Sports stats



CHL Colorado Eagles

Eagles Fall Short in Another Loss to Mavs

December 18, 2010 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


LOVELAND, Colo. - Despite a much better effort in the second game of their weekend set, the Colorado Eagles fell 4-3 to the Missouri Mavericks. In a game that featured two of the league's top goalies, it was a pair of shorthanded goals that spurred the Mavs to a victory that helped them leapfrog the Eagles in the Turner Conference standings.

For the second night in a row, the Mavericks scored the first goal of the game. At 8:18, Joe Grimaldi whiffed on a clearing pass out of his own zone, leading to a turnover that ended up on Nathan O'Nabigon's stick and in the net behind Kyle Jones. Colorado countered at 17:52 when Kyle Peto sent a power-play bomb from the point past Rob Nolan who was screened on the play.

The Mavs jumped out to a 3-1 lead 3:16 into the second period with a pair of shorthanded goals while killing the same penalty. Nick Sirota got his third goal in the weekend set at 2:20 by working a 2-on-2 with Simon Watson and snapping a shot top-shelf from low in the right circle.

Less than a minute later, Adam Chorneyko sent a backhand pass up the left wing, but none of his teammates were there, and it sent Sirota on an odd-man rush the other way with Mike Berry. Sirota sent the puck to Berry in the left circle and his shot deflected off the lone defenseman's stick, and then the goaltender's stick, before entering the net.

But at 11:17, the Eagles got back into the game after a turnover to Riley Nelson at the right midboards in the offensive zone. Nelson sent a cross-ice pass to Mike Sgroi, who found Dylan Stanley alone on the doorstep to cut Missouri's lead to 3-2 (the assist was Sgroi's first point with the Eagles).

And less than a minute later, the first-point-as-an-Eagle theme continued as the home squad tied the game. Grimaldi, the team's newly-acquired defenseman, blasted the puck from the right point and the rebound came out to A.J. Hau low in the right circle. The Fort Collins native then picked up his first professional point by backhanding the puck into the net to make it 3-3 (the assist was Grimaldi's first point with the team).

The Eagles controlled most of the play in the third period -- out-shooting Missouri 15-6 -- but couldn't get a bounce to go their way. In the first minute of the final frame, Nelson sent a power-play shot off the left goalpost, and moments later, Peto had a shot go off of Nolan's stick and just wide.

And just like Friday night, the Mavs' netminder 'stood on his head' midway through the third period while the Eagles worked another power play, snuffing several Colorado chances. Thirteen minutes in, he continued to steal the game when he made a sliding save from his right to his left, denying Daymen Rycroft point-blank off a great saucer-pass feed from Scott May.

After Nolan's stellar stop, play moved to the other end of the ice where Jones made a great save of his own, only to have Ryan Jardine's pass attempt off the rebound deflect in off an Eagle. The bad bounces continued for Colorado until the final minutes when a Rycroft shot beat Nolan and spun like a top on its edge on the goal line before a diving defenseman cleared it out of the crease.

The Eagles will look to snap their modest losing streak Wednesday night when the Arizona Sundogs come to town. Fans can help the Eagles "feast on the Dogs" by enjoying $1 hotdogs all night.

Check out the Colorado Eagles Statistics

• Discuss this story on the Central Hockey League message board...

Central Hockey League Stories from December 18, 2010


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central