CHL Colorado Eagles

Eagles Week In Review

April 13, 2009 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


Monday, April 6; Don't Miss the April NoCo Hockey Show

Fans,

The April 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: a personal interview with Goaltender Andrew Penner as the Eagles' netminder explains the significance of the pink ribbons adorning his goalie mask, the second installment of the Eagles' "Presidential Address" with team President and General Manager Chris Stewart, Ed McGrane nearly puts a teammate in the slammer in the latest edition of "Don't Quit Your Day Job" and Tori Holt takes you through a "normal day" in the life of newly un-retired defenseman Aaron Grosul...you won't want to miss a minute!

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

Monday, April 6: 6 p.m.

Sunday, April 12: 10 p.m.

Tuesday, April 14: 10 a.m.

Monday, April 20: 10 p.m.

Tuesday, April 21: 4:30 p.m.

Wednesday, April 22: 10:30 a.m.

Sunday, April 26: 10:30 p.m.

Tuesday, April 28: 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.

Monday, April 6; Eagles Sweep 'Bugs Away, RiverKings Next

BOSSIER CITY, La. - The Colorado Eagles defeated the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs, 4-3, in overtime, scoring four unanswered goals to earn the first playoff series sweep in franchise history. Greg Pankewicz had two goals -- including the game-winner -- as did Ed McGrane, while Andrew Penner stopped 42 of 45 shots in the win. The Eagles will now face the Mississippi RiverKings in the Northern Conference Finals of the Ray Miron President's Cup playoffs; it will be Colorado's fifth consecutive trip to the Conference Finals in their six seasons.

The Mudbugs built a 3-0 lead after the first period on the strength of a 20-8 edge in shots, aided by four power play chances. Brett Smith got the 'Bugs their first opening goal of the series at 12:11 after a turnover in front of Penner allowed the Bossier-Shreveport forward to shovel a backhand shot high past the netminder from the low slot.

Travis Clayton, the Mudbugs' leading scorer, made it 2-0 with Bossier-Shreveport's second man-advantage goal of the series at 15:27, on their fourth power play of the period. The 'Bugs' captain put home a Smith rebound from the same spot on the ice as the first score. And just 21 seconds later it was 3-0 as Neil Clark threw the puck on net from the right goal line and it went off of Chris Brassard and into the net.

For the first time in the series, the Eagles had the better second period, climbing back to within a goal by scoring twice in the first seven minutes of play. Colorado's captain, Pankewicz, put the Governors' Cup champs on the board 1:21 in with one of his patented blasts from the right faceoff dot. And at 6:43, the Eagles got a power-play goal of their own when McGrane's shot from the inside half of the left circle deflected off of Quade Lightbody and past Ken Carroll to make it 3-2 Bossier-Shreveport.

The Eagles came out flying in third, creating several scoring chances in the first couple of minutes, finally capped off by McGrane's second goal of night at 2:09. Jay Birnie sprung the Eagles forward on a breakaway with a dish from the neutral zone and McGrane beat Carroll on the backhand to tie the score at 3.

Colorado had a chance to take the lead minutes later when their top-ranked power play had back-to-back opportunities, but they couldn't convert. And as the period wound down, Bossier-Shreveport got their own golden opportunity with a late power play, but the Eagles killed it off to force the contest into overtime for the second game in a row.

It was the Eagles who got the good fortune of a power play early in the overtime frame and Pankewicz, standing in the left circle, took a cross-ice feed from Scott Polaski (who assisted on the Game 3 overtime-winner) and one-timed it past the Mudbugs' goaltender at 2:01 before sprawling to the ice in celebration.

Tuesday, April 7; Northern Conference Finals Schedule Set

WINDSOR, Colo. - The Central Hockey League announced today the complete schedule for the Northern Conference Finals between the Mississippi RiverKings (#2 seed) and the Governors' Cup champion Colorado Eagles (#1 seed). The first game of the best-of-seven series in the Ray Miron President's Cup playoffs is set for Wednesday, April 15 at the Budweiser Events Center (7:05 p.m.).

The complete schedule is below (all times Mountain):

Game 1 - Mississippi @ Colorado; Wednesday, April 15 (7:05 p.m.)

Game 2 - Mississippi @ Colorado; Friday, April 17 (7:05 p.m.)

Game 3 - Colorado @ Mississippi; Tuesday, April 21 (6:05 p.m.)

Game 4 - Colorado @ Mississippi; Thursday, April 23 (6:05 p.m.)

Game 5 (if necessary) - Colorado @ Mississippi; Friday, April 24 (6:05 p.m.)

Game 6 (if necessary) - Mississippi @ Colorado; Sunday, April 26 (7:05 p.m.)

Game 7 (if necessary) - Mississippi @ Colorado; Monday, April 27 (7:05 p.m.)

Tickets will go on sale Wednesday, April 8 at 10 a.m. and can be purchased at 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. Tickets for the Northern Conference Finals round will cost $19 (plus applicable fees).

* SEASON TICKET HOLDERS *

Tickets for all possible home playoff games are in your Season Ticket Books.

Please use the BLACK TICKETS ("Third Round") designated for the Northern Conference Finals; Games "A," "B," "C" and "D" coincide with the four possible home games in the best-of-seven series.

If you have any questions about your playoff tickets, please call our office at (970)686-SHOT.

Thursday, April 9; Coach's Show Monday, April 13th

Fans,

Lucky Joe's in Old Town Fort Collins will be holding a special playoff edition of the Colorado Eagles Coach's Show on Monday, April 13 at 6 p.m. The show will be carried by the radio home of the Eagles, 107.9 The Bear, with the first 10 minutes aired live and the entire show available over streaming internet at www.1079TheBear.com. Join The Voice of the Eagles, Tori Holt, along with Kevin McGlue, Head Coach Kevin McClelland and defenseman Clay Thoring.

And don't forget to ask about Lucky Joe's daily food and drink specials!

Friday, April 10; Adult Hockey Camp Registration Underway

Registration for the annual Colorado Eagles' Adult Hockey Camp is now underway. This summer's camp will take place at the NoCo Ice Center in Windsor, Colo. and will be instructed by Colorado Eagles players, so don't miss out on your chance to learn from -- and play with -- the pros! Space is limited, so don't delay. Please call (970)686-SHOT (7468) for more information or to sign up.

The Adult Camp will consist of an hour and 15 minute practice session on the evening of Friday, July 24 and an hour and a half scrimmage the following morning involving the Colorado Eagles instructors. A barbeque will be held in the parking lot after the game with the players! Check-in and registration will begin at 7:15 p.m. on Friday, July 24th.

Friday, July 24 7:45 p.m. - 9 p.m. (On-ice Session)

Saturday, July 25 10 - 11:30 a.m. (Scrimmage with Eagles instructors)

Cost: Advanced $110.00

* All camp dates and times are subject to change

The Week Ahead

Wednesday, April 15 & Friday, April 17; Games 1& 2 of the Northern Conference Finals

After more than a week off, the Governors' Cup Champion Colorado Eagles (#1 seed) will take on the Mississippi RiverKings (#2 seed) in the Northern Conference Finals of the Ray Miron President's Cup playoffs. The Northwest and Northeast Division champs in the regular season respectively, the Eagles and RiverKings met five times in the regular season, with the Eagles going 1-3-1. The two franchises met in the same playoff round in 2007, with Colorado advancing in six games on the way to their second CHL championship.

Notable Numbers

HOW SWEEP IT IS - The Eagles' four-game series sweep of the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs in the Northern Conference Semifinals was the first in franchise history. Colorado had only been involved in one sweep previously, falling to the Arizona Sundogs in last year's championship round.

COMMON GROUND - If history means anything, the Eagles have a good chance of representing the Northern Conference in the Ray Miron President's Cup Finals. Either the Eagles or the Mudbugs have won the Northern Conference in each of the past five seasons (Colorado in 2005, 2007 & 2008), and with Colorado sending Bossier-Shreveport home in the last round, the path to the President's Cup Finals is clearer.

WHAT'S IN A NAME - The last time the Eagles and RiverKings faced off in the playoffs came in the 2007 Northern Conference Finals, when the 'Kings were from Memphis and not Mississippi. Colorado took that series in six games, with three wins coming while Tim Boron was in net. They took two of three both at home and on the road with an one overtime game going each way as well.

FAMILIAR FOES - While it's been a couple of years since the Eagles and RiverKings met in the playoffs, it hasn't been long at all since the Eagles faced off against a Kevin Kaminski team with Kevin Beech in net. The 'Kings coach was the bench boss for the Youngstown SteelHounds whom Colorado dispatched in five games during last year's Northern Conference Semifinals. In that series, Colorado went 1-1 in the two games in which Kevin Beech was between the pipes.

FAMILIAR FACES - The Eagles' top four scorers during the regular season are continuing to pace the team in the playoffs as Ed McGrane (4-2-6), Riley Nelson (1-5-6), Greg Pankewicz (3-2-5) and Kevin Ulanski (2-3-5) are all averaging more than a point-per-game through after the Northern Conference Semifinals.

DON'T QUIT YOUR DAY JOB - Eagles forward Ed McGrane has clearly found his niche, riding a point streak of 24 games dating back to Feb. 7. He's accumulated 14 goals and 21 assists in that time, including a pair of scores in Colorado's last game. McGrane's 20-game streak to end the regular season set a new franchise record and was also the longest streak in the entire CHL in 2008-09.

WIN (GAME) 1 FOR THE TEAM - When the Eagles win the first game of a series, they're 8-1 all-time in that series; they're 9-5 in Game 1's.

HIGH FIVE - The Eagles are one win away from tying the franchise high-water mark for consecutive playoff wins at five.

Check out the Colorado Eagles Statistics



Central Hockey League Stories from April 13, 2009


The opinions expressed in this release are those of the organization issuing it, and do not necessarily reflect the thoughts or opinions of OurSports Central or its staff.

OurSports Central