Sundogs Drop Final Game Of Regular Season, 3-2
March 21, 2010 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Arizona Sundogs News Release
PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. - The Arizona Sundogs closed out their season and dropped the final game of Central Hockey League's 2009-10 regular season schedule, 3-2, to the Colorado Eagles Saturday night at Tim's Toyota Center in front of more than 3,400 fans.
Struggling at home all season, the Sundogs finished the month of March with a 3-3-0 home record, the first such month at or above.500 at home all year.
Marc Belanger tallied twice for Arizona in the loss, once shorthanded and once on the power play, while Riley Nelson collected a pair of goals for Colorado in the win. Ryan Tobler added a goal and two assists.
Belanger opened scoring in the contest with the Sundogs' third shorthanded marker in as many games midway through the opening frame, weaving through traffic in the slot and sending a wrist shot short side past Andrew Penner 9:59 mark.
Assisting on the play along with Andrew Winnik, Kyle Hood recorded his team-leading 56th point of the season and 15th point in the last 10 games.
Outshooting Arizona 21-4 in the second period, Colorado's Nelson and Tobler connected twice in the middle frame turning a 1-0 first-period deficit into a 2-1 lead heading into the final frame.
Nelson evened the score at one 3:08 into the second snapping a Tobler drop pass off the crossbar and past the glove of Doug Groenestege from the top of the near circle.
Skating 5-on-4, Jason Visser had a chance to reclaim a one-goal lead for Arizona on a one-time chance from the slot off a Konrad Reeder set-up feed from the far corner but Penner denied the chance sending play the other direction.
Colorado rushed up the ice after the save and capitalized on the shorthanded chance as Nelson picked up his second of the year cutting across the slot and slipping the puck through the legs of Groenestege with 3:12 to play in the middle frame.
Tobler stretched his club's lead to two just over seven minutes into the third period with his third point of the contest. Groenestege made a post-to-post save on Aaron Schneekloth moments earlier as the defenseman trailed the initial play before Tobler connected for his 26th goal of the season.
Belanger pulled Arizona back to within one with a power-play tally at the 9:27 mark, sending a Joey Sides drop pass five-hole past Penner for his second of the game.
Less than a minute later, Groenestege made a glove save while stacking the pads on a Jay Birnie breakaway chance to keep Arizona within striking distance in the game's final 10 minutes but Penner and Colorado withstood a late 6-on-4 power play to hold on for the one-goal win.
Arizona finished 1-for-9 with the man-advantage while Colorado failed to convert on five power-play opportunities.
Groenestege turned aside 41 of 44 shots in the loss while Penner steered clear 22 of 24 attempts.
Electronic box score: http://www.pointstreak.com/prostats/boxscore.html?gameid=1067901
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Central Hockey League Stories from March 21, 2010
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- Mavericks Announce 19-Man Playoff Roster - Kansas City Mavericks
- Mavericks Host Playoff Pre-Game Party - Kansas City Mavericks
- Sundogs Drop Final Game Of Regular Season, 3-2 - Arizona Sundogs
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