CHL Colorado Eagles

Brahmas Force Game 7 with 5-4 Thriller

Published on April 21, 2008 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


LOVELAND, Colo. - Anders Strome registered a hat trick - the second hat trick against the Colorado Eagles in as many games - to help lead the Texas Brahmas, 5-4, over the defending President's Cup champions in Game 6 of the Northern Conference Finals. The win not only snapped the Eagles' franchise-long playoff home winning streak, but forced a deciding Game 7 on Wednesday night.

The Eagles and Brahmas skated to a fairly even, 1-1, first period. Strome - the Brahmas' leading goal scorer in the regular season - made his presence felt just minutes into the game. The Texas forward stole the puck from Jay Birnie in the neutral zone and broke in on Sebastien Laplante before the Eagles' goalie shut him down with his right pad against the post. But moments later, Strome was set up between the circles and rung a shot off the same post and in at 6:55. Just over a minute later Riley Nelson beat Brett Jaeger's glove hand with a shot from low in the right circle, but the puck hit the post and bounced out. Les Borsheim would eventually get the tying goal at 12:31 when he picked up the puck at center ice and used his underrated speed to break free along the rightwing boards before depositing a pinpoint shot in the upper left corner of the Brahmas' net from the top of the circle.

Texas dominated the second period, scoring three goals and hitting the goal post or crossbar on multiple occasions. Their first goal came at 6:18 when Blair Manning and Tyler Skworchinski converted a 2-on-1 breakaway. The Eagles answered just 37 seconds later, however, when Brad Williamson snapped a shot by Jaeger from the left circle after Fraser Filipic and Steve Haddon cycled in the corner. Manning got his second assist of the period at 10:19 when he sent a pass from Laplante's left, below the goal line, to a wide open Scott Sheppard in the low slot. The Brahmas made it 4-2 less than three minutes later when Jordan Cameron hit Strome for a backdoor, 4-on-3 power play goal. And around the 16 minute mark, Laplante denied a shorthanded Sheppard backhand attempt as the Texas forward was looking for his fifth goal in two games.

Colorado came out strong in the third, cutting Texas' lead to 4-3, when Ryan Tobler stole the puck in the right corner and fed Erik Adams high in the right circle for a goal at 3:10. The Eagles almost tied it a few minutes later when Nelson had a chance at a half-open net from between the circles, but shot wide before almost stuffing in his own rebound. At 16:02, Greg Pankewicz was called for interference - the fifth penalty in a row called on Colorado - setting up the fifth goal for the Brahmas on the ensuing power play. Cameron drove the puck to the left of the net and then backhanded a pass to a trailing Strome for his hat-trick clinching tally at 17:03. Colorado remained resilient, however, closing the gap to one again with just 1:05 left in the game, when Williamson - to the left of Jaeger - sent a pass from the goal line to Ed McGrane on the doorstep for a deflection into the Texas net. That goal wasn't enough though for the Eagles and the game got out of hand after the final buzzer when some Colorado players took umbrage to Chris Thompson firing the puck into the Eagles' net to celebrate the win; the ensuing confrontation grew into a bench-clearing brawl.

Game 7 will be Wednesday, April 23 at the Budweiser Events Center. If the Eagles win, they will advance to the President's Cup Finals for the third time in four years in defense of their championship.

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Central Hockey League Stories from April 21, 2008


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