ECHL Colorado Eagles

Eagles Head to Wichita for Game Six After 5-4 Loss in OT

Published on April 22, 2018 under ECHL (ECHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


LOVELAND, CO. - Colorado would score two goals in the third period to force overtime, but Wichita forward Ryan Van Stralen would net the game-winner just 21 seconds into OT to give the Thunder a 5-4 win over the Eagles in Game Five on Saturday. Joe Cannata suffered the loss in net, surrendering five goals on 17 shots. Shane Starrett collected the win by turning aside 37 of the 41 shots he faced in the contest.

Wichita opened the scoring when forward Evan Polei flew down the ice on a breakaway before steering the puck past Cannata in the low-slot to give the Thunder the 1-0 advantage at the 7:03 mark of the first period.

Less than 90 seconds later, Colorado would generate an answer when forward Ryan Harrison hustled down the right wing boards, slicing through the right circle and beating Starrett on top of the crease to tie the game at 1-1.

The Thunder would hop back in the lead just minutes later when forward Brayden Low swung and bashed a bouncing puck out of midair and into the back of the net to give Wichita the 2-1 edge with 7:02 remaining in the opening period of play.

The second period would see the Eagles tie things back up when forward Julien Nantel snagged a pass in neutral ice that would spring him on a breakaway and allow him to snap a shot from the between the circles past Starrett just 3:02 into the middle frame to square the game at 2-2.

Colorado would then earn itself a power play, but it would be the Thunder that would capitalize when a mishandled puck at the Eagles blue line set up a 2-on-1 rush for Wichita and it would be forward Mark MacMillan who would light the lamp with a wrister, giving the Thunder a 3-2 lead at the 12:38 mark of the period.

Less than four minutes later, a break down in the Eagles zone would leave forward Ryan Van Stralen alone in front of the net to tip a centering pass into the cage and stretch Wichita's lead to 4-2 with 3:55 left to play in the second period.

Heading into the final period of play still trailing by a pair, Colorado would trim the deficit when forward J.C. Beaudin tipped a shot from the point past Starrett to cut the Thunder's advantage to 4-3 at the 5:50 mark of the period.

Still down by one and with less than two minutes to play, Colorado would pull Cannata in favor of the extra attacker and the move would pay off when defenseman Jake Marto fired a pass from the top of the circle to the top of the crease where forward Drayson Bowman would redirect it into the net. The goal tied the game at 4-4 with only 1:27 remaining in the third period and would push the game to overtime.

Just 21 seconds into the extra session another Eagles turnover deep in their own zone would set up Van Stralen to skate across the low-slot before lifting a backhander over the shoulder of Cannata to give Wichita the 5-4 victory.

Colorado went 0-for-4 on the power play, but was a perfect 2-for-2 on the penalty kill. The Eagles finished the evening with a shots-on-goal advantage of 41-17.

The Eagles return to action when continue their best-of-seven playoff series against the Wichita Thunder in Game Six on Monday, April 23rd at 6:05pm MT at Intrust Bank Arena in Wichita, Kansas. Tickets for all Eagles home playoff games are on sale now and can be purchased online at ColoradoEagles.com.

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ECHL Stories from April 22, 2018


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