Ulanski's Hat Trick Makes Difference in Win
January 16, 2009 - Central Hockey League (CHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release
LOVELAND, Colo. - The Northern Conference-leading Colorado Eagles defeated the Southern Conference-leading Odessa Jackalopes, 6-3, on the strength of a Kevin Ulanski hat trick (Colorado's sixth of the season) and another team-wide offensive outburst. The Jackalopes scored all three of their goals on the power play, but it wasn't enough to top the CHL's highest-scoring team; the Eagles scored six or more goals for the twelfth time this season, out-doing their 11 from 2007-08.
The first period played out just as one would have expected from the two top teams in the CHL as the Jackalopes and Eagles battled all over the ice for the first 20 minutes of play. Odessa goaltender Jeremy Symington held the Eagles off the scoreboard early, and at 9:49 Mario Joly made it 1-0 for the Jacks with a power play goal. Joly knocked it in from the left side of the crease after receiving a deft pass from between the legs of Kory Karlander on the right side.
But Ulanski answered for Colorado just over a minute later after Erik Adams and Ryan Tobler gained control of the puck behind the Odessa net before the veteran forward found Ulanski skating wide open through the low slot. Then at 11:54, Fraser Filipic turned the intensity up even more when he had his pick between Jean Bourbeau and Joly -- both dropped their gloves -- and chose the imposing defender despite giving up six inches and 75 pounds. The fight failed to spark anything for either team however, and the Jacks added a late 5-on-3 power-play goal with 36 seconds left in the first.
Colorado scored two goals in the second to take a 3-2 lead into the third period, a good sign since both teams were 21-0-0 when leading after two coming into the game (and Odessa was just 0-8-2 when trailing after two). Filipic provided more fireworks in the period, starting at 10:22 when he dropped Bourbeau -- who finally got his shot at the Eagles' pugilist -- with a single swat of his left fist.
Riley Nelson tied the game at 2 at 17:33 -- just after a Jackalopes penalty had expired -- after Aaron Schneekloth's shot from the point was blocked right to the tape of Ulanski who fed Nelson with a cross-ice feed. And Filipic closed the period with a critical late score when his shot from the right circle deflected off a defenseman's skate and past Symington with just 10 seconds left.
Odessa tied the game at three just 49 seconds into the final frame with their third power-play goal of the night (all three of their scores came via the man-advantage) as Mike Lesperance deflected home a Philippe Plante pass from the point, but the Eagles scored the next three goals to put the game away.
Nelson got the game-winner with an outstanding individual play, as a Greg Pankewicz penalty was expiring, after Ulanski collected the puck in the defensive zone and sent him down the right wing. The Eagles' veteran entered the Odessa zone, chipped the puck to the center of the ice and split two Jackalopes defensemen before beating Symington from just inside the left circle at 4:05. Then the two hooked up again at 12:54 as Ulanski went end-to-end down the left wing before snapping a shot past Odessa's goalie from the left circle for a short-handed tally and a hat trick.
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