Eagles De-Throne 'Kings at BEC, 6-3
February 21, 2010 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release
LOVELAND, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles took a chunk out of the Mississippi RiverKings' regular season dominance with a 6-3 victory at the Budweiser Events Center. The home win was the Eagles' first against the RiverKings in the regular season since 2008 after Mississippi took the first game of the weekend set the previous night.
The Eagles doubled up their goal total from the previous night in the first period of play, taking a 4-0 lead into the first intermission. Aaron Schneekloth got the scoring started 3:13 in with a power-play goal after Kevin Truelson sent his own rebound back to him for a goal from the right slot.
The league's two leading scorers then teamed up to put the Eagles up 2-0 at the 10 minute mark when Kevin Ulanski and Riley Nelson worked a give-and-go out of the right corner before the Eagles' captain beat Tim Boron from between the hash marks.
Then, at 14:07, the first line struck again when they entered the offensive zone, and Nelson pulled up in the high slot before finding Ulanski for a one-timer from the right circle. And just 37 seconds later, the second line got into the act as Ryan McLeod sent a backhand pass from the doorstep to Ed McGrane at the left side of the net to draw Boron out of position for a tap-in.
Mark Sibbald began the second period between the pipes for the RiverKings and stopped all 10 of Colorado's shots in the frame. And at 12:42, Louis Dumont got Mississippi on the board after he was impeded on a shorthanded break and awarded a penalty shot; he beat Mike Mole 5-hole on the shot.
Tempers flared just over 15 minutes into the middle frame and a small brawl ensued. Mississippi ended up with a 5-on-3 power play when all of the penalties were assessed, and Dumont ended up getting a second goal to cut Colorado's lead in half when his cross-crease pass deflected off of Schneekloth's stick and past Mole.
The RiverKings continued to mount a comeback as they trimmed Colorado's lead to 4-3 with a goal 6:05 into the third period. On the play, Darrell Stoddard one-timed a shot past Mole's blocker from between the circles as Dumont fed him a pass from atop the right circle.
The game continued to be tense until the final minute of play when McGrane scored a pair of empty-net goals for a hat trick. It was his third hat trick as an Eagle, with the previous two coming in the 2006-07 season.
With the win and Rapid City's regulation loss, Colorado moved within three points of the Northern Conference lead. Their next game will be Wednesday, Feb. 24 against the Amarillo Gorillas at the Budweiser Events Center.
Central Hockey League Stories from February 21, 2010
- Offense Sleeps Sunday, Brahmas Lose 1-0 - Fort Worth Brahmas
- Keserich Blanks Defending Champs - Wichita Thunder
- Mudbugs Steamroll Oilers 6-0 - Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
- Colorado Claims Rough-and-Tumble Battle With RiverKings - Mississippi RiverKings
- Eagles De-Throne 'Kings at BEC, 6-3 - Colorado Eagles
- Rush Blanked for the First Time This Season in 5-0 Loss to IceRays - Rapid City Rush
- IceRays blank Rush - Corpus Christi IceRays
- Mudbugs Cruise Past Thunder 5-1 - Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
- Brahmas outscore conference leader to stay undefeated in Febuary - Fort Worth Brahmas
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