Eagles Fans Donate 9,000 Teddy Bears as Colorado Falls to Tucson, 4-3
Dec 9, 2023
LOVELAND, CO. – Tucson scored three goals in the third period to erase a 3-1 deficit and defeat the Colorado Eagles 4-3 on Saturday. Defensemen Nate Clurman and Wyatt Aamodt found the back of the net in the loss, as did forward Cedric Pare. Eagles fans tossed an estimated 9,000 stuffed animals onto the ice as part of the team’s annual Teddy Bear Toss game, with those toys now heading to less fortunate children across the region.
Tucson would waste little time in generating the game’s first goal, as defenseman Victor Soderstrom collected a drop pass in the right-wing circle before burying a wrister, giving the Roadrunners a 1-0 edge just 5:17 into the contest.
Colorado would find an answer 2:23 later when Clurman snagged a rebound at the top of the right-wing circle and beat Tucson goalie Matthew Villalta with a wrist shot. The goal was Clurman’s first of the season and tied the game at 1-1. It would also send an estimated 9,000 stuffed animals onto the ice as part of the team’s annual Teddy Bear Toss.
The Eagles would then be forced to face a 5-on-3 power play for the Roadrunners, which Colorado would kill off in its entirety, allowing the two teams to head to the first intermission still deadlocked at 1-1.
Aamodt would put the Eagles in the lead when he fired a shot from the point through traffic, hitting the back of the net and putting Colorado on top 2-1 at the 4:29 mark of the second period.
After killing another Tucson power play, the Eagles would expand upon their advantage. Defenseman Brad Hunt entered the zone on the rush and fed a pass to the top of the crease where Pare would steer the puck past Villalta. The goal was Pare’s third tally of the season and pushed Colorado’s lead to 3-1 with 1:47 remaining in the middle frame.
Still trailing 3-1 as the puck dropped on the third period, the Roadrunners would pull back within a goal when defenseman Peter DiLiberatore lit the lamp with a shot from the left-wing circle, trimming the deficit to 3-2 at the 9:13 mark of the final frame.
Forward Cameron Hebig would tie the game just 1:17 later when he fed a shot from the bottom of the left-wing circle past Eagles goalie Arvid Holm, evening the score at 3-3.
As time ticked down in the contest, Tucson forward Colin Thiesen would wrap behind the net before stuffing the puck over the goal line, giving the Roadrunners a 4-3 advantage with just 22 seconds left in the contest.
Colorado was outshot by a final count of 28-24, as the Eagles finished the night going 0-for-2 on the power play and 3-for-3 on the penalty kill. Holm suffered the loss in net, allowing four goals on 28 shots.
The Eagles will be back in action when they travel to take on the Bakersfield Condors on Tuesday, December 12th at 11:30am MT at Mechanics Bank Arena in Bakersfield, California. Tickets for all regular season games are on sale now and start at just $23. You can find more information on ticket packages, theme nights, and promotional offers, by visiting ColoradoEagles.com or by calling the ticket department at (970) 686-7468.
