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ECHL Colorado Eagles

Colorado Starts 2017-18 Season with 3-2 Win over Utah

October 14, 2017 - ECHL (ECHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


LOVELAND, CO. - The Colorado Eagles raised the 2017 ECHL Kelly Cup Championship banner to the rafters and kept the good times rolling with a 3-2 victory over the Utah Grizzlies at the Budweiser Events Center on Friday. Eagles forward Michal Joly scored a pair of goals, including the game-winner, while fellow forward Brady Shaw added a goal and an assist in the win.

Joly opened the scoring on the tail end of an Eagles penalty kill when a turnover at the Colorado blue line led to a breakaway down the ice. Joly pulled Utah goalie Kevin Carr out of position with a beautiful move in the low slot and completed the play by sliding the puck into the back of the net. The tally gave the Eagles the 1-0 lead just 6:12 into the contest.

The Grizzlies would level the score later in the first period, as forward Brad Navin launched a wrister from the right circle that beat Eagles goaltender Lukas Hafner and tied the game at 1-1 with 2:43 remaining in the opening frame.

Moving into the second period, Colorado would regain the advantage when forward Brady Shaw sliced through the slot and snapped a wrister to light the lamp at the 5:19 mark of the second stanza. With time ticking down in the period, Joly would grow the Eagles lead with a backhander from the low slot that beat Carr and put the home team on top 3-1 with 1:50 to play in the middle frame.

Utah would cut Colorado's advantage to a lone goal when forward Jon Puskar flung a backhander from between the circles into the back of the net to trim the deficit to 3-2 at the 15:53 mark of the period. The Grizzlies would then pull Carr in favor of the extra attacker during the waning moments of regulation, but Hafner would hold strong in net to preserve the Eagles 3-2 victory.

Utah outshot Colorado 40-28 on the night, as Hafner finished the evening with a 38-save performance for the win. The Eagles went 0-for-3 on the power play, while the Grizzlies failed to capitalize on their four opportunities on the man-advantage.

The same two teams will face-off Saturday night when the Eagles travel to Utah for a rematch with the Grizzlies at 7:05pm MT.

Season tickets for the 2017-18 season are on-sale now and can be reserved with a $100 deposit per seat by calling the Eagles ticket office at 970-686-SHOT (7468). A complete schedule can be found at www.ColoradoEagles.com.

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ECHL Stories from October 14, 2017


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