ECHL Colorado Eagles

Colorado Eagles Weekly Update

November 12, 2012 - ECHL (ECHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


LAST WEEK IN REVIEW

Tuesday, November 6; Forney named Sher-Wood Hockey ECHL Player of the Week

(LEAGUE RELEASE - PRINCETON, N.J.) - Michael Forney of the Colorado"ˆEagles is the Sher-Wood Hockey ECHL Player of the Week for Oct. 29-Nov. 4. He also won the award for the week ending Dec. 25, 2011.

Forney scored four goals, added three assists and was a +5 as the Eagles won two games against San Francisco.

The 24-year-old opened the week with three points (1g-2a) in a 6-1 win against the Bulls on"ˆFriday and then tallied a hat trick and added an assist in Colorado's 7-2 win on Saturday.

Tuesday, November 6; Ulanski Re-Signs With Colorado Eagles; Last Season's Sportsmanship Award Winner Brings Clutch Scoring Back to Eagles' Lineup

LOVELAND, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles, proud affiliate of the NHL's Winnipeg Jets & the AHL's St. John's IceCaps, announced today that forward Kevin Ulanski will re-join the Eagles' lineup. A member of the University of Denver's back-to-back NCAA championship teams in 2004 & 2005, the veteran forward has played for the Eagles in each of the past four seasons, being voted the Central Hockey League's MVP in 2009-10 -- a season in which he also led the league in points (109).

Ulanski ranks 4th on the team's all-time scoring list with 356 points (120-236-356) in 249 games, 60 points shy of Ryan Tobler in 3rd. The 109 points he registered in the 2009-10 season are a club record for most points in a campaign. He also boasts a plus/minus rating of +128 (5th all-time), to go along with 27 game-winning goals (4th all-time & accounting for 22.5% of his goals overall) and a .147 shooting percentage (2nd among Eagles players with 25 or more goals).

Last season, the Madison, Wis. native recorded 68 points (27-41-68) in 56 games, tying him for 7th in the ECHL. Those numbers, combined with the fact that he accumulated just 20 penalty minutes, helped him earn the league's Sportsmanship Award. In addition, seven of his scores last season were game-winners, tied for most in the ECHL.

Wednesday, November 7; Red Hot Eagles Soar Over Grizzlies, 10-1

LOVELAND, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles tied a team record for largest margin of victory with a 10-1 win over the Utah Grizzlies in their annual Military Appreciation Night game. It marked the third straight blowout for the Eagles, who defeated the San Francisco Bulls, 6-1 & 7-2 in a pair of games last weekend.

Friday, November 9; Eagles Continue Winning Ways With 6-3 Victory Over Grizzlies

LOVELAND, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles picked up their fourth win in a row with a 6-3 victory against the Utah Grizzlies in the second game of a three game set at the Budweiser Events Center this week. Once again, Colorado's special teams helped pave the way to victory, as the Eagles went 3-for-7 on the power play and killed 6-of-8 Utah power plays.

Saturday, November 10; Eagles Complete Sweep of Grizzlies Behind Costello's Hat Trick

LOVELAND, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles defeated the San Francisco Bulls, 7-2 -- one night after topping them 6-1 -- to claim a weekend sweep over the expansion club. Michael Forney led the Eagles' offense with a hat trick -- giving him the league lead with nine goals in as many games -- as part of a four point night (3-1-4), while Kyle Jones was strong in net once again in stopping 24 shots.

THE WEEK AHEAD

Wednesday, November 14, Friday, November 16 & Saturday, November 17; Eagles Look To Stay Hot in Three Game Set Against Aces

The Eagles are riding a five game winning streak in which they've out-scored their opponents 35-9. They'll need to continue clicking on all cylinders as they travel to Alaska -- a place they've never won -- to take on the 20010-11 ECHL champions, who won last season's regular season championship and have taken advantage of the NHL lockout by signing four NHL players. Colorado, however, has already split a series against the Aces this season and should have plenty of confidence in taking the league's top offense (4.67 goals/game) to Sullivan Arena's Olympic-sized sheet of ice. The Eagles will also be adding a proven scorer of their own to the lineup in Kevin Ulanski (who re-signed with the team last week); Ulanski -- who won the ECHL's Sportsmanship Award last season -- recorded 109 points (a team record) in 2009-10, a season in which he was named the Central Hockey League's MVP. Colorado's current run has also been fueled in large part by their special teams, which happen to be the league's best on the road.

NOTABLE NUMBERS

THE LAST FRONTIER - Alaska is the only place the Eagles have played in the ECHL in which they don't have a regulation victory. Last season, Colorado went 0-4-1 at the Sullivan Arena, being out-scored 19-6. That average of 1.2 goals/game will likely need to increase if they want to change that trend during this week's three game set. And it's not as if the Eagles can't beat the Aces; they have a home record of 2-3-0 against them after splitting a series opening weekend.

GOAL RUSH - Colorado has picked up its scoring over the past five games -- recording no fewer than six in each one -- and now leads the ECHL with an average of 4.67 goals/game. Michael Forney leads the league with 10 and Jack Combs & Joey Sides are tied for 2nd with eight, but the scoring has been very balanced during the stretch, during which 14 different players have found the back of the net.

RETURN TO FORM - Chad Costello will be returning to Alaska for the first time since he suffered the season-ending knee injury that cut short his MVP season last year. But the bigger news is that, despite admitting he's not 100%, he is leading the league in both points (23) and assists (17). Furthermore, he's coming off a performance that saw him register a hat trick on Saturday night, capping off a week that will likely earn him league honors (which would be the team's second in a row). He's recorded 99 points through the first 59 games of his Eagles career, and has four hat tricks -- an average of one ever 15 games.

COMPLETE EFFORT - During the Eagles' five game winning streak, they've out-scored their opponents, 35-9, which breaks down to an average of 7 goals for and less than 2 goals against. Their special teams have helped fuel that success, as Colorado has gone 13-for-34 (38%) on the power play, and 39-for-46 (85%) on the penalty kill.

EVEN STRENGTH SKUNKING - The Eagles out-scored the Grizzlies 12-0 at even strength in their three game series last week, with all six of Utah's goals coming via special teams (five on the power play, one shorthanded). Moreover, Colorado also dominated on special teams, converting 10 of 23 power plays (43.5%) while killing 22 of Utah's 27 man advantage chances (81.5%).

SECRET WEAPON - Apparently, the Eagles have been hiding a secret weapon on their roster for five years. Defenseman Jason Beatty entered the season without a single shorthanded goal during his five year career in Colorado, but through 12 games so far this season he's tallied two, leading the team. The veteran's previous shortie came during his rookie season of 2004-05 with the CHL's Lubbock Cotton Kings.

GETTING TRICKY - The Eagles have registered a hat trick in three of their past four games, each from a different player, and each coming on exactly three shots. The ECHL's leading goal-scorer, Michael Forney, got things started on Nov. 3 against San Francisco. Team captain Riley Nelson picked up his first goals of the season on Nov. 7 against Utah. And Chad Costello increased his league-leading point total with another hat trick on Nov. 10 against the Grizzlies.

SHARP-SHOOTERS - Maybe the biggest reason for the Eagles' recent offensive tear is the balanced scoring they've found and their shooting percentage as a team. Colorado has a combined shooting percentage of .160, tops in the ECHL. Michael Forney, whose league-leading 10 tallies have come on just 30 shots, leads all active players with a .333 shooting percentage.

THE POSITIVE SIDE OF THE LEDGER - Joey Sides is riding a 4-game goal streak, and has six in his past six games. That production has helped him compile the ECHL's top plus/minus rating of +12. He won the league's plus/minus award last February with a +13. Jason Beatty owns the league's 2nd-best plus minus rating at +11.

TOUGHEST HOMBRES IN THE WEST - Following a series against rival Utah that saw a combined 321 penalty minutes -- including a game that featured a league season high 140 combined -- the Eagles now lead the ECHL with an average of 30.58 PIMS/game. Colorado also leads the league in minors & 10 minute misconducts. It hasn't been a one-sided situation, however, as the Eagles' opponents have averaged 27.17 PIMs/game; only Ontario's foes have accumulated more PIMs.

SPECIAL ON THE ROAD - The Eagles have played just two road games so far this season, but they did well enough on special teams that they can claim the top road power play (33.3%) and road penalty kill (100%) in the ECHL. Colorado's power play has been great regardless of the arena, as it boasts a #2 ranking at home (29.0%) and overall (29.6%).

SECOND BEST - The Eagles have been the ECHL's best second period team so far this season, out-scoring their opponents 24-6 in the frame. No other team has scored as many or allowed fewer in the second stanza. Ironically, Colorado has been out-shot in the second stanza, 131-126. The only team to put up more than a single goal against the Eagles in the second period was Alaska in the season-opener (when they scored two).

OTHER HAPPENINGS

Follow The Eagles On The Road @ Stuft - Do you want to follow the red hot Eagles on the road? Well, Stuft: a burger bar, is the new exclusive away broadcast home of the team! For the rest of the season, you can go to either Stuft location (Windsor or Ft. Collins) and watch the road broadcasts via the AmericaOne Sports online feed on their awesome TVs!

Scout Night: Nov 24 - Calling all Scouts! Now is the time to start organizing your packs, dens, troops, etc. Special group rate tickets are available, and those in attendance will be treated to a special pre-game presentation by an Eagles coach and/or player. The first 200 scouts in attendance on Saturday, November 24th wearing their uniform will also receive a special 2012-13 Scout Night patch!

All-Decade D-Man - It's the final week to vote for the Fans' Vision All-Decade Team's first of two defensemen. Voting for the team, which is presented by the Eye Laser Center of Northern Colorado, is being conducted throughout the season, with those participating able to win autographed items by the team members and highlighted by free LASIK!

Check out the Colorado Eagles Statistics



ECHL Stories from November 12, 2012


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