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CHL Colorado Eagles

Colorado Eagles Weekly Update

February 28, 2011 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


Tuesday, February 22; Kid's Haven Baby Races Set For March 16th

Ready, set, crawl.

Does your child have what it takes to be a Diaper Derby Champion' The third annual Colorado Eagles Baby Race is your chance to prove it during the first intermission of the Eagles' home game against the Laredo Bucks on March 16th, 2011.

The rules are simple. If your baby is 7-12 months old and still crawling, you are eligible to participate. If your child is one of the first three contestants to cross the finish line...you win prizes courtesy of Kid's Haven Day Care in Windsor, the Official Preschool Daycare of the Colorado Eagles. The first place winner receives a FREE week of daycare at Kid's Haven (up to a $200 value).

Six contestants will be chosen to participate, and each family will receive two free tickets to the March 16th game (discounted tickets available for additional family members). However, if you enter and are not selected, Kid's Haven will waive its daycare registration fee for you (a $50 value).

(Your baby must be between 7-12 mos. old and still crawling.)

Wednesday, February 23; Eagles Ruin Rush Streaks, Gain Ground With 6-2 Win

LOVELAND, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles overcame an early goal against to stop Rapid City's 13-game win streak and Danny Battochio's personal nine-game win streak with a convincing 6-2 triumph. The win brought Colorado within a point of the Rush for the top spot in the Turner Conference, with the Eagles owning a game in hand.

The Eagles nearly doubled up the Rush on shots in the opening period (17:9), and did double them up in goals (2:1). Rapid City wasted no time getting the scoring started, making it 1-0 just 14 seconds into the contest. Les Reaney won a faceoff in the right circle of the offensive zone, and Dave Grimson's shot from the point made its way through a slew of bodies and past Kyle Jones.

Colorado tied the game at 10:03 when Matt Hanson sent the puck on net from the right point only to have it deflect off a Rush player and then off Andrej Hebar's stick as he was battling for position in the low slot. Just over a minute later, the Eagles scored a power-play goal after Aaron Schneekloth threw the puck on net from the point and Scott May was able to knock home the rebound; the puck banked off of the right post and then was pushed in by the sprawling netminder's right skate.

The Eagles doubled up the Rush in goals (2:1) again in the second period, sending the home team into the third period with a 4-2 lead. It was Colorado that got a quick goal in the second stanza when Riley Nelson scored into a wide open net just 39 seconds in.

On the play, Kyle Peto chipped the puck into the offensive zone along the right wing and Battochio went behind his net to stop it. The Rush goalie then tried to backhand the disk to a teammate, but it hit a break in the boards and popped right to a forechecking Adam Chorneyko. The rookie forward quickly fed Nelson who was crashing the net for an easy goal.

Colorado chased Battochio just over three minutes into the second period after Kevin Ulanski led a 4-on-2 rush into Rapid City's end down the left wing and sent a cross-ice pass to Joe Grimaldi for a well-placed shot just inside the left post. Tim Boron then replaced Battochio who had stopped 20 of 24 shots in just over 23 minutes of play.

Rapid City cut Colorado's lead in half at 11:35 of the middle frame, just eight seconds after their second power play of the game had expired. Derek LeBlanc took the puck from behind the net in the offensive zone and placed a sharp-angle shot over Jones' shoulder from below the right circle.

The Rush were given a power play early in the third and could have gained momentum and made it a one-goal game with plenty of time, but the Eagles were able to successfully kill Rapid City's man advantage. Colorado nearly made it 5-2 at 5:51 of the final frame when Dan Sullivan poked home his own rebound that had fallen to the ice between Boron's legs, but the goal was waived off due to a premature whistle from the referee.

It mattered little to the resilient Eagles as they got that goal at 15:20 when Hanson blasted a bomb of a shot from atop the left circle on the power play. And 41 seconds later, Chorneyko sent Nelson on a breakaway on which the captain blasted another shot past Boron from a similar spot to account for the final margin.

Saturday, February 26; Eagles Earn Playoff Berth in OT Win vs. Wichita

LOVELAND, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles defeated the Wichita Thunder, 5-4, in overtime, and in the process, clinched their eighth playoff berth in as many seasons of existence (more than a full month before the regular season ends). Special teams played a large role in the game, with the Eagles' stopping eight of nine Thunder power plays, while converting on two of their own six.

Colorado got the game's opening goal just 29 seconds in when Riley Nelson circled behind the opposing net and backhanded a pass to Dan Sullivan on the doorstep for a backhand shot that beat Marc-Antoine Gelinas 5-hole. But the Thunder scored the next three goals to take a 3-1 lead into the first intermission.

Wichita's first goal came at 5:20 when Chris Greene sent a pass from below the goal line to the right of the net to Matt Robinson in the slot. Robinson entered the game as the league's third-highest scorer, and he showed why by snapping a shot past Kyle Jones to tie the game at 1.

Jesse Bennefield -- Wichita's second-leading scorer -- showed his offensive prowess at 11:04 when he scored on a shot from below the left circle. And at 16:44, Robin Richards made it three unanswered goals by converting on a breakaway to give the Thunder a 3-1 lead.

Colorado got another quick strike to start the second period with a goal just 15 seconds in when Nelson knocked home a rebound in the last second of a power play. Each team had several power plays in the second stanza -- including many 5-on-3 chances -- but neither could convert. In fact, Wichita would start the third period with 37 seconds worth of a two-man advantage.

The Eagles tied the game at 3, 4:53 into the third period when Aaron Schneekloth chipped the puck over Gelinas after the rebound from Kevin Ulanski's point shot fell into the crease. Colorado took the lead at 8:47 when Ulanski sent Steve Haddon on a breakaway by chipping the puck forward from the neutral zone. Haddon then beat the Thunder netminder with a rocket from the top of the left circle.

But Wichita tied the game back up with their lone power-play goal at 11:39 when Andrew Martens shot from the point found the back of the net. The Thunder had another good opportunity to re-gain the lead as the period came to a close, working most of the final two minutes with their ninth power play, but the Eagles successfully killed that chance to push the game into overtime and earn the point that pushed them into the playoffs.

Colorado claimed the game's second point 1:34 into the overtime session when Adam Chorneyko ended the game with a goal from the right circle. The rookie forward sped down the right wing on a breakaway before using Kory Scoran as a screen to beat Gelinas.

Saturday, February 26; Colorado Eagles Clinch Playoff Spot One Month Prior to Postseason

WINDSOR, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles clinched their eighth playoff berth in as many seasons on Saturday, becoming the second team in the Central Hockey League's Turner Conference -- and the third overall -- to qualify for the postseason. The Allen Americans of the Berry Conference and the Rapid City Rush -- the two teams that met in last season's championship series -- are the other early qualifiers. The 2010-11 regular season ends on Sunday, March 27.

The Eagles currently sit in second place in the Turner Conference (69 points), trailing the Rush by just one point. Both teams were pushed into official playoff position over the weekend.

More playoff information (opponents, dates, ticket information, etc.) will be announced in the second half of March. Visit www.ColoradoEagles.com for updates.

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

Tuesday, March 1; Eagles Close Out Season Series With Wichita

Colorado will finish an extended home-and-home series against the Thunder in the fifth and final meeting of the season between the two teams. Of the four games so far, the home team has come out on top, with the Eagles winning 5-4 in overtime on Saturday night. The game will likely be high-scoring as the Thunder (3.77) and Eagles (3.70) are ranked No. 2 & 3 respectively in the CHL in goals-per-game.

Friday, March 4 & Saturday, March 5; Killer Bees Make Rare Visit to Colorado

The Eagles will be taking on the Rio Grande Valley Killer Bees for the only two times this season. Even rarer, the Bees will be making their first trip to Loveland since Jan. 23rd, 2008. Despite entering the CHL in the same year, the Eagles and Bees rarely meet due to their geographical distance from each other, and they've played each other a total of just 10 times in the first seven seasons of their existence (including two seasons with no meetings). Rio Grande Valley won the single match-up last year, picking up their first ever victory against the Eagles (Colorado is now 9-1-0).

Notable Numbers

PLAYOFF BOUND - By taking Saturday night's game against the Thunder into overtime, the Eagles clinched their eighth playoff berth in as many seasons of existence (more than a month before the end of the regular season). The Allen Americans and Rapid City Rush (the two teams that faced off in the Finals last season) were the first two teams to qualify. And all three have since been joined by the Bloomington PrairieThunder, making the Americans the only Berry Conference team to qualify so far. The 2011 Playoffs will begin the final week of March/first week of April.

HOME ICE ADVANTAGE - The Eagles and Thunder have met four times so far this season, with the home team winning each time. Colorado is 2-2-0 so far, dropping the two games in Wichita by a total of three goals. All-time, Colorado is 33-15-4 against the Thunder, including 13-9-4 away from the BEC.

BUCKING THE TREND - The Eagles have been stellar when they get off to a strong start this season, owning a league-best 26-3-1 record when getting the game's first goal. Moreover, they're also 17-1-1 when leading after the first period. Incredibly, their overtime win on Saturday over the Thunder was their first this season when trailing after the opening frame (they're now 1-9-1).

STRONG SECOND MONTH - Colorado just completed one of their strongest February's in franchise history. The year's second month has often been the toughest for the team, but by going 8-3-1, they matched their high for wins in February and tied the second-best record for the month in team annals. The Eagles went 8-2-1 in 2005-06 & 8-3-1 in 2004-05.

TOTAL TURNAROUND - Part of what's made Colorado so successful historically is their weekend record. The Eagles were a combined 73-21-12 on Saturdays over the past five seasons, but struggled to win on that day earlier this season -- Colorado was 3-5-1 after Dec. 18th, matching the franchise record for losses on Saturday in a season with over half the schedule yet to be played. But since then, the Eagles have not lost a Saturday game, going a perfect 9-0-0!

LEAGUE LEADERS - With the final month of the regular season here, several Eagles have quietly made their way to the top of the league's statistical lists. Riley Nelson is 2nd in points (76) with Kevin Ulanski tied for 3rd, just one point behind him (75). Nelson is tied for 7th in goals (31), but just four shy of 1st place. Ulanski is tied for 2nd with 49 assists, while Nelson is tied for 5th (45). Those two also lead the league in plus/minus, with Nelson at +31 and Ulanski at +28. Joe Grimaldi is 4th with 177 PIMs (2nd among blueliners). Ulanski also leads the league with nine game-winning goals. Kyle Peto is 3rd among defensemen with 34 assists (just two off the league lead). Aaron Schneekloth is tied for 4th in plus/minus (+19) among d-men. In net, Kyle Jones is tied for 1st in wins (24) and among the top five in shutouts (2), GAA (2.56) and SV% (.918).

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