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ECHL Colorado Eagles

Eagles' Winning Streak Ends as Comeback Falls Short

February 18, 2012 - ECHL (ECHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


ONTARIO, Calif. - Jean-Francois Berube was unbeatable for two periods, helping the Ontario Reign end the Colorado Eagles' six-game winning streak with a 4-3 victory despite a valiant comeback effort by the visiting team. Berube stopped 44 shots up until the final milliseconds of the game as the Eagles scored the final three goals of the contest and were pressuring hard for a fourth until the final moments.

Colorado had more and better scoring chances in the first period, but it was the Reign that capitalized on theirs, taking a 2-0 lead into the first intermission. The game's first goal came at 6:11 after an extended shift in Colorado's zone led to Derek Couture putting home a C.J. Stretch wraparound rebound. And eight minutes later, Kyle Kraemer won a battle for the puck in the left corner and found a wide open Kevin Estrada coming off the bench for a one-timer past Kyle Jones from the right circle.

The second period saw more of the same, as Berube continued to stonewall the Eagles, taking a 31-save shutout into the second intermission. His teammates helped build him a 3-0 cushion as well when Pat Bowen found Kraemer unchecked at the right side of the crease for a power-play goal at 15:57.

Ontario made that cushion even bigger just 19 seconds into the final frame with their second power-play goal of the game on their initial rush of the period. Estrada got what would end up being the game-winner with his second tally of the night by back-handing a Couture rebound past Jones from the doorstep.

From there, the Eagles really took off. Steve Haddon broke Berube's shutout try at 3:06 when he was able to put home his second whack at a Chad Costello rebound. Then at 5:42, Michael Forney cut the Reign's lead to 4-2 with a shorthanded marker following an aggressive penalty-killing effort by Colorado.

Colorado continued to come hard at Ontario, but Berube continued to deny several of their scoring chances. But at 15:56, Costello was able to trim the home team's lead to just one when he skated end-to-end and snapped a wrist shot past Berube from the high slot. And the Reign couldn't relax any after that as nearly the rest of the contest was played deep in their own zone -- including a late Colorado power play in the waning seconds.

The Eagles will conclude their busy week of five games in six days with back-to-back games in Stockton Saturday night and Sunday afternoon. _

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