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ECHL Colorado Eagles

Walters' Hat Trick Leads Rush to 7-3 Win over Colorado

January 21, 2017 - ECHL (ECHL)
Colorado Eagles News Release


LOVELAND, CO. - Rapid City forward Ryan Walters notched three goals, while fellow forward Logan Nelson collected a pair of goals of his own, as the Rapid City Rush handed the Eagles a 7-3 loss at the Budweiser Events Center on Friday. The seven goals against were the most surrendered by the Eagles this season. Colorado forward Jesse Mychan scored two goals in the losing effort.

The Rush would claim the game's first lead when Nelson launched a wrist shot off the faceoff into the Colorado net to give the Rush the 1-0 edge just 3:16 into the contest. That lead would be extended to 2-0 just minutes later, as an Eagles turnover deep in the Colorado zone led to a shot from the low slot from forward Mark Cooper, who would beat Eagles goaltender Clarke Saunders at the 5:33 mark of the first period.

Colorado would summon a goal of its own at the 9:07 mark of the opening frame when forward Mitch Holmberg turned a Rush turnover along the half wall into a goal from between the circles, slicing the Rapid City advantage to 2-1.

The Rush would again go up by a pair when Walters deflected a shot from the point on the power play to light the lamp and give Rapid City a 3-1 lead with 6:53 remaining in the first period.

The Eagles would once again find an answer, this time on the power play, as Mychan chopped a puck out of midair in the crease, putting it past Rush goalie Marek Langhamer and cutting the Rapid City edge to 3-2 with 3:52 left to play in the first period.

Rapid City would utilize a goal early in the second period to jump to a 4-2 lead when Walters fielded a pass in the slot and snapped it into the back of the net with only 1:50 gone in the middle frame. Colorado would outshoot the Rush 11-5 in the second period, but would head to the second intermission still trailing Rapid City 4-2.

The Rush would grow their lead midway through the third period, as Nelson launched a shot off the faceoff that beat Saunders between the pads, giving Rapid City the 5-2 advantage at the 11:59 mark of the final frame.

Colorado would pull Saunders in favor of the extra attacker with just over four minutes remaining in regulation and the move would result in Jesse Mychan's second goal of the night, as the winger shot the puck from behind the net, deflecting it off of a Rush defenseman and past Langhamer, cutting the Rapid City lead to 5-3 with 4:20 left in the third.

The empty net would eventually prove costly, as a shot from neutral ice off the stick of Rush forward Terrence Wallin would ricochet off of Eagles defenseman Matt Register and into the back of the goal, making it 6-3 Rapid City with 3:33 remaining in the third.

Walters would round out his hat trick off an Eagles turnover at the Rapid City blue line, as he collected the puck and snapped into the empty net to give Rapid City the 7-3 victory.

The Eagles will travel to the Rushmore Plaza Civic Center in Rapid City, South Dakota to take on the Rapid City Rush on Saturday, January 21st at 7:05pm MT.

Season tickets for the 2016-17 season are on-sale now and can be reserved with a $50 deposit per seat by calling the Eagles ticket office at 970-686-SHOT (7468). A complete schedule can be found at www.ColoradoEagles.com.

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