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CHL Colorado Eagles

Colorado Eagles Weekly Update

December 27, 2010 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


Week in Review

Wednesday, December 22; Eagles Outlast 'Dogs for 7-6 Win

LOVELAND, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles stopped their modest winless streak at three games with a 7-6 victory over the Arizona Sundogs. The 'Dogs scored four power-play goals in the game, keeping them close despite the Eagles' offensive output. Kevin Ulanski paced Colorado with five points (2-3-5), while Joey Sides recorded four for Arizona (2-2-4).

Both teams put up 17 shots in a wide-open first frame, but the Eagles converted on 29.4 percent of their shots against Levente Szuper, while Andrew Penner played confidently at the opposite end of the ice, deflecting shots into the corner and allowing no rebounds when necessary.

Ulanski got things started just 23 seconds in -- on the Eagles' first shot of the game -- with a goal from the high slot that beat Szuper 5-hole. He then helped make it 2-0 less than a minute and a half later by picking up a loose puck at the left side of the net and slipping a pass to Scott May on the doorstep for a power-play marker.

At 8:50, Daymen Rycroft stretched Colorado's lead to 3-0 with an absolute laser blasted from the left circle; the puck went top shelf and bounded out of the net nearly as quickly as it entered.

The Sundogs had a chance to slow the Eagles' momentum midway through the first period when they were awarded over a minute of 5-on-3 play, but Colorado successfully killed the two-man advantage. The 'Dogs, however, were able to score with 13 seconds left on the second penalty when Tyler Butler took a shot from the right point that Sides deflected past Penner from the doorstep.

But with Arizona working another power play a few minutes later, Riley Nelson stole the puck at the right point and raced to a breakaway score against Szuper from low in the left circle. And just as they started the period strongly, Colorado ended it as such by scoring with just 2.8 seconds left.

On the play, Dylan Stanley was sandwiched at the inside hash of the right circle, but was able to get enough on the puck for May to shoot the rebound from the slot. His shot was also deflected, but right to Steve Haddon to punch across the goal line, giving the Eagles a 5-1 lead heading into the first intermission.

Bobby Jarosz replaced Szuper in net to start the second period and seemed to settle the Sundogs with some solid saves. Each team sent 14 pucks on net in the middle frame, with the Sundogs owning a 3-1 advantage in goals -- all on the power play.

Sides got his second goal of the game 5:37 into the second when Kyle Hood sent a slap-pass from the left point to the forward below the right circle. Colorado countered with a second power-play goal of their own at 9:21 when Ulanski sent a cross-ice pass to May for a one-timer and a 6-2 lead.

But the 'Dogs added another pair of power-play goals before the second stanza came to a close. Jason Williams cut Colorado's lead in half with a goal similar to May's, getting a cross-ice feed from Billy Bezeau. And at 15:26, Sides found Luke Erickson with a pass from the left wing into the slot, where Erickson snapped a shot past Penner for Arizona's fourth power-play goal of the game.

Ulanski got his second goal of the game -- and what turned out to be the game-winner -- 3:27 into the third period, one second after an Eagles power play expired. The goal came after a series of quick passes through the zone from Kyle Peto, to Nelson, to the league's reigning MVP low in the left circle with the goaltender down-and-out.

Arizona kept coming, however, and got that goal back just over a minute later when a stumbling Jason Visser was somehow able to get off a low shot that beat Penner -- the Sundogs' first even strength goal of the evening. Ant at 7:59, Erickson picked up his second goal of the game to make it a really interesting 7-6 margin with plenty of time to go. Neither team could get another puck into the net, however, and the score would stay the same, even as the Sundogs pulled Jarosz for an extra attacker in the final minute.

Thursday, December 23; Jones Voted All-Star Team Starter in Net

(LEAGUE RELEASE - TEMPE, AZ - December 23, 2010) - The 2011 Central Hockey League (CHL) All-Star game is scheduled for Wednesday, January 12 at the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center Arena in Rapid City, South Dakota and will feature the host Rapid City Rush taking on a team of CHL All-Stars comprised of players from the remaining 17 CHL clubs. The starters were selected via voting done by CHL head coaches, CHL Communication's Departments and select media members from CHL cities. In all, 60 ballots were cast during the voting process.

The top vote getter in the balloting process is Rio Grande Valley defenseman Darcy Campbell who appeared on 35 ballots, earning one of the two starting defensemen spots. He will be joined on the blue line by Mississippi defenseman Nathan Lutz. The starting forwards are Bossier-Shreveport's David Rutherford (the top vote-getting forw ard appearing on 34 ballots), Odessa's Sebastien Thinel and Laredo's Neil Trimm. The starting goaltender is Colorado's Kyle Jones.

2011 CHL All-Star Team Starters

Pos.- Player, Team (All-Star Appearance)

F- David Rutherford, Bossier-Shreveport (1st)

F- Sebastien Thinel, Odessa (5th)

F- Neil Trimm, Laredo (1st)

D- Darcy Campbell, Rio Grande Valley (1st)

D- Nathan Lutz, Mississippi (1st)

G- Kyle Jones, Colorado (1st)

David Rutherford (F), Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs

The second-year Mudbugs leads the CHL with 19 goals, five of which are game winners, and has had six multiple-goal games. Overall, the Ladner, British Columbia native has 33 points (19-14=33) ranking eighth in the league.

Sebastien Thinel (F), Odessa Jackalopes

This will be the fifth all-star appearance for the Jacks all-time games played leader. The St. Jerome, Quebec native is having his usual stellar season leading the league with 44 points (16-28=44) and ranking fifth with a +14 plus/minus rating.

Neil Trimm (F), Laredo Bucks

In his two CHL seasons prior to the 2010-11 campaign (103 games), the Westmeath, Ontario native combined to score 74 points but in just 27 games this season he has exploded offensively with 37 points (10-27=37) ranking fourth in the league in scoring.

Darcy Campbell (D), Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees

The first-year Killer Bee leads all defensemen with nine goals and 28 points. Earlier in the season, the Airdrie, Alberta native went on a stretch that saw him score seven goals over a seven-game stretch.

Nathan Lutz (D), Mississippi RiverKings

The first-year RiverKing ranks second among defensemen with 23 points (8-15=23). The Mistatim, Saskatchewan native also has five power play goals and two game winning goals on his resume.

Kyle Jones (G), Colorado Eagles

The first-year Eagle is tied for fifth in the CHL with 10 wins and ranks among the league leaders with his 2.44 goals against average and .927 save percentage. The North Delta, British Columbia native is tied for the league lead with two shutouts.

The reserves for the CHL All-Star team will be announced this week.

Sunday, December 26; Eagles Gain Ground With Win in Rapid City

RAPID CITY, S.D. - The Colorado Eagles gained ground in the Turner Conference with a 4-2 win in Rapid City. The victory gives Colorado 32 points on the season, one fewer than Missouri and two fewer than the Rush. The Eagles, however, have played four fewer games than Rapid City and one fewer than the Mavericks. Kevin Ulanski assisted on each of Colorado's four goals, giving him nine points in the past two games -- both Eagles wins.

A tightly-contested first period saw the Rush out-shoot the Eagles 8-7, but Colorado took advantage of an extended power play to score the frame's only goal. The Eagles were awarded 1:17 of 5-on-3 play when Vladimir Hartinger was penalized for a high-sticking double-minor in the second half of the period. Although Colorado didn't score on the two-man advantage, they were able to get the game's first goal during the second half of Hartinger's penalty when Ulanski found Riley Nelson in the slot for a 5-hole goal at 16:47.

Rapid City tied the game at 1 with a power-play goal of their own 3:22 into the second period when Dave Grimson put home a Derek LeBlanc rebound from the left circle. But the Eagles countered just 30 seconds later when Daymen Rycroft cleaned up the garbage to the right of Danny Battochio after Ulanski created the scoring chance by driving down the slot. Colorado then made it 3-1at 6:26 when Nelson dropped a pass in the high slot for Brett Thurston, who set a new career high with his third goal of the year.

The Eagles played much of the final five minutes shorthanded, and the Rush took advantage by cutting Colorado's lead to 3-2 at 17:22. Grimson picked up his second power-play goal of the game -- and second goal of any kind on the season -- with a blast from atop the right circle. But the Eagles were able to withstand a final push from the defending champs, and Nelson added an empty-net goal with 15 seconds left to account for the final score.

The Week Ahead

Wednesday, Dec. 29; Eagles, Rush Meet Again

The Eagles will play their second game in a row against the Rush and the eighth of their season series' 12 total. So far, Colorado is 6-1-0 against the defending champs this season. Both this season and historically, Colorado has had better luck against the Rush at home, out-scoring them 14-6 at the BEC this season and 70-48 all-time. The contests have been closer on the road, with the Eagles holding just a 13-10 edge this season and a 46-42 margin all-time in Rapid City.

Friday, Dec. 31; Colorado Continues Clash of Conference Powers in Missouri

The Eagles will follow up a game against the Turner Conference's 1st-Place Rush by visiting the 2nd-Place Mavericks. It will mark Colorado's first trip to Missouri this season as they'll look for revenge after the Mavs swept them at the BEC in a mid-December weekend set. The two teams will match-up a total of eight times this season -- four of them coming in February.

Saturday, Jan. 1; Eagles Ring in New Year in Allen

After taking on the top two teams in the Turner Conference, Colorado will continue on its road trip to take on the top team in the CHL -- the Berry Conference-leading Allen Americans. The Eagles will ring in the new year against the Americans for the second year in a row. Colorado lost last year's game -- its only one ever played in Allen -- by a score of 5-1. The 2009-10 Southern Conference champs enter the week with a record of 20-5-1, good for 41 points and a .788 winning percentage.

Sunday, Jan. 2; Colorado Looks for First Win at NYTEX

Colorado will end its busy week -- and road trip -- in Texas by looking for their first ever win at the NYTEX Sports Centre. All-time, the Eagles are 0-3-1 on the road against the Brahmas in the regular season (and 0-3 in the playoffs) since they've relocated to "The Shoebox." The Eagles will make their second trip to North Richland Hills this season for the second and final meeting between the two teams. In a scheduling quirk, Colorado played at Missouri, Allen and Texas last Dec. 31, Jan. 1 & Jan 2 as well; the Eagles went 1-1-1 (in that order) last season.

Notable Numbers

GETTING BUSY - The Eagles are about to begin one of their busiest weeks of the 2010-11 season, with four games in five days and four different cities. Colorado will also have a busy stretch at the end of January, playing nine games in 13 days between the 18th and 30th, hitting up six different cities.

REGULAR SEASON REVENGE - The Eagles are 6-1-0 this season against Rapid City, guaranteeing at least a split of the season series. Colorado will play the defending CHL champs a total of 12 times, more than any other opponent, and gets the eighth meeting out of the way this week -- leaving the other four spread throughout the season's final three months. The Eagles went 4-4-2 in 10 total meetings with their rivals last season.

RUSHING HIS PASSES - Kyle Peto enters the week as the third-highest point producing defenseman in the CHL, tallying 23 points. Among those points are 20 assists, which lead all blueliners. Surprisingly, exactly half of Peto's 20 helpers have come against the Rapid City Rush (he's assisted on 37% of Colorado's 27 goals against the defending champs this season). He's also doing well in his own end of the ice, as his +11 plus/minus is tied for 5th among all d-men.

PLAYER OF THE WEEK' - Kevin Ulanski recorded nine points (2-7-9) and was a combined +6 in last week's pair of games, production that will surely earn him strong consideration for the CHL's Player of The Week Award. Among his points was the game-winning goal last Wednesday -- his sixth of the season. "Uly" is tied for first in the CHL in game-winning goals, and nobody else on the Eagles has more than two. The output is way above pace for even the league's reigning MVP, as Ulanski netted six game-winners total in each of his past two seasons in the league.

RE-POWERED - Riley Nelson is leading the Eagles in points once again, and appears to have re-gained his scoring touch on the power play to boot! The team's all-time leader in power-play goals (78) has notched five on the year, one off his total of six from each of the previous two seasons. Prior to that, however, Nelson averaged 12 power-play goals in his first five seasons in Colorado.

DINO-MITE - Brett Thurston not only picked up the game-winning goal Sunday night -- the first of his career -- the tally was his third this season, setting a new career high as well; his three scores this year make up half of his career total. The University of Calgary Dino alumnus has also been playing well in his own end lately, with a combined +5 plus/minus rating over the past two games.

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