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CHL Colorado Eagles

Eagles Week In Review

March 9, 2009 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


Monday, March 2; Don't Miss the March NoCo Hockey Show

Fans,

The March edition of the Colorado Eagles NoCo Hockey Show is now airing on Altitude Sports & Entertainment. The half-hour monthly show enters its second season of bringing you the best of Eagles entertainment. The Voice of the Eagles, Tori Holt, hosts the show along with Kevin McGlue as reporters Lauren Gardner and Ben Huelsing take a look at the team both on and off the ice.

This month's show features: the Ultimate Eagles Wedding of Michael and Shannon Horst on Valentine's Day, a new "Presidential Address" segment with Eagles President and General Manager, Chris Stewart, Ed McGrane tries his hand as a pet groomer in another hilarious segment of "Don't Quit Your Day Job," Tori Holt sits down with defenseman Aaron Schneekloth for an in-studio interview and Ryan Tobler and Kevin Ulanski play some floor hockey at a local Boys & Girls club...you won't want to miss a minute!

Below is a full list of this month's airings:

Sunday, March 8: 10 p.m.

Tuesday, March 10: 4:30 p.m.

Thursday, March 12: 10 p.m.

Saturday, March 14: 6:30 p.m.

Monday, March 16: 6:30 p.m.

Monday, March 16: 10:30 p.m.

Tuesday, March 17: 1 a.m.

Tuesday, March 17: 10 a.m.

Monday, March 23: 7 p.m.

Wednesday, March 25: 10:30 a.m.

Wednesday, March 25: 5 p.m.

Saturday, March 28: 5 p.m.

Monday, March 30: 10:30 p.m.

Tuesday, March 31: 10 a.m.

Be sure to check your local listings for Altitude Sports & Entertainment and additional Colorado Eagles hockey coverage!

Tickets for all home dates at the Budweiser Events Center can be purchased through the Budweiser Events Center box office, www.ComcastTix.com, 1-877-544-TIXX (8499), the Eagles' Office in Water Valley or through any ComcastTIX Outlet.

Tuesday, March 3; Eagles Claim Defenseman Thoring Off Waivers

WINDSOR, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles announced today that they have claimed defenseman Clay Thoring off of waivers from the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs. A rookie from Frontier, Saskatchewan, Thoring registered his first professional point at the Budweiser Events Center earlier this season. The 5-foot-11-inch, 195-pound blueliner registered three assists, a plus-one rating and 29 penalty minutes in 22 games this season with Bossier-Shreveport.

"Clay will bring a valuable commodity to our lineup as a dependable, defensive defenseman," said Head Coach Kevin McClelland. "He's a steady influence on the back end and a player of solid character as well."

Said Eagles President and General Manager Chris Stewart, "I have seen Clay Thoring play at the Junior and University levels and he brings an excellent work ethic to the ice every night. Although he isn't flashy, he makes up for it by playing a very steady and reliable game. This is exactly the type of player we've been looking for to fill out our roster. I'm confident that he'll fit nicely into our team without upsetting the chemistry we've built so far this season."

Thoring played 187 games in just over three seasons in the Western Hockey League before attending Acadia University for one year and then the University of Regina for four seasons -- serving as an assistant captain for the final two. During those five seasons, the defenseman played in 157 games, totaling 14 goals, 46 assists and 242 PIMs.

Thoring will wear number 24 for the Eagles and will likely join the team this weekend. The Eagles play in New Mexico tonight, followed by games this Thursday (at the Rocky Mountain Rage), Friday (hosting the Rage) and Saturday (hosting the Rapid City Rush).

Tuesday, March 3; Benchwarmers Seats Up For Auction

Eagles Fans,

The Benchwarmers Seats for this Saturday night's game against the Rapid City Rush are up for bid on our auction site. Now's your chance to sit between the benches and behind the glass while you experience a hockey game like never before! You'll literally be right in the middle of the action in these center ice seats where you can see, hear and feel the game like never before.

The Benchwarmers Seats include four incredible seats (between the two teams' benches), free food and beer and a chance to stretch your legs between periods in the players' lounge.

All proceeds benefit the Colorado Eagles Foundation and your donation is tax-deductible.

Good luck and thanks for bidding!

Up for bid:

Saturday, March 7

Four (4) Benchwarmers Seats (between the two teams' benches): includes food, beer and chance to stretch out in the Eagles' players lounge during intermissions

Tuesday, March 3; Eagles Have Their Way With Scorps

RIO RANCHO, N.M. - The Colorado Eagles continued their long history of dominance over the New Mexico Scorpions with a 4-1 victory at the Santa Ana Star Center. The win allowed Head Coach Kevin McClelland to reach 39 wins behind the bench for the third consecutive season and improved the Eagles' record against the Scorpions to an astonishing 32-4-4 all-time.

The Scorpions out-shot the Eagles 13-7 in the first period -- a stat bolstered by three power plays -- but it was Colorado who led 2-0 after the first 20 minutes of play. The Eagles built their two-goal lead on their first five shots as Riley Nelson and Kevin Ulanski teamed up for a goal each.

Ulanski set up Nelson first, at 2:57, with a pass from the end boards to the left of the New Mexico net into the slot where the veteran centerman ripped a shot past Kyle McNulty from between the circles. Then at 8:28, Nelson got the assist on Ulanski's goal after the first-year Eagle entered the Scorpions' zone along the right wing and cut across the top of the circle before beating the New Mexico netminder up high.

Colorado led 3-0 after the second period thanks to a goal by former-Scorpions star Konrad Reeder and some solid work in net by Morgan Cey. Reeder would tally his 27th goal of the season at 5:25 after entering the offensive zone along the left wing, beating defenseman Tom Maldonado in the left circle and taking the puck hard to the net (Ed McGrane picked up the assist, extending his point streak to 11 games). Cey would continue his strong play in between the pipes, stopping another set of 13 shots from the Scorpions to take a shutout into the third.

New Mexico was called for five penalties in the final frame, and the time with the extra man helped Colorado set a new franchise high with 26 shots in the period. Ryan Tobler scored on one of the first at 2:38 when he steered a Brett Hammond slap-pass from the point into the Scorpions' net for his league-leading 19th power-play goal to make it 4-0.

Craig Macdonald notched his seventh point against the Eagles this season at 10:45 when he scored the Scorpions' only goal of the game. With Colorado on the power play, Scott Polaski's breakout pass exiting his own zone went errant and the New Mexico winger picked it off and deposited it behind Cey from below the right circle. McNulty stoned the Eagles on the power play several times as the period wound down to keep the score the same.

Colorado's five-game road trip comes to an end in Broomfield, Colo. on Thursday night before the Eagles finish their home-and-home series with the Rage on Friday. Colorado will then play their third game in as many days when they host the Rapid City Rush on Saturday.

Thursday, March 5; Rage Take First of Two, 4-3

BROOMFIELD, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles ended their five-game road trip with a 4-3 loss to the Rocky Mountain Rage in the first game of a home-and-home series. Scott Reid stopped 42 of 45 shots for the Rage who held off the Eagles' late-game comeback. The in-state rivals will meet again Friday night at the Budweiser Events Center.

The Eagles had several near-scores in the opening period's first five minutes, but it was the Rage that struck first when Simon Watson's shot from inside the right faceoff circle slipped under Andrew Penner's right arm at 6:09. The teams then alternated two unsuccessful power plays each before the period's end.

Rocky Mountain made it 2-0 at 4:38 of the second period when Watson -- stationed behind the net -- found David Morelli at the right hash marks for a power-play goal. The Eagles cut that lead in half just before the period ended when Riley Nelson scored his fourth shorthanded goal of the season just 2.8 seconds before the period expired. Kevin Ulanski fed Nelson from the left wing and the veteran winger skated down the center of the ice before beating Reid.

The Rage got two quick scores in the third period to take a 4-1 lead, but the Eagles fought back with a pair of their own to keep the outcome in doubt until the final buzzer. Morelli found Ryan McLeod crashing the back door on a quick rush at 4:07 for the first goal, and then Daymen Rycroft and Colt King executed a perfect give-and-go play down the left wing for another man-advantage marker at 6:37.

The Eagles power play got going at the 12 minute mark when Konrad Reeder and Steve Haddon connected to cut the Rage lead in half. Reid was able to knock down Reeder's shot from the top of the left circle, but the netminder wasn't able to smother it before a crashing Haddon knocked it home. Colorado made it a one-goal game with a late 6-on-4 goal when Ryan Tobler picked up his league-leading 20th power-play tally; Ed McGrane got the primary assist, extending his point streak to 12 games.

Friday, March 6; Eagles Snakebit; Magers Steals Show, Win

LOVELAND, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles dropped their second game in as many nights to the Rocky Mountain Rage, this time to a misleading 5-1 margin. Both teams went 0-7 on the power play, and the Eagles' only goal of the night came shorthanded despite several incredible scoring chances that just missed. Marty Magers stopped 45 of 46 shots -- many of them with above-average saves -- in the win.

For the second night in a row the Eagles had several near-scores in the first period, but this time they were the team to lead 1-0 after the first 20 minutes of play. Riley Nelson scored his second shorthanded goal in as many nights at 2:46 after Greg Pankewicz dug the puck out along the low left wing boards and found Nelson in the slot.

Rocky Mountain's following power plays didn't go much better as they failed to convert on a four minute double-minor -- the latter part of which was played 5-on-3 -- on the way to going 0-4 on the man advantage in the period. When playing at full strength, the Eagles dominated play, ending the period with a 17-9 edge in shots.

The Eagles continued to carry the play in the second period, but Magers made several remarkable saves to keep all 14 of their shots out of the Rocky Mountain net. Morgan Cey matched his counterpart for much of the period, but two of the Rage's nine shots made their past the Eagles' netminder.

The first Rocky Mountain score came 4:08 into the second period when Nathan O'Nabigon's shot from below the left circle somehow made it by Cey who was tight against the goal post. Then at 18:05, the Eagles' netminder made a right toe save, followed by a diving glove save in the same direction, but Ryan McLeod swooped in to pick up the rebound to make it 2-1.

The bounces continued to not go Colorado's way in the third as Ed McGrane burst down the right wing and sent a backhander off the crossbar seven minutes in. Then, just moments later, Mark Smith made it 3-1 for Rocky Mountain off a feed from Daymen Rycroft at the other end of the ice. And at 15:43 a 2-on-1 rush eventually led to the Rage's fourth goal when Aaron Davis tallied from the left side of the net. Scott Wray was credited with Rocky Mountain's fifth goal as he was the last Rage player to touch the puck before Clay Thoring chipped it into his own net with one second left in the game.

The Eagles will host the Rapid City Rush in their final meeting of the season against the expansion franchise on Saturday night; it will be Colorado's third game in as many nights after ending their longest road trip of the season.

Saturday, March 7; Eagles Get Another Close Win Over Rush

LOVELAND, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles rode a four-goal first period to a 6-5 win against the Rapid City Rush in another close contest between the two teams. Konrad Reeder and Riley Nelson each had three point nights to pace the Eagles with Greg Pankewicz, Ryan Tobler, Ed McGrane and Scott Polaski each pitching in a pair of points as well.

The Rush scored a pair of power-play goals in the first (both courtesy of Derek LeBlanc), but the Eagles doubled them up for four scores in the opening period. Rapid City opened the scoring at 3:13 after Gio Flamminio's shot from above the left circle was kicked aside by Andrew Penner's left pad, but LeBlanc put home the rebound from below the right circle.

Reeder answered at 9:51 after slipping through a check at his own blue line along the boards to spring a 3-on-1 rush for Colorado. Reeder carried the puck down the right wing before feeding McGrane in the high slot and putting home his return pass from low in the right circle. The assist extended McGrane's point streak to 14 games, tying his own personal high and the fifth-longest streak in franchise history.

LeBlanc got his second goal of the period at 11:53 with a rocket shot from the right midboards that beat Penner high, but things would go downhill in the period for Rapid City after that. Miguel Beaudry was shaken up after Adam Hogg was tripped into him at 13:16, and on the ensuing power play, Colorado tied the game up. Tobler got his league-leading 21st power-play goal just seven seconds into the man advantage after Polaski's shot from the high slot was deflected by a diving defender and fluttered to the veteran forward on the doorstep.

Then, just 14 seconds later, the Eagles made it 3-2 when Riley Nelson gained control of the puck along the left boards, carried it to the center of the offensive zone and hit Kevin Ulanski backdoor for a backhand goal. Lanny Ramage replaced Beaudry after the goal. Pankewicz teamed up with Reeder at 17:59 for Colorado's fourth and final goal of the frame when he tapped a pass from the right circle to Reeder, who was skating through the slot. Reeder then sent a return pass to the Eagles' captain who had gone to the vacated slot and beat Ramage.

Both teams scored a pair of goals in the second period with Nelson getting the Eagles' second power-play score of the night 3:45 in. Pankewicz threw the puck on net from the left midboards where Nelson was camped out to backhand the rebound past the Rush netminder. R.G. Flath got that goal back at 7:43 with a shorthanded tally after the puck squirted free from the boards in front of the benches and Flath's shot from the high slot slipped under Penner's left pad.

Reeder picked up his second goal of the night at 15:13 when Luke Fritshaw sent a pass right to him in the left circle from behind the Rapid City cage. Reeder took the gift, walked in on net and snapped a shot past Ramage. But the perseverant Rush kept coming and scored their second goal of the period at 17:48. Jason Goulet sent a shot on net from the right wing boards that was kicked aside by Penner, but Chris Lipsett was able to bank the rebound off the inside of the netminder's pad and into the net.

Rapid City made a hard-fought effort at a comeback in the third, sending 18 shots on net and scoring once late in a mad finish. Penner was strong in the third and made his best save with just over a minute left by moving right to left and stacking his pads. But just a half minute later, Flath got his second goal of the game by deflecting a Jamie VanderVeeken shot past the Eagles' netminder from the doorstep. The period ended deep in Colorado's end with considerable pressure put on Penner and the Eagles' defense, but they hung on for the win to stay on top of the CHL standings.

The Eagles' next game will be Friday, March 13 in Rocky Mountain. They will then play Saturday at the Budweiser Events Center against the Amarillo Gorillas and a rare Sunday game against the Oklahoma City Blazers.

The Week Ahead

Friday, March 13; Northwest Division Showdown With Rage

The Eagles and Rage will continue their in-state rivalry with a Friday night game in Broomfield. The Front Range foes have played nine times already this season, with two more meetings to take place on the road. The Eagles lead the season series, 6-3-0, but Rocky Mountain has won three of the past four.

Saturday, March 14; Eagles, Gorillas Faceoff For Final Time

Colorado will play the Amarillo Gorillas for the final time this season when they host the team with the league's lowest point total on Saturday night. The Eagles are 3-1-1 against the Gorillas this season, but dropped the last meeting 6-5 in a shootout on January 28 and are 1-1-1 overall at the Budweiser Events Center. All-time the Eagles are 17-6-4 against the Gorillas and 11-1-2 at home.

Sunday, March 15; Colorado Hosts Blazers in Only Sunday Home Game of Season

The Eagles will play a rare Sunday game when they host the Oklahoma City Blazers in the final home game of the regular season. Colorado is 3-0-1 against the Blazers this season with the overtime loss coming at the BEC. All-time, the Eagles are 2-2-1 on Fan Appreciation Night - the regular season home finale.

Notable Numbers

WIDE OPEN - The Eagles and Rush tend to play a wide open game when they get together, with a total of 75 goals combined in their 10 meetings this season. Saturday's 6-5 Eagles win was no different, and in fact, the pucks were flying all over the rink as the two teams combined for 94 shots on goal. That total tied the second-most combined shots in Eagles franchise history, with Colorado's 22 first period shots tying the team record for 5th-most shots in a frame.

STEADY EDDY - After being awarded the second assist on Riley Nelson's shorthanded goal Friday night, Ed McGrane registered two more helpers on Saturday to push his point streak to 14 games. The streak is the longest for any player in the league and matches McGrane's career high (reached earlier this season after carrying over from the end of 2007-08). The current streak runs the month of Feb. 7 through March 7, and includes 18 points (5-13-18). If the streak reaches 15 games, it will become the fifth-longest in team history. He's currently tied for the CHL lead with 51 assists (Sebastien Thinel and Kevin Ulanski).

MAC ATTACK #1 - Ed McGrane's current point streak has pushed him within four points of tying defenseman Brad Williamson for fourth place on the team's all-time scoring list. Williamson ended his five-year career with 251 points (47-204-251) in 305 games. McGrane currently has 247 points (87-160-247) in 193 games over nearly four full seasons as an Eagle.

MAC ATTACK #2 - Head Coach Kevin McClelland reached a new career high with Saturday night's win, hitting the 40-win plateau for the first time in a 64-game season. McClelland reached 39 wins each of the past two season with the RiverKings. The Eagles have now reached 40 wins in five of their first six seasons (last season they went 37-20-7).

POWER-play-FORWARD - With another power-play goal in Saturday night's win, Ryan Tobler extended his league-leading total to 21. Of those 21, an incredible 15 (71.4%) have come inside the Budweiser Events Center. His 34 goals overall are tied for second in the CHL, and surpass his previous career high of 30. This season, 61.8% of his scores have come on the man-advantage.

WINNER, WINNER, CHICKEN DINNER - Konrad Reeder picked up the game-winning goal on Saturday night, and now leads the team with seven on the season (remarkably, six of them have come since the calendar turned). His seven winners, tie him for second in the CHL, and one of the players he's tied with is New Mexico's Seth Leonard - the player he was essentially traded for. Statistically, the two have had remarkably similar seasons across the board.

THREE POSITIVES - Three Eagles own the top three plus/minus ratings in the CHL with Aaron Schneekloth leading the league at +34. Right on his tail is Kevin Ulanski at +31, followed by Riley Nelson at +27. Craig Minard (TEX) and Dave Van Drunen (ODE) are tied in fourth at +23.

Check out the Colorado Eagles Statistics

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