Eagles Comeback Efforts Come Up Short Against Stars
Mar 10, 2020
LOVELAND, CO. – Colorado rallied from a 4-1 deficit in the second period to tie the game at 4-4 but surrendered the game-winning goal early in the third, as the Eagles fell to the Texas Stars 5-4 on Tuesday. Forwards Julien Nantel and Colin Campbell each netted a pair of goals in the loss. Colorado outshot Texas 47-23 in the contest, including 21 shots in the second period alone.
The Eagles found the scoreboard first when Campbell deflected a shot from the point past Stars goalie Jake Oettinger to give Colorado a 1-0 advantage at the 11:35 mark of the first period.
The lead would be short-lived, as just 17 seconds later a turnover behind the Eagles net would set up Texas forward Oula Palve to light the lamp from the top of the crease and tie the game at 1-1. The Stars would then hop into the driver’s seat 60 seconds later when defenseman Jerad Rosburg buried a shot from the blue line to give Texas a 2-1 edge with 7:08 remaining in the opening frame.
Still trailing 2-1 as the two teams hit the ice for the second period, Colorado would watch the hole grow deeper when Stars defenseman Gavin Bayreuther fired a shot from the blueline that would elude Eagles goalie Hunter Miska and put Texas up, 3-1 at the 5:08 mark of the period.
The Stars would strike again less than two minutes later when a Texas power play set up forward Joel L’Esperance to tap a one-timer from the right-wing circle into the back of the net. The tally was L’Esperance’s 24th goal of the season and extended the Stars advantage to 4-1 with 12:54 remaining in the second stanza.
As the period progressed, the momentum inside the Budweiser Events Center would begin to shift dramatically. The rally began when Nantel tracked down a loose puck in the low slot and stuffed it home to trim the deficit to 4-2 at the 14:56 mark. Colorado would take another bite out of Texas’ advantage less than 90 seconds later when Campbell settled a puck on top of the crease and flipped it home to make it a 4-3 Stars lead. Just 36 seconds later, Nantel would fly down the left-wing boards before blistering a shot from the circle past Oettinger to tie the game at 4-4 with 3:05 left to play in the middle frame.
With the contest still knotted at 4-4 after 40 minutes of play, Texas would reclaim the lead when forward Rhett Gardner deflected a shot past Miska to give the Stars a 5-4 edge at the 1:57 mark of the third period. The Eagles would stage a relentless attack through the duration of the final frame, outshooting the Stars 17-2 in the final 20 minutes of action. However, Oettinger would stand tall to secure the 5-4 victory for Texas.
Colorado finished the night going-0-for-3 on the power play, while the Stars scored a goal on their only opportunity on the man-advantage.
The Eagles return to action when they host the Texas Stars on Wednesday, March 11th at 7:05pm MT at the Budweiser Events Center.
Tickets for all regular season contests are on sale now and can be purchased at ColoradoEagles.com or by calling (970) 686-SHOT.
