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CHL Colorado Eagles

Laplante, Special Teams Lead Eagles Over Odessa

February 8, 2008 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


LOVELAND, Colo. - Sebastien Laplante stopped 43 of 45 shots in his first home game as an Eagle to help lead Colorado over the Odessa Jackalopes 5-2. Colorado's special teams contributed three goals as the Eagles scored two short-handed goals on the way to a 3-0 first period lead and added a power play tally in the third to help put the game away.

Greg Pankewicz ratcheted up the intensity right off the faceoff when he stormed through the neutral zone in pursuit of the puck and then went right after Jackalopes' defenseman Mario Joly; Joly wanted no part of Pankewicz because the Jackalopes were short-benched (earning the defenseman just two minutes for unsportsmanlike conduct), giving Odessa a power play just 10 seconds into the game. That power play, however, put the red hot Eagles penalty killers on the ice and Steve Haddon made it 1-0 just two seconds after Joly's penalty expired. Haddon threw an innocent-looking shot on net from high along the left-wing boards, but Mike Gorman nonchalantly gloved it and it fluttered off the tip of his glove before falling behind him and sliding over the goal line.

Colorado got their second shortie of the period - and sixth in five games - at 13:12 when Pankewicz broke in on Gorman. The Jackalopes' goalie made the first save, but Ed McGrane was trailing the play and cleaned up the rebound at the lip of the crease. The Eagles have scored two or more short-handed goals in a game just three times in their history (one instance coming January 26 of this year at Arizona, when they also scored two). Colorado made it 3-0 at 15:49 when McGrane kept the puck in the offensive zone where Seth Leonard passed it from low along the right-wing boards to Brad Williamson at the point. Williamson skated in uncontested before shooting from the high slot (using the defenseman as a screen) and beating Gorman.

Each team scored a goal in the second period. The Eagles made it 4-0 at 12:12 when Riley Nelson dropped a pass to Dave Iannazzo in the high slot and then headed toward the net. Iannazzo's shot was chipped by Kris Wiebe in front and then touched again by Nelson before getting by Gorman. The Jackalopes answered two minutes later when Olivier Proulx passed the puck from near the goal line to the left of Laplante, back across the crease to Nathan Ward, who threw the puck into the empty half of the net.

Odessa cut the Eagles lead in half, making it 4-2 at 12:31, when Sebastien Thinel - from his knees - swept a pass from below the goal line to Alex Dunn who beat Laplante from just inside the top of the right circle. But the Eagles countered just 22 seconds later on their only power play opportunity of the night (the second consecutive game in which they've only been awarded one power play) when McGrane skated through the offensive zone and beat Gorman from in close for his second goal of the game and 22nd of the year.

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