Dostal Makes 50 Saves, Nets Goal in 5-2 Win over Eagles
Mar 2, 2022
WINDSOR, CO. – San Diego goalie Lukas Dostal made 50 saves on 52 shots and added an empty-net goal, as the Gulls defeated the Colorado Eagles, 5-2 on Wednesday. Colorado put up a season-high 52 shots and 30 penalty minutes, as the two clubs combined for 78 PIM’s in the contest. Five different skaters lit the lamp for San Diego, as Colorado finished the night 0-for-6 on the power play and 0-for-2 on the penalty kill. Forwards Shane Bowers and Mikhail Maltsev each netted a goal for the Eagles in the loss.
Colorado would get out to a torrid start in the contest, outshooting the Gulls 9-1 in the opening eight minutes of play. However, it would be a San Diego power play that would generate the game’s first goal when forward Vinni Lettieri took advantage of traffic in front of the net when he buried a wrister from the top of the right-wing circle to give the Gulls a 1-0 edge at the 9:48 mark of the first period. The Eagles would go on to outshoot San Diego 17-5 in the opening 20 minutes but would still face a 1-0 deficit as the two teams headed to the first intermission.
Colorado would throw 21 shots on goal in the second period, earning four power plays along the way, including 41 seconds on a 5-on-3 man-advantage. That firepower would be stymied by Dostal, eventually setting up the Gulls to pounce on an Eagles mistake. San Diego would collect a Colorado turnover to spring a rush down the ice and forward Jack Badini would cap it off with a wrister from between the circles, beating Eagles goalie Justus Annunen. The goal was Badini’s second of the season and stretched the Gulls lead to 2-0 at the 9:37 mark of the middle frame.
Still trailing 2-0 as the puck dropped on the third period, Colorado would see the hole grow deeper when forward Danny O’Regan tucked home a rebound in the low slot to put San Diego on top, 3-0 at the 4:09 mark of the final frame. A Gulls power play would then see defenseman Trevor Carrick bury a shot from the blue line to expand San Diego’s advantage to 4-0 with 14:01 remaining in the contest.
The Eagles would finally get on the board when Bowers snagged a loose puck at center ice before skating down the left-wing boards and beating Dostal from the top of the circle to slice the deficit to 4-1 at the 11:32 mark. Colorado would strike again just 4:42 later when Maltsev swept home a rebound at the side of the crease to trim the Gulls lead to 4-2.
The Eagles would pull Annunen in favor of the extra attacker with 3:30 remaining in regulation, and despite several quality chances for Colorado it would be Dostal who would capitalize with a shot from his own end line that would find the empty net and seal the 5-2 victory for San Diego with 20 seconds left in the game. Annunen suffered the loss in net, allowing four goals on 25 shots.
The Eagles will be back in action when they take on the San Diego Gulls on Friday, March 4th at 7:05 pm MT at the Budweiser Events Center. Tickets for all regular-season games are on sale now and start at just $19. 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.
