Colorado Closes Out Regular Season with 3-1 Triumph over Gulls
Apr 15, 2023
LOVELAND, CO. – Colorado goaltender Justus Annunen stopped 27 of the 28 shots he faced, while Charles Hudon, Ryan Sandelin and Nate Clurman all found the back of the net, as the Eagles defeated the San Diego Gulls 3-1 on Saturday. Defenseman Mitchell Vande Sompel continued his hot play, picking up a pair of assists, now giving him three goals and three assists over his last four games. The victory was Colorado’s fourth straight win and allowed the Eagles to close out the regular season in third place in the Pacific Division. It also sets up a matchup with the Ontario Reign in the first round of the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs next week.
Colorado would hop on the scoreboard first when Vande Sompel dished a pass across the low slot on the rush, putting the puck on the tape of Clurman who would steer it into the back of the net. The goal was Clurman’s third of the season and gave the Eagles a 1-0 edge at the 13:44 mark of the first period.
A power play late in the opening frame would set up Sandelin to stuff home a rebound on the side of the crease to extend Colorado’s lead to 2-0 with only 40 seconds in the period. The goal was Sandelin’s first as a professional.
The Eagles would stretch their lead in the second period when Alex Galchenyuk slipped a pass from behind the net onto the tape of Hudon who would light the lamp from the slot. The goal was Hudon’s team-leading 29th of the season and pushed Colorado’s advantage to 3-0 at the 16:21 mark of the middle frame.
Still trailing 3-0 as the puck dropped on the third period, San Diego would finally get on the board when forward Jacob Perreault wrapped behind the net and fed home a backhander, slicing the Eagles lead to 3-1 with only 2:55 remaining in the contest.
Colorado was outshot in the contest 28-24, as the Eagles finished the night going 1-for-4 on the power play and a perfect 5-for-5 on the penalty kill.
The Eagles will be back in action when they kick off the 2023 Calder Cup Playoffs with a Game One matchup against the Ontario Reign on Wednesday, April 19th at 7:05pm MT at the Budweiser Events Center. Tickets for all home playoff games are on sale now. You can find more information by visiting ColoradoEagles.com or by calling the ticket department at (970) 686-7468.
