Eagles Fight Back for 6-4 Victory over Coachella Valley
Jan 18, 2025
LOVELAND, CO. – Colorado scored four-straight goals to erase a 3-1 deficit and defeat the Coachella Valley Firebirds 6-4 on Saturday. Six different Eagles found the back of the net, while goaltender Adam Scheel improved to 6-0-0 on the season, making 21 saves on 25 shots. Colorado would finish the night going 1-for-3 on the power play and a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.
The Eagles would kick off a wild first period when defenseman Calle Rosen smacked a pass out of mid-air and into the back of the net, giving Colorado a 1-0 edge at the 4:33 mark.
The Firebirds would strike back just 12 seconds later when forward Luke Henman charged through the left-wing circle and lit the lamp with a wrister, tying the game at 1-1.
Coachella Valley would take the lead when defenseman Ty Nelson took advantage of traffic in front of the net by beating Scheel with a shot from the blue line, putting the Firebirds up 2-1 with 8:56 remaining in the opening frame.
The momentum would build just 16 seconds later, as forward Logan Morrison popped the puck into the back of the net from the top of the crease, extending Coachella Valley’s lead to 3-1.
Colorado would utilize the power play to stem the tide, as defenseman Jacob MacDonald smashed a one-timer from the right-wing circle past Firebirds goalie Ales Stezka, slicing the deficit to 3-2 at the 15:47 mark of the first stanza.
The Eagles would then find an equalizer when forward Oskar Olausson swept home a loose puck from the low slot, tying the game at 3-3 with only one second left in the period.
After killing off a pair of Coachella Valley power plays, Colorado would reclaim the lead when forward Maros Jedlicka fielded a rebound at the side of the crease and tucked it past Stezka, putting the Eagles up 1-0 at the 12:13 mark of the second period. Each team would notch eight shots in the middle frame, as Colorado carried its 4-3 advantage into the second intermission.
The Eagles would extend their lead to 5-3 when forward Tye Felhaber deflected a shot from the point into the back of the net just 4:47 into the third period.
As time wound down in the contest, the Firebirds would pull Stezka in favor of the extra attacker, allowing forward Ryan Winterton to light the lamp with a wrister from between the circles, trimming Colorado’s advantage to 5-4 with 2:20 remaining in the game.
With Stezka back on the bench, the Eagles would capitalize on the empty net, as forward Chris Wagner fed a shot into the vacant cage, putting Colorado up 6-4 at the 19:13 mark of the final frame.
Stezka suffered the loss in net, allowing five goals on 19 shots.
The Eagles will be back in action when they take on the Coachella Valley Firebirds on Sunday, January 19th at 3:05pm MT at Blue Arena. Single game tickets are on sale now and can be purchased at ColoradoEagles.com or by calling or texting the Eagles ticket office at (970) 686-SHOT.
