Annunen Shines in Eagles 4-1 Win over Milwaukee
Feb 26, 2022
MILWAUKEE, WI. – Colorado goaltender Justus Annunen turned aside 25 of the 26 shots he faced to collect his 18th win of the season, as the Eagles defeated the Milwaukee Admirals, 4-1 on Saturday. Forwards Ryan Wagner, Kiefer Sherwood, Mikhail Maltsev and Jayson Megna all found the back of the net in the win, as Colorado went 1-for-1 on the power play, 1-for-1 on the penalty kill and added a shorthanded tally.
Colorado would jump out to an early lead when Wagner tracked down a rebound at the side of the crease and lifted the puck over the shoulder of Milwaukee goaltender Connor Ingram to put the Eagles on top, 1-0 at the 10:26 mark of the first period.
The Admirals would waste little time producing an answer, as forward Egor Afanasyev collected a drop pass in the right-wing circle and lit the lamp just 32 seconds later to tie the game at 1-1. Colorado would go on to outshoot Milwaukee 10-7 in the opening 20 minutes and the two teams would head to the first intermission still deadlocked at 1-1.
The second period would see Annunen deliver several dramatic saves, turning aside all 12 shots he faced in the middle frame. That would allow Colorado to capitalize on the game’s first power play when Sherwood blistered a one-timer from the left-wing circle into the back of the net. The goal was Sherwood’s team-leading 23rd tally of the season and gave the Eagles a 2-1 edge at the 13:59 mark of the period.
Still leading 2-1 as the third period began, Colorado would stretch its lead when Maltsev grabbed a turnover between the circles and flicked a backhander past Ingram to put the Eagles on top, 3-1 with 12:26 left to play in the game.
A power play for the Admirals late in the contest would backfire when Colorado forced a turnover that would send Megna speeding down the ice on a breakaway before snapping a wrister that would light the lamp and extend the Eagles' lead to 4-1 at the 16:16 mark of the final frame.
The Eagles will be back in action when they take on the Milwaukee Admirals on Sunday, February 26th at 2:00 pm MT at UW-Milwaukee Panther Arena in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Tickets for all regular-season games are on sale now and start at just $19. You can find more.
