CHL Colorado Eagles

Eagles Week in Review

Published on December 29, 2008 under Central Hockey League (CHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


Tuesday, December 23; Eagles/'Dogs Power Surge Voted Performance of Week

(LEAGUE RELEASE) - The Central Hockey League (CHL) announced today that the CHL record-tying 10 combined power play goals in the Arizona/Colorado game on December 13th has been voted the winner of the CHL Performance of the Week for Week Nine. The Eagles won the Ray Miron President's Cup rematch by a final score of 7-5.

The Sundogs/Eagles power play exhibition received 36% of the 624 votes cast. Coming in second place was Mike Gorman's (AMA) 48 save performance in a Gorillas victory in Colorado on December 12th which received 37% of the votes.

Each team went 5 for 12 on the man advantage with Joel Irving (ARZ), Adam Perry (ARZ) and Ryan Tobler (COL) each scoring a pair of power play goals for their respective teams. The first nine goals of the game were scored on the power play.

The nominees for the CHL Performance of the Week for week 10 of the season (Dec. 15-21) are as follows:

-Rapid City's three-goal third period in 3-2 win versus Rocky Mountain on Dec. 16 -OKC's 3-2 shootout win over Colorado in the Northern Conference battle on Dec. 17 -Corpus Christi's Kris Tebbs making 31 saves in the IceRays 2-1 win over Odessa ending the Jacks 11-game win streak on Dec. 18 -Wichita's Tim Boron making 53 saves in a 2-1 win over Mississippi on Dec. 19 -Laredo's Darryl Smith scoring the game winning goal with 16 seconds remaining in the Bucks 5-4 win over Corpus Christi on Dec. 20

Fans can vote for the winner through Monday, December 29th with the winner being announced on Tuesday, December 30th.

Tuesday, December 23; Schneekloth Gets HT for Early Christmas Present

AMARILLO, Texas -- The Colorado Eagles capped off a 3-0 road trip with a dominating, 5-2 win over the Amarillo Gorillas. All-Star defenseman Aaron Schneekloth got his second hat trick as an Eagle, Ed McGrane added three assists and Andrew Penner stopped 21 of 23 shots -- including two penalty shots -- in the victory.

The Gorillas got on the board first with a Stuart MacRae goal at 16:12 off a faceoff win in the left circle of Colorado's zone. But the Eagles countered with a pair of power-play tallies before the first buzzer to take the lead into the locker room. Their first goal came at the 11 minute mark -- with just two seconds left on a 5-on-3 advantage -- when Schneekloth's drive from the top of the right circle beat Mike Gorman. Riley Nelson made it 2-1 with the Eagles' second man-advantage goal at 16:15 (his first power-play goal of the season to go along with 14 power-play assists) when he beat the Amarillo netminder from low in the right circle.

Amarillo again struck first in the second period when Jake Morissette tied the game at 2 just 2:52 in. Michael Handza sent Morissette in on a quick burst down the right wing into the offensive zone where he beat Penner from the faceoff dot. Penner, however, stopped the Gorillas momentum swing at 6:50 by denying MacRae on a penalty shot -- the first of two he would face in the period.

Then at 8:52, Penner assisted in swinging the momentum back in Colorado's favor -- literally -- when he picked up the second assist on Schneekloth's second power-play goal of the night. The play began when Penner sent a bank pass through the neutral zone to Greg Pankewicz along the left wing. The Eagles captain then took the puck to the top of the left circle and sent a cross-ice feed to Schneekloth at the top of the right circle for the tally.

Ryan Tobler made it 4-2 with a magnificent goal at 15:32 with the teams skating 4-on-4. Tobler fought his way to the middle of the ice to track down Erik Adams' lob pass from the neutral zone, backhanding it to himself, then pirouetting (all in one motion) to the doorstep where he again backhanded it past Gorman.

Then at 18:29 -- one shift after hitting the crossbar -- Schneekloth got his second hat trick as an Eagle by converting a 3-on-1 rush from between the circles. Both of his hat tricks have come against the Gorillas, and both are the only hat tricks for a defenseman in franchise history. And with time winding down in the frame, Penner stopped another penalty shot (this one from John Snowden) with just 14.5 seconds left.

Goaltender AJ Bucchino started the third period in net for the Gorillas and stopped all 17 Colorado shots in the final frame that saw his team send only four shots Penner's way. The Eagles finished their three game road trip a perfect 3-0 and will head home for a pair of games this weekend against the Laredo Bucks (Friday) and the New Mexico Scorpions (Saturday).

Friday, December 26; Eagles Start Strong, Hang on Late in Win Over Bucks

LOVELAND, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles got major production from three players, and Andrew Penner got another win between the pipes as the CHL's top team defeated the Laredo Bucks, 6-4. Steve Haddon (2-2-4), Greg Pankewicz (2-2-4) and Konrad Reeder (1-3-4) all had four-point nights to help Colorado establish an early lead and solidify the victory late with an empty-net goal. Penner's 14th win -- the most in the league -- moved him into a tie with Jeff Blair for fifth place on the franchise's all-time win list.

Colorado jumped out to a 2-0 first period lead on the strength of Haddon's first career multi-goal game. The third-year pro got his first tally on the power play at 7:43 after Reeder took the puck down the left wing and sent a backhand pass from the mid-boards to Haddon crashing the net. The Sarnia, Ontario native then beat Sebastien Centomo from the low slot for his third power-play goal of the season. Haddon struck again at 11:25 when he beat the Bucks' goaltender with a backhander from just below the left circle.

The Eagles opened the second period on the man-advantage and it took the league's No. 1 man-advantage unit just 36 seconds to capitalize as Haddon returned the favor to Reeder, tapping the puck from the doorstep to the left side of the crease. Colorado almost made it 3-0 minutes later, but had an apparent goal waived off. And the game's momentum could have easily turned at 14:44 when Igor Agarunov got Laredo on the board by chipping the puck top shelf over Penner on the Bucks' third crack at a row from in front.

But the Eagles kept the pressure on, adding a goal at 16:26 of the middle frame. Reeder sent the puck up ice from his own zone and Pankewicz beat a Laredo defender and Centomo to the loose puck in the middle of their own zone. The Bucks' netminder slid at the puck and missed -- sliding out of position -- but the Eagles captain's shot was blocked by Matt Miller's desperation slide from the other direction. Unfortunately for Laredo, Miller too slid out of position --all the way to the end boards -- and Pankewicz grabbed the rebound and put it home. And with just 26 seconds left in the period, Riley Nelson made it 5-1 with a great effort when he skated hard down the right wing, made a sudden cut to the center of the ice and snapped a shot past Centomo from the slot.

Ryan Gibb came out between the pipes for the Bucks in the third and the change seemed to spark Laredo. Rick Kozak beat Penner from the right circle at 5:47 for the first of three straight Bucks goals. Erick Lizon made it 5-3 when he burst down the left wing and snapped another past Penner at 8:21. And at 11:42, Jason Dixon cut Colorado's lead to one after Alex Goupil beat Tom Reimann for a loose puck behind the Eagles' net and fed Dixon in front. But Pankewicz and Haddon teamed up again to ice the win with an empty-netter at 19:25. On the play, Haddon passed up a chance for his first career hat trick and let Pankewicz score from the neutral zone; Penner got the second assist, tying him for the franchise lead in scoring for a goaltender with four points (all assists).

The Eagles will take on the New Mexico Scorpions on Saturday night, looking to extend their winning streak to five games. Saturday night's game is themed as "Old Time Hockey Night," and all fans are encouraged to wear their own old-time hockey apparel (retro jerseys, taped glasses, mullets, etc.).

Saturday, December 27; Short-Benched 'Scorps Get First Regulation Win at BEC

LOVELAND, Colo. - On "Old Time Hockey Night" at the Budweiser Events Center, the Colorado Eagles would probably have liked to turn back the clock after the game and try again as they lost to the New Mexico Scorpions, 6-4. The Scorpions -- playing with just 15 skaters -- picked up their first regulation victory at the BEC in 19 chances against a Colorado team that has historically dominated them like no other opponent. New Mexico's win was powered by a Christopher Robertson hat trick and a 50 percent clip on the power play (4-8).

In a first period that saw plenty of back-and-forth action, the Eagles and Scorpions each carried an equal amount of the play -- both registered 15 shots on goal -- but it was New Mexico that finished the first 20 minutes with a 1-0 lead. The period's lone goal came at 14:42 when Craig Macdonald knocked home a rebound from the right side of the crease on the Scorpions' second power play of the period.

The Scorpions scored four goals in the second period -- the most goals allowed in a period all season by the Eagles -- starting with a pair of goals from Robertson just 12 seconds apart at 4:14. Robertson's first goal came via a rebound directly off a faceoff win in the right circle, and his second came off the ensuing faceoff when he broke into the offensive zone and his blast from the high slot fluttered off of Morgan Cey's glove and into the net.

Lyon Messier (Mark Messier's son) got his first professional goal at 6:47 when his shot from the right point beat Cey high through a screen in front on the power play. Scott Polaski finally got Colorado on the scoreboard with a power-play goal of their own 59 seconds later with a low shot from the point. Cey kept New Mexico from making it 5-1 at 17:23 when he stopped Mike MacDonald on a penalty shot, but Macdonald scored his second man-advantage goal of the game just over 20 seconds later with the 'Scorps taking advantage of a separate penalty.

Andrew Penner started the third period in net for Colorado, who began the final frame with a two-man advantage, but the league's top power play unit couldn't convert (they went just 1-6 on the night). But they made it a three-goal deficit at 4:16 when Erik Adams' drive from above the left circle deflected off of Ryan Tobler in front of the net. The Scorpions, though, got it back at 11:16 with their fourth power play marker of the night as Robertson notched a hat trick by poking home a Torren Delforte shot that snuck through Penner's pads.

Ed McGrane chipped away at New Mexico's lead again at 13:16 when he took the puck from behind the 'Scorps' net and tucked it inside the right post for a wraparound score. But Andrew Martin snuffed out any chance the Eagles would have from fully gaining momentum when he stopped Kevin Ulanski on bang-bang, shorthanded chances at the 15 minute mark. Adams and Tobler connected again with just under 17 seconds left to account for the final margin.

The Week Ahead

Tuesday, December 30; Conference Powers Clash Again

The Northwest-leading Eagles and the Northeast-leading Blazers will meet for the third time this season, and if the game turns out anything like the first two, it will be a doozy. Both of the first two meetings ended in low-scoring shootouts with the visiting team skating away victorious. All-time, the Eagles are 18-10-3 against Oklahoma City, but just 6-9-1 on the road.

Friday, January 2 & Saturday, January 3; First of Rare Meetings Against Division Rival Thunder This Season

The Eagles and Thunder - division rivals apparently - will meet for the first time this season with two games in as many nights in Wichita. The squads will play each other just one more time this season (at the BEC) on Saturday, January 17th. That is in large contrast to the amount the Eagles will play the two other teams in the Northwest (Rapid City, 12 and Rocky Mountain, 11). The Thunder are currently in fourth place in the division with a record of 9-17-2.

Notable Numbers

KEEPING WITH THE THEME - The Eagles and Blazers have met twice already this season and both meetings between the top two teams in the Northern Conference have played out in nearly identical fashion; both games have been decided via low-scoring shootouts, with the visiting team coming out on top. Overall, no player on any team has more than 2 points and the combined goaltending numbers are similarly stellar: COL (2.00 GAA, .949 SV%) & OKC (2.00 GAA, .933 SV%).

PENNING HIS OWN RECORDS - Goaltender Andrew Penner did his part to re-write the team's record books with last night's performance. His 14th win tied him with Jeff Blair for 5th most in team history, and his fourth assist of the season tied him with Paulo Colaiacovo for a career high in points by a netminder. Penner has played just 16 games as an Eagle.

COMING IN BUNCHES - If Ryan Tobler scores a goal, odds are that he's going to get a second one as well before the night is through. Of his 19 goals this season, he's accumulated 14 of them via multi-goal games. Percentage-wise, 58.3% of the games in which he's scored a goal have been multi-goal games (7 of 12).

SHOTS ON THE HOUSE - Ryan Tobler scored a pair of goals in Saturday's loss on just two shots, increasing his already-stellar shooting percentage at the Budweiser Events Center this season. He now has 15 goals on 51 shots at home, for an incredible SH% of .294. His overall SH% of .224 is 4th in the CHL for players with at least 20 games played.

WORTH A SHOT? - Colorado is 14-3-0 when out-shooting their opponents, with all three of those losses coming at home. In those games, they've out-shot the opposition by a combined 157-98. On average, that's nearly 20 more shots a game per home loss.

PUTTING LEADS ON ICE - Colorado is a perfect 18-0-0 when taking a lead into the third period this season. And combined with last season, the Eagles are 44-1-4 when up after 40 minutes of play.

Check out the Colorado Eagles Statistics

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Central Hockey League Stories from December 29, 2008


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