Sports stats



CHL Colorado Eagles

Eagles Score Seven Unanswered In 8-2 Win

December 16, 2009 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


LOVELAND, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles improved their CHL-leading winning percentage to.795 with an 8-2 victory over the Wichita Thunder. Colorado scored seven unanswered goals to come from behind in the win, holding the Thunder to just two first period goals. Kevin Ulanski notched four assists on the night to leapfrog teammate Riley Nelson and become the league's leading scorer with 40 points (13-27-40) on the season.

Colorado got on the board first with a power-play goal at 2:11 when Brett Lutes and Ryan McLeod entered the zone along the right win by playing pass. McLeod then took a shot from the right circle that was blocked by a Thunder defenseman, but the rebound came right to the slot where he backhanded it into the cage.

Wichita spent a good portion of the rest of the period on power play themselves -- although the Eagles generated just as many, if not more, quality scoring chances -- and tied the game at 1 with a power-play goal at 14:43. On the play, Joel Hanson sent a pass from below the left circle to Marc Belanger who was all alone on the doorstep in front of Mike Mole.

Then, with just 18 seconds left in the period, Belanger picked up his second goal of the period (after registering a hat trick in his previous game) when Ulanski's clearing attempt ended up in the high slot where the Wichita forward one-timed a bomb past the Eagles' netminder to make it 2-1 heading into the first intermission.

The Eagles regained the lead in the second with four goals. Aaron Schneekloth picked up the first two -- 10 seconds apart -- and Colorado added a power-play goal and penalty shot score as well. Schneekloth's first goal came at 3:48 off a faceoff win in the left circle when Ryan Tobler set him up for a blast from the point that trickled through Scott Campbell's legs. He then made it 3-2 for the home team with a wrister from the high slot after receiving a pass from Ulanski along the right wing boards.

Tobler got a goal of his own at 5:11 when he scored on the power play -- on another delayed penalty -- by snapping a shot past the Thunder netminder from the right circle. After allowing his fourth goal on just 13 shots, Campbell was replaced in net by Jon Horrell. Horrell seemed to stabilize the visitors for a while, but was beat by Brett Lutes on a penalty shot at 9:19. It was the third regular season penalty shot made in Eagles history, with the last one also coming against Horrell (scored by Konrad Reeder, Feb. 27, 2009).

Riley Nelson made it 6-2, 5:36 into the third period, when he was able to deflect a Jim Jackson point shot after a faceoff win in the left circle. Then, midway through the period, the Eagles' enforcers entertained the crowd with fights one second apart as Fraser Filipic and Alex Penner dropped the gloves.

The fights also provided a shot in the arm for the Colorado offense as, 11 seconds later, Lutes picked up his second goal of the game. Ed McGrane left a drop-pass for his left-winger and Lutes snapped the puck past Horrell from atop the left circle. Brett Thurston made it 8-2, to close out the scoring at 17:16, when Steve Haddon took the puck behind the net on a wraparound and dished a backhand pass to the defenseman stationed to the right of the crease.

The win improved Colorado's Northern Conference-leading record to 17-4-1 (35 points). The Eagles will take on the expansion Missouri Mavericks at the Budweiser Events Center on back-to-back nights this weekend.

Check out the Colorado Eagles Statistics



Central Hockey League Stories from December 16, 2009


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.

Other Recent Colorado Eagles Stories



Sports Statistics from the Stats Crew
OurSports Central