Eagles Kick Off Season with 3-1 Victory over Tucson
Goaltender Trent Miner made 20 saves on 21 shots
Oct 11, 2024
WINDSOR, CO. – Colorado forward Matthew Phillips and defenseman Jacob MacDonald each notched a goal and an assist, while goaltender Trent Miner made 20 saves on 21 shots, as the Eagles defeated the Tucson Roadrunners 3-1 in the season-opener on Friday. Forward Matthew Stienburg buried the shorthanded, game-winning goal, as both teams finished the night 1-for-7 on the power play.
After a scoreless first period that saw the Eagles outshoot Tucson 11-4, the scoring would finally open up in the second frame. A power play allowed Colorado to light the lamp with a shot from the top of the left-wing circle from MacDonald. Phillips and fellow forward T.J. Tynan picked up the assists, as the Eagles grabbed a 1-0 lead at the 12:42 mark of the second period.
Colorado would find itself on the penalty kill just minutes later, but the Eagles would flip the script, as forward Jayson Megna created a 2-on-1 shorthanded rush. Colorado’s captain would dish the puck to the left-wing circle where Stienburg snapped it home, extending the Eagles advantage to 2-0 with 4:37 remaining in the second stanza.
Still trailing 2-0 as the puck dropped on the third period, an early power play would help the Roadrunners bite back. Tucson forward Egor Sokolov split a pair of defenders in the slot before tucking home a wrister, slicing the deficit to 2-1 just 41 seconds into the final frame.
Needing a little insurance, Colorado would find just that when Phillips roofed a shot from the short-side post, pushing the Eagles lead to 3-1 with 4:00 left to play in the contest.
Roadrunners goaltender Matthew Villalta suffered the loss in net, allowing three goals on 25 shots.
The Eagles will be back in action when they host the Tucson Roadrunners on Saturday, October 12th at 7:05pm at Blue Arena. Season tickets for the 2024-25 season are on sale now and can be secured with a deposit of just $100 per seat. Click here to place your deposit.
