Colorado Upended in Calgary, 5-2
Mar 7, 2023
CALGARY, AB. – Calgary netted two goals in the first period and added three more in the second to cruise to a 5-2 victory over the Colorado Eagles on Tuesday. Wranglers’ defenseman Josh Brook and forward Kevin Rooney each notched a goal and an assist in the win. Calgary goaltender Oscar Dansk stopped 34 of the 36 shots he faced to collect his sixth win of the year in net. Colorado defenseman Nate Clurman and forward Alex Beaucage each found the back of the net in the losing effort.
Calgary would grab an early lead when forward Clark Bishop fielded a centering pass on the rush and flipped a shot from between the circles past Eagles goalie Justus Annunen. The goal was Bishop’s seventh of the season and gave the Wranglers a 1-0 edge just 2:40 into the contest.
The advantage would grow when Brook fired a wrister from the blue line that would weave its way through traffic and into the back of the net, putting the Wranglers on top 2-0 at the 6:07 mark of the first period.
Colorado would kill off a late power play for Calgary, but left for the first intermission still trailing, 2-0.
The Wranglers would continue to heap on the goals in the second period, as an Eagles turnover in the slot set up Rooney to light the lamp and extend the lead to 3-0 at the 4:18 mark.
Calgary forward Connor Zary added his name to the scoresheet when he collected a pass at the top of the crease and swept the puck home, giving the Wranglers a 4-0 advantage with 9:49 left in the middle frame.
Just 34 seconds later Calgary would cash in again, as forward Adam Klapka drove through the low slot and deflected a centering feed off his skate and into the back of the net. The goal was his sixth tally of the season and gave the Wranglers a 5-0 lead, which they would carry into the second intermission.
Annunen would give way to Trent Miner in net to begin the third period and Colorado would finally get on the scoreboard shortly thereafter. Clurman snagged a cross-slot pass from Wyatt Aamodt and snapped a shot from the right-wing circle past Dansk, slicing the deficit to 5-1 at the 4:43 mark of the final stanza.
The Eagles would strike again just 5:10 later when Beaucage lifted a backhander from the low slot into the back of the net to trim the Wranglers lead to 5-2.
Colorado outshot Calgary by a final count of 36-35, as the Eagles finished the night 3-for-3 on the penalty kill, but did not receive an opportunity on the power play. Annunen suffered the loss in net, allowing five goals on 28 shots.
The Eagles will be back in action when they take on the Calgary Wranglers on Wednesday, March 8th at 7:00pm MT at the Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta. Tickets for all regular season games are on sale now and start at just $21. You can find more information on ticket packages, theme tickets, and promotional nights, by visiting ColoradoEagles.com or by calling the ticket department at (970) 686-7468.
