CHL Colorado Eagles

Eagles Triple Stack Mavericks, 6-2

October 23, 2009 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


LOVELAND, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles defeated the Missouri Mavericks, 6-2, in the teams' first ever meeting. Mike Mole made a good impression in his first start in net for Colorado, stopping 27 of 29 shots in his debut against the expansion franchise.

One week after the team's former captain (Greg Pankewicz) was honored in a pregame ceremony, the current captain -- Riley Nelson -- was honored in his own; Nelson was presented with a silver hockey stick for reaching 500 points as an Eagle in their last game.

Nelson had a big hand in getting the Eagles on the board first, six minutes into the opening frame, when he took a long lead pass from Brett Thurston and streaked into the offensive zone. Doug Groenestege got his glove on Nelson's shot, but not enough to snare it, and Kevin Ulanski was able to poke it home before the Missouri netminder could smother it in the crease.

The Mavericks evened the score at 1 four minutes into the second period, just after their third power play had expired. Ted Vandermeer deflected a Chad Hinz shot, causing it to slide along the ice between Mole's legs.

But Nelson put his team back on top with a shorthanded tally midway through the second when his shot from high in the left circle pin-balled off bodies in front of Groenestege and into the net. Ryan McLeod got his third goal of the season at 18:46 after Dan Welch powered his way down the right wing and sent a pass across the ice before McLeod put a blind, spinning backhander top shelf.

Colorado made it 4-1 five minutes into the third period with a power-play goal when Ed McGrane and Ulanski worked a give-and-go down the left wing before finding Ryan Tobler alone in the low slot for an easy score. And a minute and a half later they stretched their lead even more as Nelson got his second of the night after working the puck out of the left corner and making his way to the front of the net for a backhander past the Mavericks' goalie.

Nick Sirota and Derek Pallardy combined for a pretty play at 11:21 for Missouri's second goal of the night. As Sirota made his way down the left wing, Pallardy found him with a pass from the slot, and as Sirota drove to the net he tucked his own backhander into the cage. Adam Hogg accounted for the final goal of the game -- giving the home crowd their first successful Wendy's Six Goal Shootout night of the season -- when he stretched out to nudge the puck past a down-and-out-of-position Groenestege with just over four minutes left in the game.

The Eagles will go an entire week before playing their next game against the Rapid City Rush on Friday, Oct. 30 at the Budweiser Events Center.

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Central Hockey League Stories from October 23, 2009


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