CHL Colorado Eagles

Colorado Eagles Week In Review

Published on February 8, 2010 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


Week in Review

Tuesday, February 2; Write To Fly - Valentine's Day Flyaway

The Colorado Eagles, 107.9 The Bear and Rotors of The Rockies are proud to announce a very special contest for a very special couple on Valentine's Day: the "Write To Fly - Ultimate Valentine's Day Flyaway."

Through the contest, couples will submit an essay (limit of 107 words) to 107.9 The Bear explaining why they deserve the special Valentine's Day date. Five couples will then be selected as qualifying finalists. In addition to getting their essay read on the air, they will receive a pair of tickets to the Colorado Eagles game on Feb. 14. They will then compete in an intermission couples contest to determine the winner of the flyaway date.

Winners will leave the Budweiser Events Center immediately after the game in a helicopter provided by Rotors of The Rockies. The chopper will land at the Broomfield Airport where the couple will be taken by limousine to McCormick's Fish House & Bar in LoDo. Following their dinner date, the winning couple will return to the airport via limo and take the helicopter back to the BEC.

Contest Rules and Regulations: All entries must be received by 5 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 11 Couples can either email (1079TheBear@ClearChannel.com) or drop off (Clear Channel complex at the corner if I-25 and Crossroads Blvd. - 4270 Byrd Drive, Loveland) their essays Qualifying winners will be announced on 107.9 The Bear between 3:00-4:30 p.m. - one winner per day (Feb. 8-Feb. 12) All contestants must sign waiver forms All contestants must be at least 18 years of age and weigh less than 300 pounds each (due to weight capacities of helicopter) Non-winning couples will receive a romantic qualifying prize from 107.9 The Bear

Tuesday, February 2; Eagles Tie Rush Despite Shootout Loss

INDEPENDENCE, Mo. - The Colorado Eagles lost to the Missouri Mavericks, 5-4 in a shootout, earning a point in the standings to tie the Rapid City Rush atop the Northern Conference (both with 59 points). It was the Eagles' third game of a seven-game road trip, and all three have taken extra time to decide.

Missouri got the scoring started at 3:39 of the first period when Jeff Christian flipped a pass to Nick Sirota down low and he beat Mike Mole with a shot top shelf. The Eagles countered 80 seconds later when Adam Hogg used a top-shelf shot of his own to beat Gerry Festa on his glove side to tie the game at 1.

Then, at 7:53 of the opening frame, Kevin Ulanski snatched up a lose puck in front of the Missouri net and sent it to Ryan Tobler for a quick strike goal and a 2-1 lead. But the Mavs tied it up again by taking advantage of a five-on-three opportunity when Jeff MacDermid poked in a loose puck from the left side of the Eagles' netminder.

Brett Lutes would be the only player from either team to score in the second period, and his goal came at 1:33 when he one-timed a Ryan McLeod pass past Festa, who had gotten tangled up with his own teammates at the side of the net. The rest of the period saw even play as both teams faced a flurry of scoring chances. However, both goaltenders stood tall for their respective teams and the period would end with Colorado on top by one.

The Mavericks began the third period with a quick goal when Sirota scored his second marker of the night just 22 seconds in to tie the game back up at 3. Sirota took a slapshot from the faceoff circle that slipped between Mole's shoulder and the goal post. Missouri would then take their second lead of the game midway through the third stanza when veteran Jeff Christian took advantage of a bad bounce and put the puck behind Mole.

With time winding down and the Eagles down a goal, Colorado pulled their netminder for an extra attacker and the move paid off. With just 41 seconds left in regulation McLeod scored the goal that would send the game to overtime off a feed from Steve Haddon.

Neither team could score in the five minute overtime frame, so the game went to a shootout that saw MacDermid and Jordan Foreman score for the home team; Ryan Tobler was the only Eagles player to score out of five shooters.

Wednesday, February 3; Penner Returns to Eagles, Team Waives Gajewski

WINDSOR, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles announced today that goaltender Andrew Penner has returned to the team from his call-up with the American Hockey League's Springfield Falcons. Penner played in four games for the Falcons after being called-up on Jan. 13, serving primarily as the backup to J.P. Levasseur.

The second-year Eagle is one victory away from setting a new franchise record for career wins (he's currently at 43, tied with Paulo Colaiacovo) and has gone 13-4-2 this season with a 2.95 goals-against average and a.906 save percentage.

To make room on the roster, the Eagles waived goalie Kyle Gajewski. Gajewski was acquired in a trade with the Laredo Bucks Jan. 27 for future considerations; he did not play in any games for Colorado.

Friday, February 5; Eagles Take First of Back-to-Backs Against Jacks

ODESSA, Texas - The Colorado Eagles claimed a 5-3 win against the Odessa Jackalopes, the team with the best record in the CHL. Jim Jackson had a pair of goals and Kevin Ulanski and Riley Nelson each added shorthanded markers to give the Eagles a big win in the middle of their seven-game road trip.

The two teams played an even and entertaining first period despite neither finding the back of the net. Both clubs went 0-for-2 on the power play, but the Eagles out-shot the Jackalopes 21-17 (coming up one shot shy of their season high in a period of play).

The amount of shots slowed down in the second period (12-8 in favor of Odessa), but the amount of goals increased as Colorado took a 2-1 lead into the third frame. Mike Ramsay got the scoring started when the Jacks' top-ranked power play struck at 6:27. The play was made when Kory Karlander finished a rush that began behind the Odessa net by sending a backhand feed through the crease to Ramsay to throw into the empty half of the cage.

Jackson tied it up for the Eagles at 11:08 after a faceoff win in the left circle of their offensive zone sent the puck to his stick at the point where his shot beat Joel Martin top shelf. Colorado then went up 2-1 late in the period when Ulanski scored a shorthanded goal at 18:47 as he took a Nelson pass and put home his own rebound.

Jackson struck again just over nine minutes into the third period with another shot from the point to put Colorado up 3-1. And just a dozen seconds later, Steve Haddon found a Fraser Filipic rebound while standing all alone in front of the Jacks' netminder to make it four Colorado goals in a row.

Then, at 14:28, Dominic Leveille sent a pass from the top of the left circle to Sebastien Thinel at the top of the right circle for a one-time blast past Mike Mole to cut the Eagles' lead in half. But with under a minute and a half left in the period -- and with Martin pulled for an extra attacker and a two-man advantage -- Nelson put the game away with a shorthanded empty-netter. Ramsay notched his second power-play marker of the night with just over half a minute left in the game, but it was too little, too late for the CHL's top team.

Saturday, February 6; Ramsay's HT Turns Tide in Lopsided Loss

ODESSA, Texas - The Colorado Eagles suffered one of the worst losses in their history at the hands of the CHL-leading Odessa Jackalopes. The Eagles fell 9-4 -- tying a team record for most goals against -- as three Jackalopes had multi-goal games, highlighted by Mike Ramsay 's first period hat trick.

Things started out well for the Eagles as they built a 2-0 lead midway through the opening period. Aaron Schneekloth got the scoring started at 8:15 on a nice play in which he carried the puck from the right side of the net along the goal line, around the crease and delayed long enough to draw Juha Toivonen out of position before depositing the puck into the net.

Steve Haddon then set a new career high for goals in a season with his 17th just over three minutes later when Felipe Larranaga found him all alone in front for a power-play tally. But less than two minutes after that, the period -- and the game -- began to unravel for Colorado.

Ramsay scored three consecutive power-play goals (the first two coming with the teams skating 4-on-3) four minutes and 10 seconds apart to put the Jackalopes up 3-2; all three came on blasts from high in the left faceoff circle. Then, just 23 seconds after Ramsay's third score, Jean Bourbeau made it 4-2 by deflecting a James Sanford pass by Andrew Penner from the doorstep.

Odessa continued to pour it on in the second period, taking a 7-3 lead into the third stanza. Collin Circelli scored 1:41 into the middle frame off a rebound from the left slot to make it 5-2. With that goal, Mike Mole replaced Penner in the Eagles' net after he stopped just 12 of 17 shots in his first game back with the team after his AHL call-up.

Schneekloth made it a two-goal deficit again at 14:25 when he netted his second goal of the night, this time on the power play. But the Jacks struck right back just 23 seconds later when Dave Van Drunen threw the puck on net from the right point and Kenny Bernard deflected it in as he skated through the low slot. And just over three minutes after that, Bourbeau scored his second of the night when he got behind the Eagles' defense for a shorthanded tally.

Circelli got his second goal of the night as well, 12:10 into the final frame, when he stickhandled through the low slot and beat Mole to make it 8-3. Then, just 61 seconds later, Ryan McLeod banged in a Schneekloth rebound from the left post.

But at 16:48, the Jackalopes continued to show why they own the league's top power play when Philippe Plante made it 9-4, making Odessa 4-for-5 on the night with the man advantage. The play was a beauty as Mike Lesperance sent a backhand pass from the right midboards to Sebastien Thinel in the right circle. Thinel then sent the puck toward the crease where Plante stretched out to tap it in.

As time wound down, tempers flared between the teams; two of the league's elite will meet for the fourth and final time in the regular season, March 3, at the Budweiser Events Center.

Colorado finishes up its seven-game road trip with games Tuesday in Tulsa and Wednesday in Wichita. Their next home game will be Friday against the Arizona Sundogs.

The Week Ahead

Tuesday, February 9; Eagles Travel Back to Tulsa Colorado will travel back to Tulsa -- the same place they started their seven-game road trip -- for the third of five meetings with the Oilers this season (the final two will be at home). So far, the Eagles are 2-0 at the BOK Center with each game decided by a single goal. All-time, the Eagles are 12-3-1 on the road against Tulsa, which enters the week in the fifth and final playoff spot in the Northern Conference.

Wednesday, February 10; Colorado Wraps Up Road Trip in Wichita The Eagles end their seven-game road trip in Wichita against the last-place Thunder. Wichita is looking for its first win at home since moving into the new Intrust Bank Arena on January 23rd, and is riding a three game winning streak (it's longest of the season). Colorado is 4-0 so far this season against Wichita, with a 19-7 edge in goals.

Friday, February 12; Eagles Take on Sundogs at BEC Colorado returns home for their first game at the Budweiser Events Center since January 27th. They'll be taking on the Sundogs who enter the week as one of two teams with more wins on the road than at home (Wichita is the other). Arizona trails only Wichita in the overall standings and finds itself in last place in the Southern Conference. The Eagles are 2-0 against the 'Dogs this season, out-scoring them 10-3 in two games at the Tim's Toyota Center in late November.

Sunday, February 14; Eagles, Rush Battle For Conference Crown on Rare Sunday Matinee The Eagles and Rush will square off of the first time since December 27th, as they battle for bragging rights in the Northern Conference. The Eagles enter the week four points behind Rapid City with a game in hand. Colorado is 3-3-0 so far this season against their rivals, but just 1-2-0 at home. The game will be the Eagles' first afternoon home game since their inaugural season and the third of four Sunday home games this season.

Notable Numbers

A NIGHT TO FORGET - After beating the CHL's top-ranked Jackalopes on Friday night, the Eagles built a 2-0 lead midway through the first period Saturday night before the game unraveled. Mike Ramsay scored a power-play hat trick in a span of 4:10 and the momentum turned into a 9-4 loss. The nine goals against tied the most ever against Colorado. Odessa's top-ranked power play went 4-for-7 on the night and three Jackalopes had a multi-goal game.

SENDING A MESSAGE - As tempers flared toward the end of Saturday' game, Fraser Filipic (29) and Brett Thurston (27) were each tagged with nearly 30 penalty minutes. Filipic's 29 PIMs tied the 5th-most for an individual Eagles player in a single game, the 93 PIMs as a team tied the third-most in Eagles' history and the 144 PIMs combined between the two teams rank third all-time.

HADDON HIGHS - Forward Steve Haddon has had quite a season, especially lately. Haddon was named the team's Old Chicago Player of the Month for January and has since reached both team and personal milestones as well. Last week, the career Eagle broke into the top 10 on the team's all-time points list and his goal Saturday night (his 17th) set a new career high for a season.

MORE TOP 10s - Another Eagle is almost within the top 10 in another (more elite) list. Riley Nelson is 10 points away from becoming the CHL's 10th-highest point producer all-time. He enters the week with 607 points (560 with the Eagles) and is just nine points shy of Jonathan Dubois (currently in 10th). At his current pace, he'll finish the regular season in 8th place on the list, passing Brian Shantz (623) and Brett Seguin (624). Late last month, the Eagles' captain broke into the top 10 on the league's all-time goals list (currently with 241).

PROVING THEIR WORTH - The Eagles had three players named to the 2009 All-CHL Team: forwards Riley Nelson and Kevin Ulanski, and defenseman Aaron Schneekloth. The three are making a strong case to earn those honors for the second year in a row. Ulanski (72) and Nelson (64) are the top two scorers in the league, while Schneekloth (44) is the CHL's highest-scoring defenseman. The three players also own the highest plus/minus ratings in the CHL.

WRAPPING UP ON THE ROAD - Colorado's games on Tuesday (in Tulsa) and Wednesday (in Wichita) will wrap up their seven-game road trip. So far, the Eagles have claimed six of a possible 10 points, going 2-1-2 over the past week and a half away from the Budweiser Events Center. Colorado will take on the Arizona Sundogs when they return home this Friday.

Check out the Colorado Eagles Statistics

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Central Hockey League Stories from February 8, 2010


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