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CHL Colorado Eagles

Eagles Week In Review

March 10, 2008 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


Week In Review

Monday, March 3; New NoCo Show Episode Airs Tonight

WINDSOR, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles have announced that the March episode of their Colorado Eagles NoCo Hockey Show will debut on Altitude Sports & Entertainment tonight. This month's show will feature: a sit-down interview with the team's new star goaltender, Sebastien Laplante, along with a look at the process of painting his new goalie mask, we'll follow the league's best power forward, Ryan Tobler, on his road to season-long recovery, take a look back at the Eagles' big announcement concerning next season's CHL All-Star Game, and find out who won the team's first annual Guitar Hero Tournament. The first airing of the new episode will take place prior to tonight's Eagles vs. Sundogs game on Altitude, along with a second airing immediately following the game. If you're unable to view the episode prior to tonight's game, a schedule of additional showings is listed below on the Eagles web site.

Monday, March 3; Eagles Soar Into First Place With 4-2 Win

LOVELAND, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles can claim something they haven't been able to claim all season after their 4-2 victory over the Arizona Sundogs - sole possession of first place. The win pushed the Eagles past the Rocky Mountain Rage and into the top spot in the Northwest Division as Greg Pankewicz helped power the offense past former-Eagles netminder Marco Emond who received a rare cheer from the crowd at the Budweiser Events Center during opponent introductions. Colorado carried the majority of the play in the opening period, creating multiple scoring chances, but just missing on most of them. They finally broke through at 10:42 when Dave Iannazzo put in a Steve Haddon rebound while skating through the low slot. The Eagles stretched their lead to 3-1 with a pair of power-play tallies sandwiched around a Sundogs short-handed goal in the second period. Ed McGrane made it 2-0 with the period's first goal at 2:48 when he fired the puck past Emond from high in the left-wing circle. Tyler Liebel cut Colorado's lead in half at 12:57 when he beat Sebastien Laplante with a fore-hand, back-hand, fore-hand move on a breakaway. The goal was just the 6th shortie of the season for Arizona and just the 5th given up by Colorado. Pankewicz made it 3-1 at 18:02 when he swooped through the right side of the Arizona zone before curling into the crease and slipping a shot by the Sundogs' goaltender before toppling over him. Colorado hung on against the league's top power play unit in the third, killing three of four Arizona power play chances. In fact, it was a dominating Eagles short-handed situation that led to the Sundogs only goal of the final frame. Riley Nelson and Seth Leonard were controlling the puck in the Arizona zone on the penalty kill when Nelson was leveled from behind along the boards by Alex Leavitt; Nelson took exception and tackled Leavitt, leading to a 5-on-3 advantage for Arizona. Chris Bartolone scored on the ensuing chance at 9:15 to make it a 3-2 Colorado lead. But Pankewicz countered with the team's third power play goal of the night after taking a long lead pass from Aaron Schneekloth and skating in all alone on Emond at 14:59. The Eagles captain made Emond make the first move before extending the play by skating to the right of the cage and then flipped the puck over the down-and-out netminder. And with time running out, Pankewicz missed a golden opportunity to record his second hat trick in as many games by missing an empty net from the high slot.

Wednesday, March 5; Eagles to Act as Celebrity Bartenders at Lucky Joe's

Fans,

Come out to Lucky Joe's in Old Town Fort Collins Thursday night and have the Colorado Eagles serve you drinks. Several Eagles players and employees will be acting as celebrity bartenders from 5:30-7:30 to help raise money for the Colorado Eagles Foundation. The event is open to the public.

Wednesday, March 5; You've Asked, We've Listened (Special Announcements)

Fans,

Due to overwhelming requests from you to acknowledge special events (birthdays, anniversaries, engagements, etc.) during our games, we're now accepting requests for special announcements to be recognized immediately after the first and second periods; all requests require a $25 donation to the Colorado Eagles Foundation. Simply download the "Special Announcement Form" off of our website or visit Guest Services in the arena to fill out your request form.

Thursday, March 6; Sign Up Now for the '08 Colorado Eagles Hockey Camps

Eagles Fans,

Now's your chance to train with the pros! Sign up today for the 2008 Colorado Eagles Adult and Youth Hockey Camps held at the Budweiser Events Center and the NoCo Ice Center. There will be one Adult Camp and three Youth Camps, with a Goalie-Specific Camp coming soon; goalie instruction will be included with all camps. Register now for the only hockey camps in Northern Colorado with Professional Player instruction...space is limited! Find a full list of dates, details and prices on the Eagles web site.

Friday, March 7; With Polaski Off IR, Eagles Puzzle is Finally Complete

LOVELAND Colo. - Colorado Eagles Head Coach Chris Stewart announced today that forward Scott Polaski will be activated from the 30-Day Injured Reserve and return to the team for tonight's game against the Mississippi RiverKings; Polaski has been out of the line-up since January 12 due to an unspecified injury. Polaski's return marks the first time all season that the Eagles will have a fully-healthy roster. "This is the way I constructed the team heading into the season and I'm thrilled to be finally seeing it today," said Stewart. "In the offseason, you work hard to get the right pieces to the puzzle, and you hope to use that puzzle throughout the season. We haven't been able to do that this year until now." Steward added, "With the playoffs approaching, this is just the right time." Stewart himself missed the first 21 games of the season while recovering from offseason back surgery. Macro Emond and Erik Adams were out of the line-up to start the 2007-08 season, and since then, several other players have missed significant time as well: Fraser Filipic (13 games), Les Borsheim (12 games), Jason Beatty (nine games), Jay Birnie (seven games), Greg Pankewicz (six games) and Aaron Schneekloth (five games). Most notably, Ryan Tobler came back from an injury two weeks ago after being out of the lineup since October 30.

Friday, March 7; Third Period Eruption Not Enough as Eagles Lose, 3-2

LOVELAND, Colo. - The Mississippi RiverKings out-played the Colorado Eagles for about 50 minutes of their 3-2 victory as Ian Keserich (released to make room for Bryan Bridges earlier this season) held the Eagles scoreless through two periods. Colorado stormed back in the third, matching their shot total from the first two periods combined (17) and scoring two goals in the final 10:45, but it wasn't enough to extend their second-longest home winning streak to 14 games. Colorado and Mississippi took part in a back-and-forth first period, with the first whistle not coming until four minutes had ticked off the clock. The RiverKings struck first after a faceoff in the right circle of the Eagles zone led to a rebound goal by Ryan Held. Jon Hedberg's shot from the right point never made it through, getting stopped by bodies in the circle, where Held unleashed a turning shot past Sebastien Laplante at 6:29. The Eagles generated multiple chances at even strength, but struggled mightily against Mississippi's aggressive penalty kill (ranked third in the league at 85.8 percent), registering zero shots on two chances in the first. The RiverKings stretched their lead to 3-0 in the second with another goal by Held and a power play marker from Chad Woollard. It could have been worse for the Eagles, but Laplante kept them in the game with 16 saves, many of them on good Mississippi chances. Laplante's best save came midway through on the penalty kill when he snared a shot with his glove while lying on his stomach. Held's second goal of the game came at 13:21 when the RiverKings took advantage of a Colorado turnover at the offensive blue line to cash in on a two-on-one rush the other way. Rick Kozak skated the puck down the right-wing boards before Brad Williamson slid to take away the pass. Kozak held onto the puck and made a nice move to skate around the sliding defenseman and send a pass back across the grain to Held. The ‘Kings struck on the power play at 17:28 when Woollard beat Laplante from in front on a feed from Aaron Davis behind the net. The Eagles finally solved Keserich at 9:15 of the third after a turnover behind the net led to Steve Haddon's 13th goal of the year. Keserich failed to corral the puck rimming behind the goal and slipped slightly to boot before Dave Iannazzo collected the disc and back-handed a pass from below the goal line to Haddon who swept his own back-hander into the wide open net from the low slot. Momentum surged onto Colorado's side as just over a minute later Ryan Tobler jammed a shot home from right in front to make it a one goal game. And with just under six minutes remaining, the comeback looked complete when Tobler jammed the puck over the goal line after a scrum in the crease, but referee Peter Friesema waived it off; Friesema blew the whistle when he lost sight of the puck from far in the left circle on the opposite side of the net. The Eagles never quit, however, coming within inches of getting a third goal right up to the final buzzer despite playing short-handed most of the way. Luckily for the Eagles, they remained in a tie for first place in the division as the Youngstown SteelHounds defeated the Rocky Mountain Rage 6-3. The SteelHounds visit the Budweiser Events Center Saturday night as the RiverKings travel to Broomfield.

Saturday, March 8; Eagles Fans Named Best in CHL for 4th Year in a Row

WINDSOR, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles and their fans set a new record for consecutive sellouts in minor pro hockey earlier this year and for the fourth consecutive year, those fans were rewarded by being voted the best in the CHL in the league's annual "Best of the Best" poll (a poll conducted within the league and voted on by players, management and media departments). Along with being voted "Best Fans," the Budweiser Events Center was also voted the "Toughest Building to Win In" for the 4th straight time as well; the Eagles currently have the league's best home record at 24-4-0. Colorado's Fraser Filipic also took home first-place honors in "Best Fighter (Pound for Pound)," and the Eagles Chicks received "Best Cheerleaders" honors for the second consecutive season. All-in-all, the Eagles found themselves all over the poll's final results, finishing first or second in 22 of the 45 categories; they also finished third in four other areas. Colorado ranked second in: "Best Stickhandler" (Ed McGrane), "Most Underrated Player" (Ed McGrane), "Best Penalty Killer" (Riley Nelson), "Hardest Shooter" (Greg Pankewicz), "Best Defensive Forward" (Riley Nelson), "Best Offensive Defenseman" (Aaron Schneekloth), "Best Bodychecker" (Les Borsheim), "Best Power Forward" (Greg Pankewicz), "Best Leader" (Greg Pankewicz), "Most Gentlemanly Player" (Riley Nelson), "Best Training / Equipment Staff," "Best Arena," "Best Broadcaster" (Tori Holt), "Best PA Announcer" (Reed Saunders), "Best Game Notes," "Best Team Website," "Best Mascot" and "Best Host Hotel" (Fort Collins Marriott).

Saturday, March 8; Eagles Move Into First With Shootout Win Over 'Hounds

LOVELAND, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles moved into first place in the Northwest Division - with an even number of games played - for the first time this season with their nail-biting, 4-3, shootout win against the Youngstown SteelHounds. Colorado carried the majority of the play, out-shooting the SteelHounds 53-26 and converting three of six power-play chances, but an Eric Przepiorka shot from the blue line late in the third found its way into the net to send the game into extra time. The Eagles and SteelHounds exchanged goals in the first - the Eagles on a power play, the ‘Hounds just as one expired. All-Star goaltender, Andy Franck, kept the game from getting away from Youngstown with several quality stops on the Eagles 18 shots, but the Eagles' two All-Stars teamed up to give Colorado a 1-0 lead with a power play goal at 10:19. Greg Pankewicz circled up the left-wing boards and sent a pass from the top of the circle to Aaron Schneekloth at the top of the right circle. Schneekloth one-timed an absolute laser past Franck for the game's opening goal. Joel Irving answered with his 23rd goal of the season at 14:04, five seconds after Ed McGrane's hooking penalty ran out. Irving skated along the goal line to the left of Bryan Bridges and snuck a shot inside the post to even up the score. The power-play theme continued in the second as the teams combined for three man-advantage markers. The Eagles almost made it 2-1 just minutes into the period when the puck snuck under Franck's pads and slid to a stop before fully crossing the goal line, but the SteelHounds missed an equally golden opportunity as another penalty expired and they skated down on Bridges with a two-on-zero breakaway that failed to convert as Pankewicz back-checked to break up the play just in the knick of time. Youngstown finally made it 2-1 with their power play goal at 15:21 as Irving sent a pass from along the goal line to Bridges' right, to Kurtis Dulle low in the right circle for a one-timer into the empty half of the net. Colorado tied it up at 2 with the first of their two second period goals at 16:39. Riley Nelson entered the zone along the left-wing boards and sent a pass to Schneekloth at the point. Schneekloth unleashed another rocket at Franck, and Ryan Tobler deflected it past the goaltender from in front. Nelson made it 3-2 at 19:23 due to a defensive breakdown on another power play.; the ‘Hounds defense split wide open and Nelson walked into the slot and unloaded an uncontested shot from between the hashes that beat Franck. The Eagles seemed to be salting away another win in the third until an innocent shot from directly on top of the blue line slipped through Bridges and dribbled into the net at 16:18. The Eagles held on the rest of the way and had a chance to end the game in regulation when Mark Odut was called for high-sticking with 36.1 seconds left, but they couldn't get the winner in the final moments and the game went to overtime. Colorado again dominated the overtime period, out-shooting the SteelHounds 7-1, but failed to score on the carry-over of the power play and the Eagles entered into their 5th shootout of the season. Seth Leonard, as the first shooter, got the Eagles off to a flying start by beating Franck top shelf, improving his shootout percentage to three-for-four on the season. Irving, though knotted it up by coming in slow and cutting across the ice to his right before going top shelf on the down-and-out Bridges (similar to Pankewicz's goal on Marco Emond earlier this week). Scott Polaski missed his chance, and then Bridges absolutely robbed Jason Baird. Baird attempted a move similar to Irving's, but Bridges reached up at the last moment and got a piece of the shot with his stick while lying on his stomach. Brad Williamson, Chris Richards, McGrane, Steve Birnstill, Schneekloth and Bryan Lachapelle were all unsuccessful before Nelson beat Franck for the go-ahead goal and Bridges shut down Przepiorka to seal the win. The Eagles will now face-off with the Rage with the division lead on the line when the teams take part in a home-and-home set this Tuesday and Wednesday.

The Week Ahead

Tuesday & Wednesday, March 11 & 12; Front Range Rivals Battle for Northwest Division

The Eagles and Rage will face off for the final two times this season when they take part in a home-and-home series that will go a long way toward determining the top team in the division. Both teams have seven games remaining, with the Eagles holding a two-point lead heading into the week (75-73).

Friday, March 14; Scorpions Visit Budweiser Events Center

The New Mexico Scorpions (who have already locked up a playoff spot in the Southern Conference) will visit the Budweiser Events Center - a place they've never won in regulation - for the second time this season. All-time, the Eagles are 14-0-3 against the Scorpions at home, out-scoring them 83-46.

Saturday, March 15: Eagles Take on Oilers in TV Game

Colorado will host the Oilers in their final home game of the regular season in front of 5,289 inside the arena and millions on Altitude Sports & Entertainment. All-time, the Eagles are 22-4-1 against Tulsa and 12-2-1 at home. This season, they've out-scored the Oilers 13-4 at the BEC.

Notable Numbers

FIRST PLACE FEVER - With their 4-3 shootout victory over Youngstown on Saturday, the Eagles took over first place in the Northwest Division for the first time this season with the Rage having played the same amount of games. The Eagles trailed the Rage by as many as 13 points at one point in the season. The Front Range rivals each have seven games left in the season, with one more set of back-to-back games coming Tuesday and Wednesday of this week.

BEST OF THE BEST- The CHL's annual "Best of the Best" results were released over the weekend and all-in-all, the Eagles found themselves all over the poll's final results (more than any other team), finishing first or second in 22 of the 45 categories; they also finished third in four other areas. Along with being voted "Best Fans" in the CHL for the fourth consecutive season, the Budweiser Events Center was also voted the "Toughest Building to Win In" for the 4th straight time as well. Colorado's Fraser Filipic also took home first-place honors in "Best Fighter (Pound for Pound)," and the Eagles Chicks received "Best Cheerleaders" honors for the second consecutive season.

TWO-HORSE RACE - The race for the Colorado Eagles scoring leader looks to be between two players with strikingly similar statistics - Ed McGrane and Riley Nelson. McGrane currently ranks first in points (80), assists (50), special teams points (32) and multi-point games 24), but Nelson is right on his tale with 79 points, 49 assists, 29 special teams points and 21 multi-point games. The two players are tied for the team lead with 30 goals apiece.

HOME BOYS - Sebastian Laplante has been fantastic at the Budweiser Events Center this season since joining the Eagles on 1/28/08. He's gone 6-1-0 with a 2.28 goals-against average and a .932 save percentage. Bryan Bridges is not far behind, posting a 5-0-0 record with a 2.36 GAA and .906 SV%.

MILESTONE GAMES - Assuming they're not healthy scratches, several Eagles will be playing in milestone games this week with both Riley Nelson and Brad Williamson playing in their 300th game as Eagles on Tuesday. Aaron Schneekloth and Erik Adams will also both be pulling on a Colorado jersey for the 100th time this week - Schneekloth on Tuesday and Adams on Wednesday.

PUTTING LEADS ON ICE - When the Eagles take a lead into an intermission break, they're almost guaranteed a win. Colorado is 16-1-1 when taking a lead into the locker room for the first intermission, and is 25-1-3 with a lead after two periods of play. All-time, Colorado's is 165-5-7 when heading into the third period on top. On the other hand, when trailing at the end of the second they are 4-13-1 this season.

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