ECHL Colorado Eagles

Verpaelst Nets Game-Winner in 3-2 OT Win over Utah

Published on December 5, 2017 under ECHL (ECHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


Verpaelst Nets Game-Winner in 3-2 OT Win over Utah

WEST VALLEY CITY, UT. - Colorado scored a pair of goals in the second period, while defenseman Gabriel Verpaelst buried the game-winning goal 2:17 into overtime to give the Eagles a 3-2 overtime victory over the Utah Grizzlies on Friday. The win moves Colorado to 8-4-2-0 and now gives the Eagles points in three straight contests.

Utah notched the game's first goal late in the first period when an Eagles turnover deep in their own zone allowed Grizzlies forward Greger Hanson to wrap around the back of the net and snap the puck past Colorado goalie Joe Cannata with 46 seconds left in the opening frame.

Trailing 1-0 after 20 minutes of play, the Eagles would square things up when forward Joey Ratelle deflected a shot from the blue line past Utah goalie Angus Redmond to tie the game at 1-1 with 13:51 left to play in the second period.

Colorado would claim its first lead of the night just minutes later when a shot from the point from Matt Register was deflected by defenseman Teigan Zahn, lighting the lamp and putting the Eagles on top 2-1 at the 10:10 mark of the middle frame.

The Grizzlies would quickly bounce back on the power play, as a rebound landed on the tape of Hanson who would feed the puck into the back of the net to level the score at 2-2 with 4:14 remaining in the second period.

With the score still deadlocked at 2-2 after two periods, neither team would be able to find the back of the net in the third, eventually forcing a 3-on-3, sudden-death overtime. After eclipsing the midway point of the extra session, a hard-working effort by Matt Garbowsky would spring a 2-on-1 rush for the Eagles, setting up Verpaelst to beat Redmond from the left circle to give Colorado the 3-2 victory in OT.

Cannata improved to 4-0-0-0 on the season, stopping 30 of the 32 shots he faced in the contest. Redmond suffered the overtime loss, surrendering three goals on 34 shots.

The Eagles conclude their three-game road trip with a game against the Utah Grizzlies at the Maverik Center in West Valley City, Utah.

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