Sundogs Skate Away with Shootout Win Over Eagles
October 20, 2007 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Arizona Sundogs News Release
PRESCOTT VALLEY, Ariz. - After spending the first three weeks of the 2006-07 season on the road, the Arizona Sundogs opened the 2007-08 season at home in front of a sold out Tim's Toyota Center Friday night against the defending CHL President's Cup Champion Colorado Eagles and skated away with the 6-5 win. The two teams battled back and forth through three 20-minute periods, a five-minute overtime period and nine rounds of a sudden-death shootout before Arizona grabbed the win.
Both teams traded a pair of goals in the game's opening period Friday night. The Arizona Sundogs quickly opened 2007-08 regular season play Friday night at Tim's Toyota Center tallying the game's first goal just 1:10 into the contest. Rookie forward Mark Kolanos found a loose rebound in front of the net and slapped the puck past Eagles' netminder Clayton Pool to give his club an early 1-0 lead. Tyler Redenbach and Guillaume Rodrigue collected assists on the early go ahead play. Just over three minutes later Colorado's Ryan Tobler tied the game at 1-1 on a pass from Fraser Filipic. Tobler skated down the near sideboards and squeezed a shot between Sundogs' netminder Bill Zaniboni and the goal post. Colorado would take a 2-1 lead with 11:36 to play in the opening frame as Greg Pankewicz found defenseman Brad Williamson on the backhand just outside the Sundogs' goal crease. Riley Nelson also notched an assist on the second goal. Arizona pulled even at 12:16 of the first on their third power play chance of the night. Defenseman David Schlemko fired a puck from the point that found its way into the back of the net with an assist being credited to Tyler Redenbach, his second helper of the period.
The second period would belong to Colorado as they tallied two unanswered goals to take a 4-2 lead into the third period. Tobler opened second period scoring at the 1:08 mark tallying his second of the game from defenseman Jay Birnie and forward Ed McGrane. The puck would take an awkward bounce off the glass and slide past Zaniboni to give Colorado a 3-2 advantage. Just past the period's midway point the Eagles' McGrane snuck past the Sundogs' defense and lifted the puck over Zaniboni for an unassisted tally, his second point of the night, to give his club a two-goal cushion.
At 3:56 of the third Arizona regained its scoring touch and cut Colorado's lead back to one as Chris Bartolone fired the puck past Pool from just outside the hash marks. Sean Sullivan and Alex Leavitt collected assists on the power play goal, Arizona's second of the game. With 11:14 remaining in the third defenseman Dan Laperriere stepped into the slot and ripped a shot past the stick side of the Colorado netminder to pull his club even at 4-4. Kolanos and Redenbach grabbed assists on the equalizer for their second and third points respectively. Colorado responded two minutes later with a two-on-one break with Pankewicz using a breaking Jay Birnie as a decoy for the Eagles' fifth marker on the night. Immediately following the goal the two teams came together behind the Sundogs net for the game's first scuffle. Sundogs defensemen Matt Suderman and Jonathan Bernier were both tagged with two-minute roughing calls while the Eagles' Jay Birnie received a five-minute fighting penalty and a two-minute roughing call. On the ensuing power play Arizona tallied its third goal with the man advantage to tie the game at five goals apiece. Chris Greene found the back of the net with Kolanos and Dusty Collins picking up assists on the play to close out scoring in the third.
In the overtime session, Arizona went down a man as defenseman Sean Sullivan was whistled for roughing, delivering a massive open ice hit on Colorado's McGrane. The Sundogs' penalty kill and goalie Bill Zaniboni proved up to the task and held the Eagles scoreless with the man advantage to force a shootout.
The shootout would go nine rounds before Arizona's Sean Sullivan would slip the puck through Pool's legs, giving Arizona a 3-2 advantage. Aaron Schneekloth was the Eagles' last hope to stay alive but Sundogs netminder Bill Zaniboni deflected the puck away for his first win as a pro. Tyler Redenbach, Olivier Latendresse and Sean Sullivan all scored for Arizona while Ryan Tobler and Riley Nelson converted for Colorado.
Colorado held a five shot advantage through the game, finishing with 41 shots to Arizona's 36. The Sundogs continued last season's success with the man advantage, converting on 3-of-9 chances while holding Colorado to 1-for-4 on the power play.
The two teams face off again tomorrow at 7:05pm at Tim's Toyota Center in Prescott Valley. Tickets are available by phone at 1-866-4-GET-TIX (1-866-443-8849), on the internet at www.gettix.net and in person at the Tim's Toyota Center Box Office.
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