Colorado (the 6th seed in the Western Conference) will open the Kelly Cup playoffs next week in Idaho against the Steelheads (the 3rd seed).
THE WEEK AHEAD
Wednesday, April 3 (Game 1) & Thursday, April 4 (Game 2); Colorado Opens Playoffs in Idaho
Despite having great success in the Central Hockey League playoffs by making a league record five trips to the finals in just eight seasons in the league (winning two championships), the Colorado Eagles are still looking for their first playoff victory in the ECHL after being swept from last year's best-of-five opening round series by the Stockton Thunder. The Eagles (6th seed) will look to do so when they open this year's playoffs in Idaho against the Steelheads (3rd seed).
Saturday, April 6 (Game 3) & Sunday, April 7 (Game 4); Eagles Host Steelheads in Games 3 & 4
Colorado will look to use its home ice advantage to the fullest when the opening round series makes its way the the Budweiser Events Center. The Eagles went 22-11-3 at home during the regular season, posting the league's best home power plays and the 2nd-best offense. If necessary, Game 5 would also be at the BEC next Tuesday.
NOTABLE NUMBERS
STAR POWER - An MVP candidate, Michael Forney was voted one of three forwards on the All-ECHL 1st Team for his strong 2012-13 season. Forney finished as the league's 2nd-leading point producer (79), and ranked 4th in goals (35) -- just three shy of 1st place. The former 3rd round pick of the Atlanta Thrashers led Colorado in multi-point games (23) & ranked 2nd in special teams points (30).
POWERFUL ADVANTAGE - The Eagles' power play ranked 1st in the league for most of the season and finished the year as the most productive in the ECHL; Colorado scored a league-leading 82 goals on the man-advantage (34% of their goals on the season), for a league-leading conversion rate of 23.1%. Their success was even greater at the Budweiser Events Center, humming at 26.7%, also a league high for home power play percentage.
WINNING FORMULA - After a 72 game regular season, certain statistical trends start to appear, and for Colorado, there was a clear formula for success. The Eagles were a team that played its best when getting off to a fast start and holding a lead. Colorado was 24-7-5 when scoring first, 20-3-2 when leading at the first intermission & 30-5-2 when leading after the second intermission. They were also successful when scoring at least four goals (21-3-3) and when holding their opponents to three or fewer (32-6-2).
HOME ICE ADVANTAGE - The Eagles once again found one of the league's best home ice advantages inside the Budweiser Events Center, where they went 22-11-3 in 2012-13. Colorado ranked 2nd in goals on home ice (two fewer than Idaho), scoring 141 for an average of 3.9/game. Their home power play was tops in the ECHL (26.7%) & they were a perfect 15-0-0 at home when taking a lead into the third period. All-time, the Eagles have a regular season winning percentage of .746 (essentially 75%) at the BEC!
NEW STARS BORN - The Eagles suffered several long-term injuries and call-ups in 2012-13, which allowed many of their rookies to evolve into key contributors. Adam Brown became one of the ECHL's top goalies, Collin Bowman & Arthur Bidwill developed two of the league's best young defensemen & Dylan Hood used ECHL All-Star Week to help make a name for himself as well. In all, Colorado's rookies accounted for 20% of the team's points (132 of 649).
STEELHEAD STATS - In eight regular season meetings against the Idaho Steelheads, the Eagles went just 1-6-1 -- their worst winning percentage against any opponent this year. However, six of those match-ups came in the season's first 21 games, when the Steelheads' lineup was loaded with AHL talent. Colorado split the latest series between the Mountain Division foes in early March, taking a 2-1 win in the last meeting.
SIMILAR STYLES - The structure of the Eagles & Steelheads teams -- and the way they like to play -- are very similar, which should lead to an exciting first round! Both teams rank among the league leaders in goals (3.64 for IDH, 3.32 for COL), power play (23.1 for COL, 21.6 for IDH) & home ice advantage (52 points for IDH, 47 for COL).
OTHER HAPPENINGS
Be The Advantage - The 2013 ECHL Kelly Cup playoffs begin this week, and we're asking our fans to "Be The Advantage" at the Budweiser Events Center. Be sure to get your tickets at www.ComcastTix.com or by phone at 1-877-544-TIXX (8499). Season ticket holders should use the white tickets found in the back of their ticket books. To keep up-to-date with all the playoff action, keep an eye on www.ColoradoEagles.com for updates.
Watch Parties in Windsor - Stuft in Windsor (1294 Main St.) will be hosting watch parties for each Eagles road game throughout the playoffs! Come on out to enjoy the great food & the great atmosphere with other Eagles die-hards.
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ECHL Stories from April 1, 2013
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