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CHL Colorado Eagles

Eagles Win Seventh Straight

December 19, 2009 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


LOVELAND, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles picked up their seventh straight win with a 6-2 victory over the Missouri Mavericks (their second win in as many nights against the expansion team). The Eagles' 39 points lead the Northern Conference, and their winning percentage -- now .813 -- ranks as the highest in all of professional hockey.

For the second night in a row, the Eagles spotted the Mavericks an early lead in the first period before storming back to take the lead into the first intermission. Missouri got the opening goal at 6:29 by taking advantage of a sloppy Colorado power play, and for the second night in a row, it was Nick Sirota who notched the opening tally by crashing the crease.

But the Eagles were able to tie it up at 10:45 after a big hit from Ryan Tobler in the left corner of the offensive zone created a turnover that Riley Nelson backhanded past Alexandre Vincent from below the faceoff circle. And just over a minute later, Aaron Schneekloth picked up his third goal in as many games to make it 2-1 for the home team. On the play, the defenseman took the puck off the right wing boards, shot it from the right hash marks and then put home his own rebound from the left hashes.

Colorado added two more goals in the second to take a 4-1 lead into the second intermission. The first came at 4:10 when Alex Penner used his brute strength to dislodge the puck out of a scrum in the left corner of the offensive zone. The disc eventually made its way to Schneekloth at the point and Fraser Filipic put home the rebound on the defenseman's shot for his first goal of the season.

The second goal also came as a result of hard work when Steve Haddon won a footrace to a loose puck along the right wing boards while the Eagles were killing a Mavericks' power play midway through the frame. Haddon then took the puck into the offensive zone and pulled up along the boards before dishing a pass to Ed McGrane whose shot from high in the right circle deflected past the Missouri netminder. It was Colorado's second shorthanded score in as many nights against the Mavs.

The Eagles added a pair of power-play goals in the third before Jeff Christian scored with just over a minute left to account for the 6-2 final. McGrane and Ryan McLeod both scored their man-advantage markers with rocket shots from the left circle. Christian's score came on a breakaway with 61 seconds left after the game had essentially been decided.

Colorado will take their winning streak on the road as they begin a three game set (the final two back at the BEC on Dec. 26 and 27) against the Rapid City Rush. The Rush are currently just four points behind the Eagles in the Northern Conference and have also been hot recently.

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