CHL Colorado Eagles

Colorado Eagles Week in Review

November 8, 2010 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


Week in Review

Wednesday, November 3; Eagles Fans Vote Pink

WINDSOR, Colo. - October may be over, but pink will still reign supreme at the Budweiser Events Center in November thanks to the votes of Eagles fans. Last month, the team asked its fans to help choose the color of this year's collectible cowbell, with one lucky voter winning six tickets to the game on Nov. 12 in which they'll be handed out, as well as an authentic military-themed jersey courtesy of Meadow Gold Dairy. Lilie Keever, a six-year-old from Windsor, Colo. was selected as the winner.

The first 2,000 fans through the doors at the Budweiser Events Center on Friday, Nov. 12 will receive a pink cowbell, courtesy of Meadow Gold Dairy.

Wednesday, November 3; Nelson Named CHL Player of the Month

(LEAGUE RELEASE - TEMPE, AZ - November 3, 2010) - The Central Hockey League announced today that forward Riley Nelson of the Colorado Eagles has been named the Sher-Wood Central Hockey League Player of the Month for October/2010. Nelson will receive a Sher-Wood/CHL logoed watch courtesy of Sher-Wood and the Central Hockey League to recognize his accomplishment.

Nelson has helped propel the Eagles to five straight wins and a spot at the top of the Turner Conference. His team finished the month of October with a 5-1-0 record and the Cranbrook, British Columbia native finished with five goals and seven assists. His 12 points are third in the CHL and his +9 plus/minus rating is second. The 5-9, 179-pound forward had multiple point efforts in his first five games of the season and has recorded at least a point in each of his six games played.

In his eighth season with the Eagles, Nelson was a member of the 2010 All-CHL Team and has recorded 602 points (236-366=602) in his 439 career games with Colorado.

Other players receiving consideration for the monthly award for October include Allen's Colton Yellow Horn and Nino Musitelli, Bloomington's Jason Dale, Bossier-Shreveport's David Rutherford and Justin Aikins, Colorado's Scott May, Laredo's Neil Tripp, Quad City's Zac Pearson, Rio Grande Valley's Tomas Klempa and Wichita's Jesse Bennefield.

Sher-Wood Central Hockey League Player of the Month

Riley Nelson, Colorado Eagles

Position: Forward

(October Totals)

Games - 6

Points - 12

Goals - 5

Assists - 7

Plus/Minus - +9

Thursday, November 4; Take Advantage of the Pepsi 4-Pack!

Eagles Fans,

The Colorado Eagles have teamed up with Pepsi to offer a special family discount on select nights this season (listed below). For just $80*, you can get 4 Tickets, 4 Hotdogs & 4 Drinks as you take in the best sports action in Northern Colorado.

Pepsi 4-Pack Nights

Wednesday, Nov. 24th vs. Rapid City Rush

Wednesday, Dec. 29th vs. Rapid City Rush

Friday, January 7th vs. Allen Americans

Sunday, February 13th vs. Missouri Mavericks (annual Valentine's game)

Saturday, March 5th vs. Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees

Wednesday, March 16th vs. Laredo Bucks (final home game of the regular season)

Individual tickets for all Eagles home games can be purchased by visiting the Budweiser Events Center box office, calling 1-877-544-TIXX (8499) or online at www.ComcastTix.com. Special group rates are also available by calling the Eagles' office at 970-686-SHOT (7468).

*Pepsi 4-Pack tickets are for limited sections only. Limited number of seats available. Service charges may apply.

Friday, November 5; May Named Oakley "1st Star" for October

(LEAGUE RELEASE - TEMPE, AZ - November 5, 2010) - Colorado Eagles forward Scott May, Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs forward David Rutherford and Laredo Bucks forward Neil Trimm have been named the 'Oakley Three Stars' for the month of October/2010.

For winning the First Star honors, May will receive a pair of golf shoes from Oakley. Learn more about the wide range of Oakley products at www.oakley.com.

Players are awarded five points for first star recognition, three points for a second star nod and a single point for being named the third star of the game. Keep up all season long with the 'Oakley Three Stars' point count on www.centralhockeyleague.com.

First Star - Scott May, F, Colorado Eagles

May finished the month of October with seven goals (tied for the league lead) and three assists in six games played. The White Rock, British Columbia native finished the month with 13 points in the three star race earning first star recognition twice and second star once. He finished tied with Rutherford with 13 points but earned First Star of the month because he played fewer games.

Second Star - David Rutherford, F, Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs

Rutherford also totaled 13 three star points earning identical marks to May with two first star honors and one second star nod. For the month, Rutherford scored six goals with four assists and was a +8. The Ladner, British Columbia native leads the league with three game winning goals.

Third Star - Neil Trimm, F, Laredo Bucks

Trimm scored 10 points in the month of October with two first star nods. In five games, the Westmeath, Ontario native scored two goals with eight assists. In the first game of November, Trimm scored a goal with two assists in the Bucks win over Odessa earning first star of the game, hence taking over the overall league lead with 15 points.

Friday, November 5; Eagles Edge Gems in First Ever Meeting

DAYTON, Ohio - The Colorado Eagles extended their winning streak to six games with a 1-0 shutout of the Dayton Gems in the first meeting between the two franchises. Kyle Jones made 30 saves in net for Colorado, posting the 31st shutout in Eagles history. Jones had plenty of help as the Eagles' penalty-killers went a perfect 7-for-7, posting their third perfect game in a row.

The teams played a high-octane opening period with Dayton out-shooting Colorado 15-12. But both goaltenders were stellar, resulting in a scoreless first frame. The offensive "highlight" of the period came when Matt Glasser was awarded a penalty shot at 14:06, but was stopped by Dayton's Jeff Jakaitis.

The first half of the second period saw more of the same -- great goaltending, including Jakaitis stopping Glasser on another breakaway -- until each team got into penalty trouble, made even tougher by the extra-long line changes at the Hara Arena (where the benches are located inside each zone).

At 13:51 of the second stanza, Dylan Stanley found Daymen Rycroft for a 5-on-3 power play goal off a one-timer from the right circle. With the period winding down, it was Colorado that was faced with a two-man disadvantage, but they were able to kill all 1:55 of it to take a 1-0 lead into the second intermission.

Shots became scarcer in the third -- with the teams combining for only 11 -- as the game tightened up. Jakaitis and Jones continued their strong play, stopping six and five shots respectively to make the 1-0 score stand up as the final margin.

Saturday, November 6; Eagles Stretch Streak to 7 With Shootout Win

DAYTON, Ohio - The Colorado Eagles defeated the Dayton Gems, 5-4, in a shootout as the two teams played a second game in as many nights decided by a single goal. The shootout win was set up by Adam Hogg's last-minute goal in regulation, allowing the Eagles to stretch their CHL-best winning streak to seven games (they have not lost since opening night).

After the two teams combined for 1 goal Friday night, they scored three in the opening frame Saturday. It took just 41 seconds for Colorado to go on top when Dylan Stanley poked home the rebound of a Jason Beatty point shot.

At the seven minute mark, former-Eagle Brett Lutes tied the game at 1 when he deflected a Greg Labenski shot from the top of the crease. But just 50 seconds later, the Eagles went back on top when it took Steve Haddon only seven seconds into Colorado's first man-advantage opportunity of the night to convert.

Dayton snapped off three goals in the second period -- the first two just 26 seconds apart -- to take the lead heading into the third period. Chris Lipsett tied the game at 2 at 10:58 on a great individual play in which he skated down the left wing, stickhandled around an Eagles defenseman and beat Andrew Penner. Less than half a minute later Ernie Stewart took the puck off the left mid-boards, skated toward the net and flipped a backhander past the Eagles' goalie to make it 3-2 for the home team.

Then, at 16:02, Lipsett got his second of the stanza with a power-play goal from the right hashmarks (the first power-play goal against the Eagles since Oct. 23 in Rapid City). But with 1:33 left in the second period, Haddon sent a lead pass through the neutral zone to Kevin Ulanski, who pulled up atop the right circle and blasted a shot past Jeff Jakaitis to trim Dayton's lead to 4-3.

The Eagles came out strong in the third period, out-shooting the Gems 15-10, but they couldn't solve Jakaitis until the final minute when playing with two extra skaters. Working a 6-on-4 power play with Penner pulled, Hogg was able to put the puck in the net to tie the game at 4 with just 56 seconds left, forcing overtime.

After a five minute overtime period went goal-less, the game went to a shootout to be decided. In that 10-player shootout, only three players scored with Colorado getting two of their chances past Jakaitis for the win. Scott May was credited with the winning goal as the second Eagle to convert.

The Eagles' next game will come Wednesday night at the Budweiser Events Center when they take on the Rapid City Rush in their annual Military Appreciation Night game (which will be broadcast on Altitude Sports & Entertainment).

Sunday, November 7; Pick Up the Free EaglesInsider

Eagles Fans,

Did you pick up a copy of the new Eagles game program in October? The all-new EaglesInsider is a free, monthly, magazine-style program handed out at each Eagles home game. In addition to being slim & sleek, the monthly editions allow fans access to the most up-to-date and current content about the team.

Each EaglesInsider includes a mini-player poster (perfect for autographs after every Saturday home game), feature articles, player info. and more. Each EaglesInsider is stuffed with a Game Notes flyer that contains team rosters, notable stats and other information pertinent to each game. Be sure to pick up your copy at the next home game!

Individual tickets for all Eagles home games can be purchased by visiting the Budweiser Events Center box office, calling 1-877-544-TIXX (8499) or online at www.ComcastTix.com. Special group rates are also available by calling the Eagles' office at 970-686-SHOT (7468).

The Week Ahead

Wednesday, Nov. 10; Eagles, Rush Clash on Military Appreciation Night

The Eagles and Rush will meet for the third of 12 meetings this season, the most Colorado will face any opponent. A short-benched Eagles squad took the first two games against the defending champs -- a home-and-home series in late October -- by a combined score of 12-6. Wednesday night's game will be the Eagles' annual Military Appreciation Night game, in which season ticket holders and corporate partners generously donate their tickets to military members (both past and present) and their families. The game will be broadcast on Altitude Sports & Entertainment.

Friday, Nov. 12; Eagles Look to Slip Past Oilers Again

The Tulsa Oilers -- whose team bus caught on fire last Friday -- will make their second trip to the Budweiser Events Center for the third of five total meetings this season. The Eagles won the first two by a combined score of 6-2, with the second meeting being decided in the final second on a Steve Haddon score. Colorado's all-time winning percentage of .795 against Tulsa is their highest against any active team they've played more than 10 times.

Saturday, Nov. 13; RiverKings, Eagles Meet For First of Only Two

Like Tulsa, the Mississippi RiverKings moved to the Berry Conference this season with the addition of the five IHL teams, and one byproduct is that the Eagles will see the RiverKings just two times all season -- both at the BEC. The first of those meetings takes place Saturday, with the other taking place Feb. 19th. Since the 'Kings transferred from Memphis to Mississippi, they've had the Eagles number -- at least in the regular season. Over the past three seasons, Colorado is just 2-6-2 against the RiverKings, including 1-4-0 at home.

Notable Numbers

No.1 IN THEIR BOOKS - The first CHL Coach's Poll results were announced last week and the Colorado Eagles were voted the league's top team at this point in the season. The Coach's Poll is conducted twice per month, with teams not allowed to vote for themselves; Colorado received 8 of a possible 17 first place votes.

EARLY SEASON ACCOLADES - Eagles stalwart Riley Nelson and newcomer Scott May have been big reasons behind Colorado's early-season success. Last week Nelson was recognized as the CHL's Player of the Month for October, while May was named the league's No. 1 Star of the month -- as a result of star points tallied at the end of games.

EARLY BURST - After several lapses led to an opening-day loss, the Eagles have adjusted nicely, winning every game since. Their seven-game winning streak is the longest active streak in the league and has them sitting atop the Turner Conference with 14 points (7-1-0). Entering the week, their .875 winning percentage leads the CHL.

STRONG STARTS - The Eagles have a history of coming out of the gates strong, and this season is no different. This marks the fifth time in Colorado's eight seasons that the team has won at least seven of its first 10 games, and the fourth time they've had at least a seven-game winning streak. An eighth win in a row would tie the third-longest winning streak in franchise history.

IN THE CLUTCH - Anytime a team strings together a long winning streak there are likely to be some dramatic wins, and the Eagles' current seven-game streak is no different. On Oct. 29th Steve Haddon scored with tenths of a second left for a win against the Tulsa Oilers, and on Saturday, Adam Hogg got a last-minute power-play goal to force overtime as Colorado went on to win a shootout in Dayton, Ohio. Ironically, it was the first power-play goal of Hogg's career.

RENEWING THE RIVALRY - The Eagles and Rush will meet a total of 12 times this season -- the most of any opponent for Colorado -- and the Eagles are off to a good start in the season series. Despite being severely short-benched for their first two meetings, Colorado won a home-and-home series against Rapid City on Oct. 22-23. The Eagles are 15-7-2 all-time against the defending President's Cup champions, including 9-3-0 at the Budweiser Events Center.

PK PERFECTION - Before Dayton scored on one of their five power plays Saturday night, Colorado had successfully killed 21 straight penalties. In the three games before Saturday, the Eagles had been perfect for three games in a row, going a combined 18-for-18. In that span, their penalty-killing percentage rose nearly 20% (66.7% on Oct. 23rd to 84.2% after Saturday).

SHINING STAR(T) - Goaltender Kyle Jones is off to a 4-0-0 start with Colorado, highlighted by a 1-0 blanking of the Dayton Gems Friday night. His 1.50 GAA leads the CHL and his .948 SV% is tied for first. In his four starts, he's allowed 3, 2, 1 and 0 goals against respectively.

Check out the Colorado Eagles Statistics



Central Hockey League Stories from November 8, 2010


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