CHL Colorado Eagles

Eagles Week In Review

November 17, 2008 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


LOVELAND, Colo. - Greg Pankewicz's second hat trick of the season helped the Colorado Eagles defeat the Tulsa Oilers 7-3 tonight in front of a special Veterans Day crowd at the Budweiser Events Center. The 199th consecutive sellout - made up almost entirely of military members and their families thanks to the Eagles' season ticket holders generous donations - was treated to a game full of offensive firepower and special military tributes.

The Eagles came out flying in the first, building a 4-0 lead with their first goal coming just 26 seconds into the game. Kevin Ulanski controlled the puck down the left wing and into the offensive zone where he dished a pass to Scott Polaski between the circles. Polaski then tapped the puck to Pankewicz at the right doorstep for the goal. Colorado kept coming, ringing two shots off the goalposts within the first half of the period, before finally finding the back of the net again. Aaron Schneekloth made it 2-0 at 11:48 when he took the puck off the left wing boards, cut toward the net and then abruptly across the slot before backhanding a shot top shelf.

Colorado struck again at 16:24 with their third shorthanded goal of the year when Steve Haddon beat Kevin St. Pierre from the right dot. Haddon had a hand in the fourth goal as well just five seconds before the end of the period. Stationed below the goal line to the right of the Tulsa net, Haddon sent a pass diagonally through the crease to Brett Hammond below the left circle where he beat St. Pierre for his second goal of the year. The assists marked the first time in his career that Haddon has registered back-to-back multi-point games.

Both teams scored a pair of goals in the second period, the Eagles' courtesy of Pankewicz - giving him his second hat trick of the season. The Eagles captain notched his second goal of the evening at 11:05 when he got a second chance at a shot from the slot and was able to tee up from the left hash marks, beating St. Pierre high on the glove side for a power-play goal. St. Pierre was replaced after the score by Guy St. Vincent after allowing five goals on 31 shots.

The change in net seemed to spark Tulsa as Jake Riddle scored a shorthanded goal at 15:38. The Oilers forward created a breakaway for himself after blocking a point shot in his own end and then skated down the ice and beat Andrew Penner low on the blocker side. Pankewicz answered by scoring his third tally at 18:39 with a shot from the left faceoff circle off a cross-ice pass from Ed McGrane. But just before the period ended, Jeff Christian restored his club's four goal deficit by banging a shot past Penner with two seconds left.

Both teams registered a goal in the final frame with Tulsa cutting the Eagles' lead in half at 10:54 when Bobby Reed used a nice backhand shot to finish off a give-and-go with Chris Kovalcik. But Colorado again restored their four goal margin with their second short-handed goal of the game with 3:39 left. Riley Nelson was able to keep his franchise record point streak alive - extending it to 19 games - by beating St. Vincent from inside the left circle after taking a drop pass from Ulanski entering the offensive zone.

Thursday, November 13; Meadow Gold Jammin' Jerseys to be Auctioned Off Fri.

The Colorado Eagles would like to congratulate Joshua O. for picking this year's Jammin' Jersey. Joshua will receive one of the green camo jerseys that were worn during Tuesday night's game, and six tickets to Friday night's contest against the Tulsa Oilers. The rest of the special edition jerseys will be auctioned off Friday night on the main concourse next to the Water Valley Tap.

Silent auction bidding will take place until the start of the 3rd period. Proceeds from the auction will go to the Colorado Eagles Foundation where they will aid in the construction of the Veterans Plaza located at Spring Canyon Community Park in Ft. Collins. For more information on the memorial, click here. Eagles CEO Martin Lind has pledged to match the funds raised through Friday night's jersey auction.

Thursday, November 13; Now's Your Chance to Have an Ultimate Eagles Wedding

Fans, do you think you are the ultimate Eagles fan?

Well now is your chance to prove it and make your dream come true. The Colorado Eagles will be hosting the "Ultimate Eagles Wedding" in front of 5,289 of your fellow Eagles fans during the first intermission of the Eagles home game against the Mississippi RiverKings on February 14, 2009.

The winning couple will be married by the Eagles' very own public address announcer, Reed Saunders, with wedding festivities including six (6) tickets to that night's game to be spent on the Eagles' Fanboni, Slapshot serving as the ring-bearer, and a reception in the Champion Auto Group Executive Club with cake and champagne toasts (further details to be provided in the coming months).

All you need to do is submit your 500-word essay (with photos of bride and groom) or video* (not to exceed two (2) minutes in length) by December 5, 2008 explaining why you are the biggest Eagles fan and why that entitles you to win the "Ultimate Eagles Wedding."

*COLORADO MARRIAGE LICENSE REQUIRMENT:

Proof of age and identity is required. Driver's license, birth certificate, passport or other legal document is acceptable. The age requirements are the same for both bride and groom: 18 years of age or older. Other information needed is: your current street address, place of birth, and social security number. In addition, all of your parent's complete full legal names and full legal addresses are required. A valid Colorado Marriage License is required and may be obtained at the Larimer County Clerk's Office at 1601 Brodie Ave. Both bride and groom must complete and sign the marriage license application form. At least one of the parties must apply in person before the marriage clerk.

Thursday, November 13; Ladies Night - Hockey 101 Set for December 1st

Ladies, it is that time of year again to join your Colorado Eagles for Hockey 101 on December 1st for a fun-filled evening of hockey education, player interaction, good food and prizes! Tickets are $40. The event will be hosted at American Eagles Distributing: 3800 Clydesdale Parkway, Loveland CO, 80538. Doors will open at 6 p.m.

Space is limited, so reserve your spot today! Call 686-SHOT (7468).

Friday, November 14; Colorado Eagles Store in Foothills Mall Opens Monday

FORT COLLINS, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles' Holiday Store in the Foothill Mall in Fort Collins will be opening on Monday, November 17. The store will feature several opening week specials, and will be open through the holiday season (last day of business is December 31). The store is located a few doors down from Hallmark and across from Payless. Make sure to stop by and give your loved ones the gift of hockey! Special sales and appearances by Eagles players, Slapshot and the Pioneer Press Eagles Chicks will take place on location over the next month and a half. See below for a full list of scheduled appearances.*

- Friday, Nov. 28; 12-1 p.m. - Filipic, Reimann, Eagles Chicks and Slapshot

- Sunday, Dec. 7; 12-1 p.m. - Reeder, Ulanski, Slapshot

- Saturday, Dec. 13; 1-2 p.m. - Eagles Chicks, Players TBD

- Saturday, Dec. 20; 1-2 p.m. - Filipic, Eagles Chicks, Slapshot, Fanboni - Sunday, Dec. 21; All Day - Fanboni

* - Players and times subject to change without notice.

Friday, November 14; St. Vincent Wills Oilers to Win Over Eagles

LOVELAND, Colo. - The Tulsa Oilers defeated the Colorado Eagles 6-5 tonight on the strength of 53 Guy St. Vincent saves and a five-point game by Michel Beausoleil, but the high-octane game was still a thrill for the 200th consecutive sellout crowd at the Budweiser Events Center. Colorado's 58 shots were the second-most in franchise history in a 60 minute game. The Eagles' penalty kill went just 1-4, struggling after a recent surge of 92.3 percent efficiency.

Colorado held a 2-1 lead after a wide open first 20 minutes of play, with Ryan Tobler notching a pair of goals within 39 seconds. The period saw several great chances - and several great saves by both Morgan Cey and Guy St. Vincent - and a couple of fights between the clubs that met on Tuesday night. Tobler opened the scoring by knocking in a Scott Polaski rebound on the power play at 12:16, and the two connected again moments later after Konrad Reeder chipped the puck off the left-wing boards to Polaski skating through the left circle. The defenseman deftly deked down St. Vincent and backhanded a slick pass to Tobler low in the right circle.

Tobler was in the middle of things again with just over four and a half minutes left in the first when he threw a crushing check in the right corner of the offensive zone and was confronted by Ben Chaisson who had come to his teammate's defense. Tulsa cut the Eagles' lead in half at 17:40 when Beausoleil scored with a rifle of a shot, top shelf, from the top of the right circle on a two-on-one breakaway.

The second period saw Tulsa tie the game with three goals in a row after Colorado expanded their early lead with two tallies of their own. Brett Hammond made it 3-1 just 1:38 in when he jammed in a loose puck at the right side of the net, and Ed McGrane made it 4-1 just over three minutes later. The goal developed as Aaron Schneekloth took a pass from Reeder entering the zone down the left wing and saw McGrane calling for the puck in the high slot. The All-Star defenseman hit McGrane with a pass and the Eagles' forward sent a beautiful shot upstairs on the Oilers' netminder.

The period - and the game - seemed to turn on a fluky goal just over a minute later when Kelly Sickavish's shot from the top of the circles deflected off of Erik Adams in the slot and changed directions dramatically before fluttering past Cey and into the top right corner of the cage. Tulsa then cut Colorado's lead to 4-3 with a power-play goal at 7:53 after Beausoleil's shot from the left dot was blockered aside by the Eagles' netminder, but Jake Riddle was able to sweep the rebound inside the left post. The Oilers struck again on the man-advantage at 11:52 to tie the game - scoring four goals in a game for the first time all season - when Beausoleil found Brandon Hodge for a rocket shot from the left circle.

The resilient Oilers kept the game close in the third on the strength of their defense and opportunistic offense and eventually took the lead for good. Kevin Hansen saved a goal - and broke Riley Nelson's franchise record points streak at the same time - by getting his stick in the lane on a backdoor play from down low on an Eagles power play in the opening minute, and St. Vincent robbed Reeder with six and a half minutes gone from the left side of the net. Not to be outdone, Cey flashed the leather a couple times at the other end of the ice to keep the game knotted at four.

And at 12:24, it looked as if Colorado had broken through with the game-winning goal when Kevin Ulanski scored on the power play on a nice feed from Steve Haddon and Erik Adams, but Riddle answered just over a minute and a half later to raise the tension in the building again. Then at 17:35, Beausoleil got the game-winner when he snapped a shot past Cey off a nice drop pass from Jason Lawmaster. The Eagles mounted a mad finish during the final minute with the extra attacker, but the night belonged to St. Vincent as even shots he didn't see went right into his glove.

The Week Ahead

Wednesday, November 19; Colorado Travels to New Mexico

The Eagles will make a quick road trip to take on the Scorpions, who they've had great success against historically. In 33 total meetings, Colorado holds a 26-3-4 record, but all three regulation losses have come in Rio Rancho. Then again, the Eagles have nearly out-scored the Scorpions by a 2:1 margin on the road (62:32).

Friday, November 21; Eagles Take on Rush Again

Colorado has taken the first three meetings against the expansion Rush, but the first two came via shootout and the third was a 3-1 final. Rapid City has been hanging tough in the early going and currently sits in second place in the Northwest Division with 10 points (3-4-4).

Saturday, November 22; Eagles, Mudgbugs Take Part in Northern Conference Clash

Colorado will take on Bossier-Shreveport for the only time at the Budweiser Events Center this season after taking the previous meeting against the Bugs this season, 3-2, on the road. Their only other match with the Northeast Division power will be February 27. The Mudbugs are currently in second place in the Northeast with 17 points (8-3-1), three points behind the Blazers.

Notable Numbers

ALL GOOD THINGS - Riley Nelson's franchise record 19-game point streak came to an end in the Eagles 6-5 loss to Tulsa on Friday night. Dating back to March 8 of last season, Nelson had registered 34 points (16-18-34) and surpassed his previous team record of 17 games (two other times).

AMNESIA? - Forward-turned-defenseman Scott Polaski must not realize he's now a blueliner because he's putting up points like a forward. Polaski is the league's top-scoring d-man with 17 points (2-15-17), and is tied with Kevin Ulanski for second in scoring on the team - two off of leader Riley Nelson.

WORTH A SHOT - Guy St. Vincent stopped 53 of 58 shots in Tulsa's 6-5 win Friday night - including 21 of 22 in the third period. What's even more impressive is that the 58 shots were the second-most ever for the Eagles in a regulation game, and the 22 in one period is tied for third most in team history. The 94 shots combined by both teams is also the second-most in franchise history.

JUST SHY - Defenseman Aaron Schneekloth is just three points away from leapfrogging both Seth Leonard and Chris Hartsburg on the team's all-time scoring list. Schneekloth is currently in 10th place on the list with 118 points (35-83-118).

SQUEEKY CLEAN - Kevin Ulanski is one of only three players in the league with at least 10 games played and only two or fewer penalty minutes. His lone infraction came on a tripping call against the Rush on November 8.

POWER-play-FORWARD - Veteran Ryan Tobler, annually among the top power forwards in the league, is tied for first in the CHL with seven power play goals. In fact, 12 of his 16 points this season have come on the man advantage (7-5-12). Those tallies have helped him on the way to having the best shooting percentage among players with 30 or more shots (.300), including a Ted Williams-like .400 at home.

Check out the Colorado Eagles Statistics



Central Hockey League Stories from November 17, 2008


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