CHL Colorado Eagles

Eagles Lose in Shootout, Earn Second Seed Anyway

Published on March 22, 2008 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


YOUNGSTOWN, Ohio - With the Colorado Eagles 3-2 shootout loss to the Youngstown SteelHounds in the final game of the regular season, Colorado earned the one point needed for them to claim the Northwest Division title and the second seed in the CHL playoffs. As the second seed, the Eagles have earned a first round bye and will take on the third seed at the Budweiser Events Center on Friday, March 28 and Saturday, March 29.

Both teams played the first period close to the vest in a pretty even opening frame. Youngstown had a 9-6 edge in shots, aided by the only power play awarded in the first, but both clubs had their fair share of pressure, chances and hits.

The Eagles took advantage of their power play chances in the second, and Sebastien Laplante was strong in net helping to keep the SteelHounds from capitalizing on theirs as Colorado took a two-goal lead into the second intermission. Just under a minute and a half in, Andy Franck stopped Scott Polaski on an odd-man rush, but Polaski would not be denied four minutes later when he got the game's first goal at 5:39. Aaron Schneekloth skated the puck through the neutral zone and dished it off to Ed McGrane along the left-wing boards on the power play. McGrane then sent a pass across the lip of the crease to Ryan Tobler whose rebound went to Polaski directly in front of the net. Laplante made some big saves as the period progressed, keeping Youngstown off the scoreboard, and at 13:24, Tobler was involved in another power-play goal for Colorado. Riley Nelson sent a pass from behind the net to Greg Pankewicz in the right-wing circle and the Eagles captain one-timed a shot on net. The puck settled on the doorstep where Tobler slid it home.

Ryan Bennett tormented the Eagles like he has all season long as he scored two goals to tie the game up in the third; the two tallies gave him nine points in four games against Colorado this season (6-3-9). The first score came at 5:14 when he tapped in a Milan Maslonka rebound as the SteelHounds crashed the Eagles' net. Laplante, though continued his solid play in the third, stopping Bryan Lachapelle on a short-handed breakaway eight minutes in. With time ticking down and the Eagles looking at a regulation win, Bennett struck again with just 43 seconds remaining as he got three whacks at the puck from below the goal line to the left of Laplante before banking his own rebound off the goaltender and in to send the game into overtime.

Despite having nothing else to play for - having clinched their playoff berth with the point gained in overtime - the Eagles looked relaxed as the two teams played a free-flowing, back-and-forth overtime period. Laplante, too, made one more big save as he snuffed a back-door play, moving left to right in the extra period.

Kris Wiebe was the only Eagles player to score in the shootout with a superb forehand-backhand shot top-shelf, but Youngstown clinched the second point with goals from Jason Baird and Chris Richards.

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Central Hockey League Stories from March 22, 2008


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