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CHL Colorado Eagles

Eagles, Penner Extend Winning Streaks

January 24, 2009 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. - The Colorado Eagles defeated the defending CHL champion Arizona Sundogs, 6-1, using balanced scoring and dominant goaltending. Just three Eagles skaters failed to register a point and Andrew Penner stopped 31 of 32 Sundogs' shots to win his eleventh game in a row. Colorado has now tied their season high winning streak at eight games.

The Eagles built a 1-0 lead after the first period despite a wide discrepancy in power play chances; Arizona received four -- including a partial 5-on-3 -- while the Eagles received none. Kevin Ulanski nearly put the Eagles on top five and a half minutes in when he burst down the right wing, battled through a hook from a Sundogs defenseman, and took the puck hard to the net where it got past Joel Gistedt. Referee JP Sylvain ruled it a goal before conferring with his linesman and waving it off.

Undaunted, Ulanski and Ryan Tobler teamed up for some justice just moments later off the ensuing faceoff when the first-year Eagle sent a backhand pass from the low slot to Tobler crashing the left side of the crease at 5:52. Penner and the Colorado penalty-killers were spectacular the rest of the first, snuffing out the final three Arizona man-advantage chances.

The power play see-saw continued in the second as the Eagles received all three of the man-advantage chances, and they used the final one to score their second goal in the frame's final minute to build a 4-1 lead after 40 minutes of action.

Steve Haddon -- taking Greg Pankewicz's spot in the lineup between Ed McGrane and Konrad Reeder -- made it 2-0 for the Eagles at 2:23 by stuffing home a McGrane rebound from the doorstep. But Arizona countered at 4:47 with their only score of the game when Rob Lehtinen tipped a Joel Irving shot from the left boards past Penner from in front after a prolonged shift in the Eagles' end.

Reeder, however, continued to torment his former Southern Conference rivals when he scored at 19:04. After a solid save by Penner in the Eagles' zone, Reeder took the puck down the right wing and slipped it under Gistedt to make it 3-1. And with just 10 seconds left in the second, Brett Hammond got his first power-play goal of the season with a sharp-angled chip under the crossbar from the right of the Sundogs' net.

Colorado added two more scores in the third period to account for the final margin with Riley Nelson snapping a shot past the Arizona netminder from the left circle at 3:29 and Aaron Schneekloth converting a short-handed 2-on-1 breakaway with Ulanski at 9:16 (his third helper on the night). Penner continued his dominance as the game came to a close, gloving an Adam Perry shot off a breakaway coming out of the penalty box with five minutes left and flashing his right pad to deny Martin Gascon from the low slot just minutes later.

The Eagles will return home for a date with the Amarillo Gorillas on Wednesday, January 28.

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