CHL Colorado Eagles

Colorado Eagles Weekly Update

Published on January 17, 2011 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


Week in Review

Wednesday, January 12; The X Factor: Eagles Re-Sign Alex Penner

WINDSOR, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles announced today that they have re-signed Alex Penner, who quickly endeared himself to Eagles fans last season. Alex will again join his older brother, goaltender Andrew Penner (the team's all-time leader in wins), on the roster. The 6-foot-4-inch, 240-pound forward has spent the first half of this season in England where he was a fan favorite fighter for the Nottingham Panthers.

For his career, Alex has accumulated 569 penalty minutes in 150 games. Last season with Colorado, he received 222 PIMs and registered a career high 12 points in 51 games. In 28 matches this season in the EIHL, he tallied nine points (4-5-9) and a career high 291 penalty minutes in just 30 games (an average of nearly 10 PIMs per game in a league accustomed to plenty of fisticuffs).

"Alex has returned to the Eagles intent on not only continuing to provide a physical presence, but to improve his overall game and skill set, with his ultimate goal being to make it to the top level of professional hockey," said Colorado Eagles General Manager & Head Coach Chris Stewart.

Penner is scheduled to be in the lineup Friday night when the Eagles open a weekend series against the Odessa Jackalopes at the Budweiser Events Center. He'll wear #32.

Wednesday, January 5; Spend a "Night Out With The Buds" For Just $44

Eagles Fans,

Don't have tickets to catch the Eagles and Alex Penner's return this weekend' Why not take advantage of the "Night Out With The Buds" offer for next Wednesday's game against the Evansville Icemen' For just $44*, you can get two draft beers and a pair of tickets to the January 19th game -- spend a night at the Bud Center drinking Buds with your Bud!

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).

* - Service charges will apply. Tickets available in select sections only. Beer vouchers will be printed with tickets.

Wednesday, January 5; CHL All-Stars Top Rapid City Rush, 11-6; Colorado 's Kyle Jones stops 10 of 12 in only period of play

RAPID CITY, S.D. - A team made up of Central Hockey League All-Stars defeated the host Rapid City Rush, 11-6, in the 2011 CHL All-Star Game. The All-Star team win marked the first time in the three years since the league adopted a host team vs. All-Star team format -- a tweak initiated by the Colorado Eagles in 2009 -- that the league's squad came out victorious.

The high-octane first period started with a goal by the CHL All-Stars 3:17 in. Bloomington's RAPID CITY, S.D. - A team made up of Central Hockey League All-Stars defeated the host Rapid City Rush, 11-6, in the 2011 CHL All-Star Game. The All-Star team win marked the first time in the three years since the league adopted a host team vs. All-Star team format -- a tweak initiated by the Colorado Eagles in 2009 -- that the league's squad came out victorious. The high-octane first period started with a goal by the CHL All-Stars 3:17 in. Bloomington's Jason Dale got the opening goal, knocking the puck into a wide open net from the crease, off a pass from CHL assist leader Sebastien Thinel. Andrew Smale -- who had no goals coming into the game -- countered for the Rush at 4:39, converting on a breakaway by backhanding a shot past Kyle Jones .

Wichita's Matt Robinson then took over, recording a natural hat trick in less than four minutes to make it a 4-1 lead for the All-Stars. Robinson's first score came at 6:36 as he took a pass up the left wing, cut to the net and beat Danny Battochio with a backhander. Robinson got his second 35 seconds later by cashing in on an odd-man rush. And at 10:31, he notched his third goal with a deflection from the doorstep off a pass from Nick Sirota along the right midboards.

Derek LeBlanc cut the All-Stars' lead in half with a tally at 11:51 by snapping a shot from atop the left circle past a screened Jones. The Eagles' netminder stonewalled the Rush the rest of the period, making his finest stop with 4:44 left when Les Reaney found Colt King on the doorstep. At the other end of the ice, Battochio heated up as well, keeping his team in the game with several strong saves late in the first frame.

The Rush stormed out in the second period, notching their first goal just 19 seconds in and putting their first three shots past Missouri's Rob Nolan. Ryan Menei got the first two goals of the period, tying the game at 4, with a second score 44 seconds into the stanza. And just 11 seconds later, former Eagle Konrad Reeder gave Rapid City its first -- and only -- lead of the game with a breakaway goal.

At 4:11, David Strathman tied the game at 5 for the All-Star team when Thinel found him cruising through the slot for a backhander. Both netminders stepped up their game after the early flurry of goals, making several solid stops. But Evansville's Brian Bicek notched the period's next two goals -- at 10:38 and 17:28 -- giving the All-Stars a 7-5 lead heading into the second intermission.

Action slowed in the third period, but not before Bicek could record his own natural hat trick just 21 seconds in on the first shot against Terry Dunbar, who had come into the game in place of Battochio. Brendon Hodge got that goal back for the host Rush at 9:38, converting a feed from King below the goal line from the slot.

At 16:26 of the final frame, Jason Krischuk made it 9-6 for the All-Star team on a similar play. And Dale and Nathan Lutes would score a pair of late goals for the All-Stars (at 18:15 & 19:54) to account for the final margin.

Thursday, January 13; All-Star Jerseys Being Auctioned Off - Bid on Kyle Jones' jersey now

(LEAGUE RELEASE - TEMPE, AZ - January 12, 2011) - The Central Hockey League (CHL), in conjunction with the Rapid City Rush, has announced that the 2011 CHL All-Star team's jerseys from the 2011 CHL All-Star Game will be put up to the highest bidder in an on-line auction beginning Thursday, January 13 at 8:00 AM (MST) and will run for one week ending on Thursday, January 20 at 8:00 AM (MST).

The sweaters of the 19 CHL All-Stars will be available with a minimum opening bid of $250.00. The jerseys, manufactured by OT Sports, will be autographed and game worn.

Friday, January 14; Eagles Not So Special in 4-3 Loss to Odessa

LOVELAND, Colo. - The Odessa Jackalopes defeated the Colorado Eagles, 4-3, in the first game of a weekend set at the Budweiser Events Center. The win was just Odessa's second all-time in Loveland -- after picking up their first in their last visit -- and their first victory in regulation. The Jackalopes' power play went 2-for-6 on the night, while Colorado's went 1-for-8.

The teams played a tightly-contested opening period with the Eagles edging the Jackalopes in shots, 16-15. But Odessa scored the period's lone goal on one of their two power plays, while Colorado went 0-for-4 on the man-advantage. The Jacks' goal came at 13:47 when Todd Robinson sent a point shot through a screen and into the back of the net behind Andrew Penner.

Special teams continued to be the theme of the second period. Odessa made it 2-0 just 31 seconds in with a shorthanded score when Sebastien Thinel stripped the puck from Aaron Schneekloth and sent Kenny Corupe on a breakaway for a 5-hole goal.

The Eagles cut that lead in half at 2:05 when Riley Nelson's centering pass from below the goal line made its way to the high slot where Kip Workman collected it and took his time before picking his spot for a shot past Michel Robinson.

Penner continued to keep the Eagles in the game with several strong saves 15 minutes into the middle frame, but at 17:31, Odessa's potent power play struck again. Robinson picked up his second power-play tally of the night -- through another screen -- with a pin-point shot into the upper right corner of the cage from high in the left circle, giving the Jacks a 3-1 lead heading into the third period.

Colorado trimmed Odessa's lead to 1 once more with their only man-advantage marker of the evening when Adam Hogg deflected a Steve Haddon shot from the doorstep 3:27 into the third. But the Jacks were able to counter just 35 seconds later to re-gain a 2-goal cushion when Alex Dunn knocked home a loose puck from the low slot off a Dominic Leveille feed from below the goal line.

The Eagles kept generating chances, however Lady Luck was not on their side as they hit two posts on a power play minutes later, and another at the 15 minute mark. Nelson, though, was able to cut Odessa's lead down again at 16:39 by following his own rebound and beating the Jacks' goalie from the low slot.

Penner continued to make timely saves as his team tried to tie the game, but after making a final stop on a Leveille breakaway with 1:30 left, he headed to the bench for an extra attacker that would prove fruitless for the Eagles.

Saturday, January 15; Eagles Jump Up in Standings With Shootout Win Over Odessa

LOVELAND, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles defeated the Odessa Jackalopes, 3-2, in a shootout after losing a one-goal game to the Jacks a night before. In the tightly-packed Turner Conference, the win moved the Eagles from fifth place into third and just two points out of first. Kyle Jones stopped 47 shots in the win and stonewalled two of three Odessa shooters in the shootout.

The teams played a scoreless first period, despite the Jackalopes being awarded five power plays, including three overlapping 5-on-3 advantages. Odessa used that span of power plays to help build a 19-4 advantage in shots -- on the way to 22 total in the period -- but Colorado's All-Star goaltender was outstanding, turning each one of them aside. The 22 saves in an opening period set an Eagles record and tied the second-most saves in any period.

In the second period Odessa finally took advantage of one of their power plays to open the scoring at 14:49. On the play, Dominic Leveille sent the puck toward the crease from below the goal line to the right of the goal and the puck deflected under Jones.

The Eagles countered to tie the game with 66 seconds left in the second stanza when Daymen Rycroft cruised down the left wing and had his shot from the circle turned into a changeup that eluded Michel Robinson after it deflected off of defenseman Alex Dunn's stick.

Mike Ramsay put Odessa back in the lead 5:24 into the third period after a turnover at the Eagles' blue line led to his blast past Jones from the high slot. Colorado had a chance to tie the game back up midway through when it was awarded a pair of back-to-back power plays, but they couldn't capitalize. At 18:20, however, Matt Glasser swept home a Riley Nelson rebound to tie the score and send the game to overtime.

Odessa out-shot Colorado 6-2 in the shortened frame, but couldn't beat Jones again and the game went to a shootout. The Eagles put the game away swiftly in the shootout as each of their four shooters (Kevin Ulanski, Aaron Schneekloth, Nelson and Rycroft) scored -- each choosing a different spot against Robinson.

The Eagles next game will come in Rapid City on Tuesday, Jan. 18 before they return home to face the Evansville Icemen the following day. The game on Wednesday will be Colorado's only home game in the next nine.

The Week Ahead

Tuesday, Jan. 18; Eagles Start Busy Stretch With Familiar Foes

This will be the ninth meeting between the rival teams in the 12-game season series. The Eagles and Rush are currently tied in fourth place with 40 points in the tightly-contested Turner Conference, but Colorado owns the highest winning percentage in the conference due to playing fewer games. So far, Colorado is 6-2-0 against the defending CHL champs. The Rush won the last match-up, 4-2, on Dec. 29th in Loveland. This game will be in Rapid City, where the Eagles are 2-1-0 this season and 7-5-2 all-time.

Wednesday, Jan. 19; Icemen Become First of Former IHL Teams to Visit Loveland

The Evansville Icemen will become the first of the former IHL teams to visit the Budweiser Events Center. The Icemen enter the week with the lowest winning percentage in the league and tied for the fewest points in the Turner Conference; their 137 goals against are among the most in the league as well. Despite their record, the Icemen boast top-end talent in forwards Nicklas Lindberg and Brian Bicek, among others. Mario Larocque heads up Evansville's defensive corps, while Matt Lundin has carried the bulk of the workload in net.

Friday, Jan. 21 & Saturday, Jan. 22; Eagles Take on First-Place Mallards

The Eagles go from "worst to first" -- at least in terms of the Turner Conference -- as they travel to Quad City for a weekend set. The Mallards open the week atop the conference with 42 points (just two more than the Eagles). Quad City has come by their 21-15-0 record by boasting an balanced game across the board and going perfect after regulation (4-0 in OT, 1-0 in SO). Their 19 wins within the Turner Conference are the most of any team in the league and both their power play and penalty kill rank 3rd overall. They're also the least-penalized team in the league, averaging just 14.7 penalty minutes a game.

Sunday, Jan. 23; Colorado Continues Busy Weekend in Bloomington

Colorado continues its "IHL Tour" with a third match-up against former IHL teams in a row. The PrairieThunder enter the week in a second-place tie with 41 points (one more than the Eagles). They are tough to beat at home, with a record of 13-7-1, tied for the most home wins in the Turner Conference. They also play a well-balanced game, boasting an even number of goals for and against (95). They've specialized in close games this season, going 11-3-1 in 1-goal contests and a perfect 11-0-0 when leading after two periods of play. Similar to Quad City, the have run up a strong record within the conference at 17-10-0.

Notable Numbers

PROJECTIONS - With the Eagles passing the halfway point of their season after Friday night, there are a few players who have already reached career highs in a season and others who will if they can duplicate their first half performances. Adam Hogg and Brett Thurston have either already reached career highs or will smash their previous highs if they keep pace. Defenseman Kyle Peto is well on his way to a career year. Dylan Stanley and Scott May (despite spending a large chunk of time injured) -- each playing their first season at the CHL level -- are also on pace to reach new highs. And for the record, team-leaders Kevin Ulanski and Riley Nelson are on a strikingly similar pace as last season.

ALL-STAR PERFORMANCE - Kyle Jones was named the No. 1 Star of the game in Saturday night's shootout win over Odessa, and deservedly so. The Eagles' All-Star netminder kept the team in the game early when Odessa spent the first half of the opening period on the power play -- including several 5-on-3 chances. His 22 saves in the first period set a franchise record, and his 47 saves in the game tied the third-most in team annals -- both were also team highs for the season. The 22 shots allowed in a period -- most of which came while the Jacks were on the power play -- tied the third-most ever allowed in a period against the Eagles.

SHOOTOUT SPECIALISTS - The Eagles tortured Odessa's Michel Robinson in the shootout on Saturday, going 4-for-4 and beating him in a different spot each time. Kevin Ulanski improved to a perfect 4-for-4 himself on the season (best in the league), while Aaron Schneekloth, Riley Nelson and Daymen Rycroft also found the back of the net in the shootout. Kyle Jones' save percentage in shootouts actually went down because he faced so few shooters; he stopped 2 of 3.

MATT(CH) MADE IN HEAVEN - Something about facing the Jackalopes brings out the best in rookie Matt Glasser. The DU alumnus has 14 points (4-10-14) in 30 games this season (.46 points-per-game), but four (3-1-4) have come in the five games against the Jacks (.8 points-per-game). In other words, 75 percent of his goals and 28.5 percent of his overall points have come against Odessa.

STREAKING BUDDIES - Kevin Ulanski and Riley Nelson are both riding seven-game point streaks. Nelson was riding a five-game goal streak until last game, which tied the fourth-longest in franchise history (he also owns the third-longest (6, twice)). Ulanski, on the other hand, got an assist in his seventh straight game to continue his own record-tying streak; his assist streak ties the fourth-longest in team history (he owns the longest at 11 games).

IHL TOUR - The Eagles start a busy stretch of their schedule this week, playing six games in eight days, in five different cities. Included in this stretch will be Colorado's first ever meetings with three of the CHL's newest teams, the Evansville Icemen (Wed.), the Quad City Mallards (Fri. & Sat.) and the Bloomington PrairieThunder (Sun.).

Check out the Colorado Eagles Statistics

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Central Hockey League Stories from January 17, 2011


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