CHL Colorado Eagles

Colorado Eagles Weekly Update

December 13, 2010 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


FORT COLLINS, Colo. - For the second year in a row, the Colorado Eagles and the NoCo Ice Center (7900 Fairgrounds Ave.), in conjunction with the Special Olympics and US Figure Skating, will be hosting a learn-to-skate program for children with special needs (physical and/or intellectual disabilities) on Wednesday, Dec. 8. from 7-8 p.m.

The event will be free to those who would like to attend -- skate rentals included -- and will include instruction from members of the Colorado Eagles and information on classes provided by the NoCo Ice Center. Those attending are encouraged to bring warm clothes, socks, gloves and a helmet.

For more information, or to register, please contact Gordon Harrison at (970) 206-4423 or learntoskatedirector@ncyh.org.

Wednesday, December 8; Veteran Eagles Chick Annie Featured in Mile High Sports Magazine

For the second time in three months, a veteran Eagles Chick is being featured in Mile High Sports Magazine as the "Girl In Your Corner." Alyssa graced the pages of the magazine's October "Hockey" edition, and her fellow five-year teammate, Annie, is in their popular December "Snow Angels" edition. The "Girl in Your Corner" feature profiles local ladies involved in Colorado's athletic community.

Be sure to pick up a copy of the December issue of Mile High Sports Magazine today, and keep an eye out for future issues as more Eagles Chicks may be highlighted!

Thursday, December 9; Jr. Eagles Chicks Clinic and Performance Dates Set

Would your daughter or granddaughter like to perform with the Pioneer Press Eagles Chicks?!?!

The Eagles Chicks will be holding their annual Jr. Eagles Chicks Dance Clinics during the months of January & February, and they're looking for dancers from Kindergarten thru 6th grade.

Clinics will be held in Fort Collins at Inertia Performing Arts (4637 S. Mason St.) on January 29th, February 5th, and February 12th (times found on flyer below). In addition to clinic sessions, the Jr. Chicks will get to perform at the Budweiser Events Center during an Eagles game on either February 13th or 23rd.

For just $95, Jr. Chicks get instruction from the Pioneer Press Colorado Eagles Chicks at Inertia Performing Arts, a performance during a Colorado Eagles game, a uniform top, a set of pom-poms, a commemorative photo with the Eagles Chicks and a DVD of the on-ice performance!

For more information, please contact Lisa Kennedy (Eagles Chicks Manager) at eagleschicks@comcast.net.

Friday, December 10; Ovations Introduces Eagles Collectable Beer Mugs

Eagles Fans,

The special edition beer mug/tokens introduced last season for Eagles games are back and better than before! Instead of being available just on theme nights, the mugs will be available for every Eagles game (while supplies last each night). And starting in December, a new collectable mug (featuring a different Eagles player) will be available each month*!

For $9, fans can purchase a special beer mug at either the Water Valley Tap (behind Section M) or the Executive Club & Restaurant on the suite level that can be re-filled with coinciding $5 tokens, offering a great value. Must be 21 years or older. Please drink responsibly.

For more information, please contact Ovations Food Services at the Budweiser Events Center.

* - Collectable player mugs will be available one game each month (Jan. 15, Feb. 19, Mar. 12).

Friday, December 10; Eagles Get Healthy, Get 8-3 Win Over Odessa

LOVELAND, Colo. - With Scott May and Steve Haddon back in the lineup, Colorado's depth was too much for Odessa to handle in an 8-3 win at the Budweiser Events Center. The victory ended the Eagles' modest losing streak -- two games, their longest of the season -- and pushed their all-time record against the Jackalopes at home to a perfect 10-0-0.

The teams played an exciting first period that saw Odessa take advantage of Colorado penalties and the home team tally a late goal to tie the score heading into the first intermission. The Eagles opened the scoring at 10:30 after a quality scoring chance was stuffed in their own end. Daymen Rycroft took the puck the other way on an odd-man rush and had his shot from the top of the right circle deflect off defenseman Garrett Gruenke and past his own netminder.

At 14:28 of the opening frame, the Eagles got into penalty trouble when Braden Desmet was called for a four minute, high-sticking double-minor. Colorado killed the first half successfully, but with 1:51 left in the second minor, Jason Beatty was called for a hook, putting Odessa on a two-man advantage.

It took the 'Jacks just nine seconds to convert, tying the score at 1 when Todd Robinson found Sebastien Thinel with a cross-crease pass for a sharp-angle shot from below the right circle. And with 19 seconds left in Beatty's penalty, Kenny Corupe put Odessa up 2-1 with a shot into a half-open cage.

But with the period winding down, the Eagles tied it at 2 after Beatty took a shot from the left point that was blocked by Dylan Stanley at the top of the circle. The puck, however, dropped right to his feet and he was able to beat Michel Robinson with a long shot eight seconds before the end of the period.

After his late goal in the first period, Stanley made it 3-2 with a quick score in the second stanza. Scott May collected a loose puck deep in his own zone, skated to the blue line and sent a perfect lead pass to Stanley at the opposite blue line, splitting a pair of Odessa defenders and hitting his teammate right in stride. Stanley skated in alone and snapped a shot past the goalie's glove 1:29 in.

But Robinson tied the game right back up for the Jackalopes at 2:11 after an Alex Dunn point shot was deflected on the way to the net and died in the crease to the right of Kyle Jones for a tap-in score. The Eagles then took the lead back with a power-play goal on their first man-advantage chance of the night midway through the period.

At 9:28, May and Kyle Peto passed the puck back and forth at the point before Peto sent a one-timer cleanly inside the left post to make it 4-3. And with just 57 seconds left in the second period, the Eagles got another timely goal when Riley Nelson sent a backhand pass from behind the net to Steve Haddon below the left circle for a top-shelf score and a 5-3 lead heading into the second intermission.

Colorado scored three more times in the third, making it five unanswered goals after the 3-3 tie early in the second period. With the teams skating 4-on-4, May made it 6-3, 3:32 into the third with a backhander from the left dot. That goal forced Robinson from the game (25 saves on 31 shots in 42:22 of play) as Joel Martin took his place between the pipes.

Martin didn't fare much better, stopping five of seven shots in just under 17 and a half minutes of action the rest of the way. Stanley and Adam Chorneyko worked a 2-on-2 rush into the latter's first goal (and point) as an Eagle at 9:09. And at 15:40, Matt Glasser picked up a turnover just inside the offensive blue line -- as three Jackalopes players overskated it -- and broke in alone on Martin on the way to making it 8-3.

Saturday, December 11; Odessa Gets First Ever Win at BEC With OT Victory

LOVELAND, Colo. - It took overtime, but the Odessa Jackalopes finally took two points away from a game at the Budweiser Events Center with a 3-2 win and a weekend series split. Todd Robinson scored the winner with just 6.3 seconds left in the extra session while the Jackalopes worked a 4-on-3 power play. Coming into the game, Odessa was 0-9-1 in Loveland all-time.

After combining for 78 shots Friday night (40 for Odessa), the teams combined for just 14 in the first period (eight for the 'Jacks). Despite drawing three power plays in the first half of the frame -- including over a minute of 5-on-3 play -- Colorado's first shot didn't come until 9:32 in. Odessa didn't get their first puck on net until 12:17 had ticked off the clock. Neither team was able to find the back of the net in the first 20 minutes of play.

The second period saw the teams combine for three goals -- the final two by Colorado -- allowing the home team to take a lead into the second intermission. Odessa got on the board first, 2:41 in, when Jeff Pierce made a great individual play by stickhandling through the offensive zone before finding Kenny Corupe in the slot for a score from the right hash mark.

The Eagles countered less than two minutes later when Riley Nelson pushed a pass from the slot to Kevin Ulanski at the top of the right circle for a tally off the pipe. Colorado had another extended 5-on-3 opportunity late in the second period and took advantage. With just nine seconds left on the first penalty, Nelson sent a pass from the right dot to the left dot for a Scott May one-timer that found the twine behind Joel Martin.

The 'Jacks tied the game at 2, 4:14 into the third period, shortly after a power play expired. Kyle Jones was caught scrambling on a wraparound chance and couldn't get set before Dave Van Drunen's shot from the low slot handcuffed the goaltender and trickled in. Each netminder would make some stellar saves the rest of the way to help push the game into overtime.

In the overtime period, Colorado was called for a penalty with 24 seconds left, paving the way for Odessa to take advantage. And with just over six seconds left on the clock, Philippe Plante sent a pass from the top of the right circle to the top of the left where Robinson one-timed a rocket past Jones for the win.

The Week Ahead

Friday, Dec. 17 & Saturday, Dec. 18; Eagles Look To Keep Mavs Winless at BEC After hosting one team that had never won at the Budweiser Events Center last weekend, the Eagles will host another this weekend in the Missouri Mavericks. Against the expansion Mavs last season, Colorado went 4-1-1 overall, including a perfect 3-0-0 (out-scoring Missouri 18-8) at home. Special teams were key last season, with Missouri converting on just 10% of their chances (5-for-50) and Colorado clicking at 24% (8-for-34). The Eagles added three shorthanded goals to the Mavs' one. Each team's top scorer in last season's series is no longer with their respective club (Jeff Christian left Missouri for Mississippi & Ryan McLeod left Colorado for Texas -- and is now with Rio Grande Valley).

Notable Numbers

ONE TEAM EXORCISED - With Saturday night's overtime win, the Odessa Jackalopes can now say they've taken 2 points away from a game at the Budweiser Events Center -- something they hadn't done in their previous 10 trips to Loveland. This weekend, the Missouri Mavericks come to town, carrying a winless record (3-0-0) at the BEC. Other teams without an all-time win in Loveland include (Eagles' record in parenthesis): Austin (1-0-0), Fort Worth (5-0-0), Indianapolis (2-0-0), Rio Grande Valley (5-0-0), Topeka (3-0-0) and Youngstown (6-0-0). Obviously, the Killer Bees are the only team on that list still active. And it should be noted that, since the Brahmas' "reincarnation," they've taken only an overtime win from Eagles at home (2-0-1).

A LOOK BACK - The Eagles went 4-1-1 against the expansion Mavericks last season. Colorado went 3-0-0 at home, out-scoring the Mavs 18-8. But the season series was much closer than those numbers make it seem. The Eagles went just 1-1-1 in Missouri, being out-scored 10-12. In half of the overall games, one of the teams held as slim a lead as just 1 goal heading into the final frame.

(ALMOST) ALL BUNCHED UP - The Turner Conference is all bunched up midway through December, with eight of the nine teams within seven points of each other. Colorado leads the conference in winning percentage (.667), but is tied for the most points with 28. Evansville is eighth with 21 points, while Fort Wayne has the fewest in the league with 11. For comparison, the top eight teams in the Berry Conference are separated by 15 points, with the ninth team just two points outside the group.

SATURDAY SLUMP - Part of what's made Colorado so successful historically is their weekend record. The Eagles are a combined 73-21-12 on Saturdays over the past five seasons -- never losing more than five games. This season, the Eagles have a losing record on Saturdays at 3-4-1.

MAKING HIS CASE - With All-Star ballots going out this week, netminder Kyle Jones should get some serious consideration as the Eagles' representative. After leading the league in almost every goaltending category all season, he enters the week tied for first in SV% (.932) and shutouts (2), is second in GAA (2.31) and tied for second in wins (10).

Check out the Colorado Eagles Statistics



Central Hockey League Stories from December 13, 2010


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