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CHL Colorado Eagles

Eagles Drop Opening Preseason Game to 'Jacks

October 8, 2010 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


FORT COLLINS, Colo. - A rookie-laden squad of Colorado Eagles fell, 7-3, to a much more experienced group of Odessa Jackalopes as the two teams kicked off the 2010 preseason with a meeting at the NoCo Ice Center as part of a benefit game for youth hockey in Northern Colorado. The two teams will meet again Saturday night at the Budweiser Events Center in the second, and final, preseason game for each team.

The Eagles, who dressed 17 players for the exhibition game -- 10 of which were rookies -- got into trouble by putting Odessa, which finished last season with the CHL's top power play and second-highest scoring offense, on several power plays (three of which they scored on).

The Jackalopes got out to an early lead, 2:08 into the opening period, after a turnover led to a 2-on-1 break converted by Todd Robinson. The Eagles evened up the score at 12:13 as Dylan Stanley carried the puck into the Odessa zone along the left wing where he momentarily lost control before re-gaining the puck and finding Daymen Rycroft down the slot for a wrister past Marc-Antoine Gelinas.

But just 15 seconds later, Odessa's Mike Lesperance fired a puck past Tim Boron to retake the lead. Colorado countered back at 15:41 when Rycroft got his second of the frame by deflecting a David Brown pass as the two teams skated 4-on-4. However, with just six seconds left in the opening frame, the 'Jacks re-took the lead with their first power-play goal when Dominic Leveille deflected an Alex Dunn shot into the back of the net.

Things fell apart in the middle frame for the Eagles as they spent most of the first half in the penalty box, allowing Odessa's potent power play to put home two more goals. Kenny Corupe made it 4-2 at 5:07, and Pierre-Olivier Beaulieu took a rebound off the end-wall and put a shot in off of Boron at 9:14.

Trailing 5-2 entering the final frame, Colorado struck again at 14:03 when Stanley found Braden Desmet in the low slot for a sweeping score, but the reigning Governors' Cup champion Jackalopes tallied two late goals to snuff any comeback hopes as Morgan MacLean and Beaulieu iced the contest.

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