CHL Colorado Eagles

Eagles Get Monkey Off Back, Beat Gorillas

Published on January 24, 2010 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


AMARILLO, Texas - The Colorado Eagles defeated the Amarillo Gorillas, 6-2, less than 24 hours after a 5-4 loss to the same team the previous night. The win not only put Colorado into a tie with Rapid City atop the Northern Conference, but it ended a franchise-long tying winless streak on the road. The Eagles had not picked up a win away from the Budweiser Events Center in 2010, going 0-3-2 in their previous five away games.

For the second game in a row, the Gorillas scored on their first shot of the game, this time coming nearly six minutes in after the Eagles dominated much of the play in the opening period. At 5:57, Neil Smith sent the puck toward the net from the right point where Jason Chafe deflected it past Mike Mole.

But Colorado answered right back with the first of three first period scores. Just 32 seconds later, Jim Jackson followed up a three-assist game on Saturday with another helper when he found Adam Hogg on back-door play to tie the score.

Then, midway through the first frame, Riley Nelson and Kevin Ulanski each assisted on a pair of goals just nine seconds apart to make it 3-1. The first goal came when Nelson, stationed in the right circle of the offensive zone, hit Jackson cruising down the slot. The defenseman then snapped a shot past Mike Brown at 9:48. The Eagles scored again off the ensuing faceoff when Nelson and Ulanski teamed up with Ryan Tobler for a rush into the Gorillas' zone before Tobler blasted the puck past Brown from the left dot.

The quick strikes -- just nine seconds apart -- tied a franchise record for fastest pair of goals, done two other times. Mole then held his ground, making two spectacular saves on odd-man rushes in the later portion of the period to preserve the two-goal lead after one period of play.

Brett Lutes picked up his second point of the night (to go along with his assist on Hogg's goal) at 5:56 of the second period when he sent a rocket of a shot top shelf from just inside the left circle. That tally chased Brown from the Amarillo net as Saturday night's star, Tuomas Lohtander, replaced him between the pipes; Brown stopped 13 of 17 shots in just under 26 minutes of play.

Jay Birnie made it 5-1 for the Eagles at 8:43 of the third period when he laid into a one-timer off a Ryan McLeod rebound and blew it into the net from atop the right circle. But just 21 seconds later, Joe Guenther picked up another goal against Colorado this season when he was able to poke home a rebound from the right side of the net.

That was as close as the Gorillas would get, however, and with just 44 seconds left in the contest, Hogg picked up his second score by putting home a Fraser Filipic rebound from the left circle.

The two teams will meet for the third time in a row when the Gorillas travel to Loveland, Colo. on Wednesday, Jan. 27. The Eagles will donate 100 percent of the remaining ticket proceeds from that game to the American Red Cross' Haiti relief efforts.

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Central Hockey League Stories from January 24, 2010


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