CHL Colorado Eagles

Colorado Eagles Week In Review

Published on November 30, 2009 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


Wednesday, November 25; Eagles Office Holiday Hours

Eagles Fans,

We'd like to wish you a happy Holiday Season, and remind you that we too will be enjoying some time with our families and friends. Below you can find a schedule of our office hours for the rest of the year.

Our office hours will remain normal (8:30-5, Mon-Fri on non-game days / 8:30-3 on weekday game days) except for the following days in which we will be closed:

Thursday, November 26 Friday, November 27

Wednesday, December 23 (half day, closed after noon) Thursday, December 24 Friday, December 25 Wednesday, December 30 Thursday, December 31

Friday, January 1

Again, we'd like to wish you "Happy Holidays," and thank you for supporting Colorado Eagles hockey!

Wednesday, November 25; Happy Thanksgiving From the Colorado Eagles

The Colorado Eagles would like to wish everyone a Happy Thanksgiving! We are truly thankful for the Northern Colorado community -- from our incredible fans to our loyal season ticket holders, partners and investors. Without all of you, we would not be able to claim the minor pro hockey record for consecutive sellouts (it will reach 200 regular season games tonight) and we would not be able to reciprocate our thanks through our many charitable endeavors. This is truly Eagles Country, and it's a special thing to be a part of.

Thank You!

Wednesday, November 25; Biggie-Sized Win, Eagles Score 10

LOVELAND, Colo. - On a night in which the team celebrated its 200th consecutive regular season sellout (a minor pro hockey record), the Colorado Eagles set a new franchise record for goals in a single game with a 10-4 victory over the Amarillo Gorillas. Every skater on the team registered at least a point in the victory against a team the Eagles have made a history of defeating decisively. Colorado's second line led the way with 10 combined points (4-6-10) and five defensemen chipped in with goals in the lopsided win.

Colorado jumped out to a 4-0 lead (on just seven shots) in the first period, chasing Tuomas Lohtander from the Amarillo net just over 12 minutes in. Ed McGrane got the scoring started with the first of two consecutive goals at 2:19. On the goal, Ryan McLeod carried the puck down the right wing and bought enough time for the trailing McGrane to make it to the low slot where he converted the feed.

McGrane got his second score just over eight minutes in on an odd play in which his rebound was put into the net with the help of the Gorillas. McGrane's shot from the left circle deflected off of Lohtander's pads and bounced high in the air and over his head where defenseman James Jernberg grabbed it and quickly put it down as to not get a penalty for closing his hand on the puck. Unfortunately for Jernberg, he dropped the puck into the crease where the Gorillas' goaltender backed into it and nudged it over the goal line. McGrane dived to fully nudge it over the line with his stick just in case.

Then, just 43 seconds later, Aaron Schneekloth made it 3-0 with a power-play goal when both he and his fellow defenseman pinched on the play. Jim Jackson carried the puck down the left wing and sent a pass from low in the circle to Schneekloth at the right side of the crease.

Felipe Larranaga got another goal for the defensive corps just over 12 minutes in with a shot just under the crossbar from between the hash marks. Fraser Filipic made a nice assist on the play, just inside the blue line, feeding the defenseman who entered the game with the highest shooting percentage in the league from the back end.

The Eagles continued to pour it on in the second, scoring five more goals, with the first two coming from the second line and the final three again coming from defensemen. Brett Lutes made it 5-0 at 3:34 of the second when he knocked in an arcing pass from McLeod as it met the ice near the left post.

Jake Morissette finally got the Gorillas on the board at 5:22 when he one-timed a shot past Andrew Penner from the slot off a pass from Stuart MacRae low in the left circle. But just over a minute later, the second line was at it again for the Eagles. McGrane won a faceoff in the right circle and Lutes fought his way through the circle to gain possession before finding McLeod all alone below the left circle for a 6-1 lead.

And 48 seconds after that, Jason Lundmark 's shot from the left point beat Brown's glove hand, finding the net just inside the right post. Brett Thurston made it 8-1 (on just 20 shots for Colorado) under two minutes later by putting home a rebound from the doorstep.

And just 65 seconds after that, Jason Beatty made it 9-1 when his shot from the point was deflected past the Amarillo netminder. The ninth goal against Amarillo tied a team record for most goals in a game, and marked the fourth time they've scored that many against the Gorillas -- the third in the past year.

Austin Sutter made it 9-2 for the road team at 13:39 when he converted a backhand pass from Jason Beeman below the goal line. And 16 minutes in, a potential record-setting 10th goal was waived off when Ryan Tobler 's tip-in was ruled to have happened with a high stick. The goal was reversed after the linesemen and referee conferred. Replays showed the goal should have stood.

Amarillo out-scored Colorado 2-1 in the final frame, but the Eagles scored the only goal that mattered when Alex Penner set a new franchise record with the team's 10th goal of the game. The record-setting tally came off a Steve Haddon rebound from low in the right circle. Gordon Bell and Beeman picked up goals before and after Penner's marker, respectively.

The Eagles now travel to Arizona for a pair of games this Friday and Saturday. The double-dip is the first leg on their season-long-tying seven-game road trip. Their next home game will come Dec. 12 against the first-place Odessa Jackalopes.

Friday, November 27; Tobler's Two Goals Lead Eagles Over 'Dogs

PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. - The Colorado Eagles began their seven-game road trip with a 2-1 win against the Arizona Sundogs, beating the Southern Conference opponent for the 10th consecutive time, and the fifth in a row at the Tim's Toyota Center. Ryan Tobler scored both of Colorado's goals (on assists from Riley Nelson) and Mike Mole stopped 28 of 29 shots in the win.

The Eagles and Sundogs skated to a scoreless first period, with Colorado out-shooting Arizona 10-8. Neither team was able to convert on the power play (Colorado 0-2, Arizona 0-1). It was just the second scoreless opening period for the Eagles this season, but both have come in the past three games.

The defensive duel continued through the middle of the second period before each team got on the board before the second intermission. Mole stopped Joey Sides on a breakaway about five minutes in to keep it scoreless, and the Eagles were unable to convert on a high-sticking double-minor against the Sundogs midway through.

But Arizona would finally open the scoring at 15:33 with a power-play tally of their own when Kevin Gardner found Linus Fagemo with a pass from behind the net to between the circles. The Eagles would tie it up with 27 seconds left, however, when Nelson found Tobler camped out on the doorstep.

Tobler struck again at 12:30 of the third period with a shot from the slot after receiving a pass from Nelson below the left circle. The Eagles then held on -- killing off two more Arizona power plays (their league-leading penalty kill stopping five of six on the night) to earn the win.

Saturday, November 28; Eagles Soar Past the Sundogs, 8-2

PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. - For the second consecutive night, the Colorado Eagles defeated the Arizona Sundogs at the Tim's Toyota Center, running the Eagles' streak of wins against the 'Dogs to 11 in a row overall. Colorado got scoring contributions from up and down the lineup and Andrew Penner stopped 25 of 27 shots in improving to 7-1-1 on the season -- both Arizona goals came on the power play.

The Eagles got back to their offensive ways (after scoring just two goals Friday night), out-shooting the Sundogs 12-6 and out-scoring them 3-1 in the first period. Alex Penner got the scoring started at 6:06 after taking a feed from Jim Jackson along the right wing boards and beating JF Perras' glove hand from the low slot.

Arizona would tie the game at 1 with a power-play goal under a minute and a half later when Kevin Gardner entered the offensive zone along the right wing before cutting to the middle of the ice and snapping a shot past Penner.

But the Eagles' second line -- red hot of late -- would add two more goals in the second half of the opening frame. Brett Lutes put Colorado back on top by following his own rebound off a shot from the high slot that had dribbled out to the right of the crease. And Ed McGrane deflected a Jackson point shot with just over two minutes left in the period to make it 3-1.

Colorado added another three goals in the second period to blow the game open and Penner continued to make key saves in net for the Eagles. Steve Haddon made it 4-1 at 5:42 with a great play from below the goal line. Felipe Larranaga sent a slap-pass from the right point to the slot where it was deflected on goal. Haddon then picked up the rebound to the left of the cage and banked the puck in off of the Arizona netminder.

Riley Nelson and Kevin Ulanski teamed up for a shorthanded tally midway through the period as the Eagles continued to score throughout the lineup. Nelson's attempted pass from right-to-left through the low slot was blocked by a defenseman, but the rebound came right back to Nelson who was able to put it into a half-empty net as Perras had slid out of position anticipating the pass.

Jackson then got his fourth assist of the game at 18:28 when he and Aaron Schneekloth passed the puck back and forth from their own end through the neutral zone. Schneekloth then got behind the Sundogs defense along the left wing and beat Perras high from the left circle to make it 6-1.

Kyle McNulty began the third period in net for the Sundogs who scored their second power-play goal of the night 2:15 in, just four seconds into the man advantage. After winning the faceoff in the left circle, Chris Bartolone picked up the puck and snapped a shot past Penner from the top of the circles.

But just 43 seconds later, the Eagles got that goal back with a 4-on-4 tally when Ulanski sent a backhand pass from deep in the right corner to Nelson cruising between the circles. And Ryan McLeod closed out the scoring midway through the final frame with a backhander from in close after McGrane found him streaking down the slot.

The game was physical throughout, but reached its apex when Alex Penner came to the aid of his older brother who had been taken out behind his own net earlier in the period.

The Eagles continue their seven-game road trip, now 2-0, as they travel to Tulsa for a game Tuesday night.

Sunday, November 29; CBS Follows Eagles' Pay It Forward Program

When Denver's CBS-4 heard about the Colorado Eagles' Pay It Forward Program this season, they wanted to get a first-hand glimpse of the organization giving back with small deeds within Eagles Country. Click the link below to see the full feature with Riley Nelson and Greg Pankewicz paying it forward, and click here to find out more about the program.

The Week Ahead

Tuesday, December 1; Clash for the Northern Conference Crown The Eagles and Tulsa Oilers will clash on Tuesday night for the first time this season with the Northern Conference crown on the line. The Oilers currently lead the conference with 25 points (12-4-1), two points ahead of the Eagles (11-3-1, 23 points), but Colorado has two games in hand. Much like Colorado, Tulsa has built its strong record on offense (Rob Hisey (1st) and TJ Craig (3rd) are among the league's top scorers) and a good home record (8-0-1).

Friday, December 4; Eagles, RiverKings Meet For First Time in '09 Colorado will continue its seven-game road trip with a Friday night game against the Mississippi RiverKings. Always-tough, the RiverKings enter the week just three points behind the Eagles in the Northern Conference with a.500 record (9-9-2). This will be the first meeting between the two teams since the Eagles defeated the RiverKings in last season's Northern Conference Finals.

Saturday, December 5 & Sunday, December 6; Back-to-Back Games in Wichita Bring End to Busy Week The Eagles will end a four-games-in-six-nights stretch with a weekend set against the Wichita Thunder -- accounting for three games in as many nights. The Thunder enter the week with the fewest points in the CHL (3-13-2, 8 points) and have been out-scored by nearly a 2:1 margin (67:36). In their only previous meeting this season, Colorado defeated the Thunder 5-2 at the BEC.

Notable Numbers

ALL POSITIVES - The Eagles own the top four plus/minus ratings in the CHL, and seven of the top 10. Aaron Schneekloth -- who led the league last season with a +39 -- is leading the way again at +16. The only player on the team with a negative plus/minus is Shane Foster (at just -1) and he has been on the IR for much of the season. Colorado will be taking on Tulsa this Tuesday, and the Oilers' roster is home to the other three players in the league's top-10.

EVERY WHICH WAY - The Eagles showed last week that they can win games in either a high-scoring or low-scoring fashion. After netting a franchise record 10 goals on Wednesday, Colorado won a close contest, 2-1, in Arizona on Friday. They followed that up with another offensive outburst in an 8-2 victory -- also against the Sundogs -- on Saturday night.

UNDEFEATED WHEN: - With the season now into December, a few trends can be noted for the Eagles. Colorado is undefeated when the following occur: when the lead after two period (8-0-0), when they scoring at least four goals (9-0-0) and when their games are decided by at least three goals (8-0-0).

TWO-HEADED MONSTER - The Eagles' netminding duo of Andrew Penner (7-1-1, 2.56 GAA,.919 SV%) and Mike Mole (4-2-0, 2.51 GAA,.912 SV%) is arguably the best in the league. Both goalies rank in the top four in goals-against average and the top 10 in save percentage. They have put up even better numbers on the road, with a combined record of 4-1-0, a GAA of 1.80 and a SV% of.947.

ALL JACKED UP - Defenseman Jim Jackson had quite a night on Saturday against the Sundogs, racking up four assists and a +6. Jackson had three points (all assists) heading into the game and matched that output by earning helpers on all three of the team's first period goals. The +6 tied the franchise high for a player in a single game, hit just one other time (Aaron Schneekloth vs. TUL 11/11/08).

THE SIN PEN - Alex Penner is leading the CHL in penalty minutes with 98 after racking up 27 against the Sundogs on Saturday night (tied for the fifth-most in team history for a player in a single game). Twenty-five of those PIMs came when Penner stood up for his older brother -- Eagles netminder Andrew Penner -- after Nick Biondo took out his legs behind the net earlier in the game.

Check out the Colorado Eagles Statistics

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Central Hockey League Stories from November 30, 2009


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