Eagles Nab First Road Win with 5-2 Triumph at San Diego
Nov 11, 2023
SAN DIEGO, CA. – Colorado forward Cedric Pare notched a goal and two assists, while defenseman Brad Hunt collected a pair of helpers, as the Eagles defeated the San Diego Gulls 5-2 on Saturday. Justus Annunen earned his fifth win of the season in net, making 28 saves on 30 shots. The win was Colorado’s first on the road this season and now gives the Eagles points in the standings in six straight games.
Colorado would jump out to an early lead when defenseman Corey Schueneman buried a wrister from the top of the left-wing circle. The tally was Schueneman’s first goal as an Eagle and gave Colorado a 1-0 edge just 6:23 into the contest.
The Eagles would earn the game’s first power play and they would take advantage, as forward Ben Meyers lit the lamp with a shot from the right-wing circle, stretching Colorado’s lead to 2-0 at the 11:03 mark of the first period. The Eagles would go on to outshoot the Gulls 12-11 in the opening 20 minutes and carried their 2-0 advantage into the first intermission.
San Diego would finally get on the scoreboard when forward Nikita Nesterenko collected a pass in the low slot and slipped a shot past Annunen, slicing the deficit to 2-1 with 8:03 remaining in the second period.
The Eagles would earn a power play late in the middle frame but failed to connect and the two teams headed to the second intermission with Colorado still on top, 2-1.
Aamodt would expand the Eagles lead at the 9:05 mark of the third period when he beat Gulls goaltender Calle Clang with a shot from the left-wing boards, putting Colorado up, 3-1. The goal was Aamodt’s third of the year and now gives the second-year defenseman goals in each of his last two games.
San Diego would strike back less than four minutes later when a power play allowed forward Josh Lopina to flick a loose puck at the top of the crease into the back of the net, trimming the Eagles advantage to 3-2 at the 13:44 mark of the final frame.
Pare would respond on a delayed penalty against San Diego, as he flew down the right-wing boards before cutting to the slot and stuffing a shot home to give Colorado a 4-2 lead with 2:15 remaining in the contest.
The Gulls would then pull Clang in favor of the extra attacker, but it would be Eagles forward Joel Kiviranta who would capitalize with an empty-netter at the 18:12 mark to solidify the score at 5-2.
Colorado outshot San Diego by a final count of 31-30, as the Eagles finished 1-for-2 on the power play and 2-for-3 on the penalty kill. Clang suffered the loss in net, allowing four goals on 30 shots.
The Eagles will be back in action when they travel to take on the Ontario Reign on Sunday, November 12th at 4:00pm MT at Toyota Arena in Ontario, 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.
