CHL Colorado Eagles

Eagles Snap

February 7, 2009 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


OKLAHOMA CITY, Okla. - The Colorado Eagles ended their first losing streak of the season -- at a modest two games -- by defeating the Oklahoma City Blazers 6-3 in front of over 10,000 fans at the Ford Center. Colorado's recently-struggling power play came to life, going three for five (with two goals by Konrad Reeder), to help the CHL-leaders to their 35th win of the season.

It didn't take long for the intensity between the two Northern Conference rivals to bubble up as Jay Birnie and Josh Patterson dropped the gloves just 81 seconds after the opening faceoff. Patterson, making his return to the lineup after a long stint on the IR, continued throwing punches after the players hit the ice and the linesmen had intervened.

At 6:22, Aaron Schneekloth scored the game's opening goal with a 4-on-3 power-play marker from the right circle. It was the Eagles' first score on the power play since Jan. 31 against New Mexico. Then, after the ensuing faceoff, Fraser Filipic bloodied and battered Tyler Harder -- who was clearly overmatched -- at center ice.

The rough stuff continued just moments later when Birnie got his revenge against Patterson. After the Blazers forward put a big hit on Jason Beatty in the Eagles' zone, Birnie retaliated and returned the favor by throwing some late punches of his own, earning him an exit from the game.

And at 12:11, Colorado's power play -- which had scored just 6 goals in its past 61 chances over 10 games -- struck again when Reeder deflected Schneekloth's shot from the point past All-Star goaltender Andy Franck. It also marked the first time on their three-game road trip that the Eagles scored more than one goal.

Greg Pankewicz made it 3-0 for Colorado at 3:39 of the second after taking an Oklahoma City turnover at the Eagles' blueline and starting a rush the other way. With Reeder crashing the crease, the Eagles' captain scored on a sharp-angle shot from below the right circle.

The period's momentum would sway in the Blazers' favor midway through when three nearly-consecutive penalties were called on Colorado. The Eagles' penalty-killers withstood the first two, but couldn't keep Oklahoma City off the board when Jeff MacDermid knocked home a Justin Sawyer rebound at 12:41. Then, just over two minutes later, DJ Jelitto put home a similar score to make it 3-2 after two period of play.

After some stellar saves by both netminders during the first half of the final frame, the Eagles struck for three consecutive scores in fewer than three minutes. Reeder got his second power-play goal of the game at 11:09 when he converted a fantastic backhand pass from Steve Haddon up the slot for the game-winning goal.

Then, just over two minutes later, Adam Hogg got his fourth goal in six games by taking advantage of a Blazers turnover by snapping a shot past Franck's glove from inside the right circle. And Ryan Tobler made it 6-2, 23 seconds later, by deflecting an Erik Adams shot from the right point through a maze of bodies in front of the net after a faceoff. Jelitto scored his second goal of the game with just 1:42 left after coming out of the left corner and backhanding the puck past Andrew Penner to account for the final score.

The Eagles will return home for a President's Cup rematch against the Arizona Sundogs on Wednesday; Colorado is 4-0 against the champions this season.

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Central Hockey League Stories from February 7, 2009


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