ECHL Colorado Eagles

Colorado Eagles Weekly Update

Published on October 29, 2012 under ECHL (ECHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


LAST WEEK IN REVIEW

Tuesday, October 23; Eagles Bolster Netminding With Tyler Plante

The Colorado Eagles of the ECHL, proud affiliate of the NHL's Winnipeg Jets & the AHL's St. John's IceCaps, announced today the signing of goaltender Tyler Plante (pronounced: plaunt), a former 2nd round draft pick of the Florida Panthers (#32 overall in 2005). The Milwaukee, WI native has played 152 games at the pro level, 108 in the AHL, 33 in the ECHL & 11 in the Swedish Elite League.

The 6-foot-3-inch, 200-pound goalie was a standout with the Brandon Wheat Kings, earning a spot on the Canadian Hockey League's All-Rookie Team as well as the league's Rookie of the Year trophy in 2004-05.

In 2007-08 he began his pro career with the Rochester Americans of the AHL and split time that season with the ECHL's Florida Everblades. Since then, he's also seen time with the San Antonio Rampage (AHL) and two other ECHL teams (the Dayton Bombers & the Cincinnati Cyclones). At the ECHL level, Plante has an all-time record of 13-13-3 with a goals-against average of 2.72 and a save percentage of .910.

Friday, October 26; Jones, Daavettila Lead Eagles to Point in Season's First Road Game

WEST VALLEY CITY, Utah. - The Colorado Eagles & Utah Grizzlies played 13 times last season and eight of the meetings were decided by just a single goal, five times requiring a shootout. The teams picked up right where they left off last year in the Eagles' first road game of the season, as the home team edged the Eagles, 4-3, in another shootout. Kyle Jones stopped 49 shots in the game, the second-most in club history, while Trent Daavettila -- the league's leading scorer over the past three seasons combined -- picked up his first three points as an Eagle.

Saturday, October 27; Lampe's Late Goal Lifts Las Vegas to 4-3 Win

LAS VEGAS, Nev. - Last season, Las Vegas' Eric Lampe led the ECHL with 37 goals, and 14 of them came in just a dozen games against Colorado. Through the first four games of this season, Lampe had yet to find the back of the net, but that changed Saturday night when he renewed acquaintances with the Eagles. Lampe's two third period tallies -- including one with just over a minute left -- helped the Wranglers to a come from behind, 4-3, victory.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Friday, November 2 & Saturday, November 3; Eagles to Face Expansion San Francisco Bulls

Colorado played its only preseason game against the expansion San Francisco Bulls, taking the contest, 7-6, via a shootout. This weekend they'll meet in a pair of games that will actually count in the standings, and each team could use the points. The two teams enter the week in last place in their respective divisions, taking up the last two spots in the Western Conference as a whole. Colorado hasn't won a game since Oct. 13, and is currently riding the longest winless streak in team history at five games (although they've claimed two points in that span by taking games past regulation). San Francisco is riding their own skid, going winless in their past four; their previous win came on Oct. 19.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

SPECIAL EFFORT - Colorado excelled on special teams during their two-game road trip and now lead the league in both road power play and road penalty kill. The Eagles' power play is converting at 33.3% away from the Budweiser Events Center (2-for-9), while their penalty kill is a perfect 100% (13-for-13)!

HEAVY WORKLOAD - Kyle Jones faced a heavy workload during the Eagles' two-game road trip. In Friday night's contest in Utah, he was credited with making 49 saves, the 2nd-highest total in team history (the 52 shots allowed were the 3rd-most). Things didn't get much easier Saturday night against the high-powered Wranglers' offense, as Las Vegas threw 37 shots on net. In all, Jones' stopped 82 of 89 shots over the weekend for a save percentage of .921!

CENTURY MARK - Goaltender Kyle Jones saw action in his 100th game for Colorado on Saturday. He is just 19 games away from Andrew Penner 's team record, and is just eight wins shy of matching Penner in victories. They also have nearly identical goals-against averages (3.01 for Jones to 3.02 for Penner) and save percentages (.905 to .902).

GETTING HIS POINTS ACROSS - Trent Daavettila came to Colorado with a well-earned reputation as a point producing machine; he leads all ECHL players over the past three seasons (including playoffs) in points. However, he had failed to earn a single point in the season's first five games, making it the longest point-less streak of his ECHL career. He broke through in a big way last weekend, however, putting up five points (2-3-5) in the Eagles' two games.

THE FINAL FRAME - Colorado has struggled to close out games early on this season. Through the first seven contests, the Eagles have carried a lead into the third period five times (over 70% of the time), however, they have been able to come away with just three of a possible 10 points. They've been out-scored 16-4 in the final frame; no team has allowed more goals or scored fewer.

PRESEASON PREMONITION? - The Eagles played their lone preseason game against the expansion San Francisco Bulls, who come to the BEC this weekend for a pair of meetings that will actually count in the standings. In that previous meeting, the Eagles built an early 5-0 lead before the Bulls scored six unanswered, forcing Colorado to come from behind for a 7-6 shootout win.

NEEDING A PAIR OF POINTS - The Eagles' early season struggles have them riding the longest winless streak in club history. They've managed a pair of points since their last win by taking two games past regulation, but they have failed to take two points out of a contest since topping Alaska in the season's second game on Oct. 13. They're also riding a three game winless streak at home, one off the team record.

BE HOME EARLY - Colorado's early season schedule is "home heavy," as 10 of the first 12 games will take place at the Budweiser Events Center; their only two road games before mid-November came last weekend. That should be good news for the Eagles who had one of the better home ice advantages in the league last year (21-12-3), and who have an all-time regular season record of 213-65-18 at the BEC (for a winning percentage of .750).

OTHER HAPPENINGS

Nominate Your Hometown Hero - As part of our commitment to saying 'Thank You' to our local military members and their families, we're inviting our fans in Eagles Country to nominate their family members or friends who they feel qualify as "Hometown Heroes." If you know of someone who deserves to be honored and recognized for their incredible efforts of military service, please fill out the form on our web site by Nov. 1. Three nominees will be chosen from the forms received, and honored (one per period) during our annual Military Appreciation Night on Wednesday, Nov. 7 at the Budweiser Events Center. The 'Hometown Hero' will also receive free tickets to that night's game, along with admittance for select family/friends.

Altitude 2 to Air Military Appreciation Night Game - The Colorado Eagles and Altitude Sports & Entertainment announced today that the Denver-based network -- which has broadcast 46 Eagles games over the past eight seasons -- will air the team's annual Military Appreciation Night (scheduled for Wednesday, Nov. 7) for the fourth time in the past five years. The broadcast will be carried on the "Altitude 2" channel (check www.altitude.tv for listings in your area).

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