Eagles Tripped Up in Preseason Finale, 5-3
Sep 28, 2019
SAN JOSE, CA. – Colorado found the back of the net three times, but a 2-for-4 performance on the power play pushed the San Jose Barracuda to a 5-3 victory over the Eagles in the final preseason game of the year on Saturday. Forwards Igor Shvyrev, Julien Nantel and Michael Joly all netted goals in the loss.
Colorado struck first in the contest when Shvyrev skated through the right-wing circle before burying a wrister from between the circles to put the Eagles on top, 1-0 just 5:16 into the contest.
San Jose would even up the score at 1-1 when forward Krystof Hrabik fired a shot that would deflect off a body and past Colorado goalie Antoine Bibeau with 6:13 remaining in the first period.
The Barracuda would claim their first lead late in the opening stanza when forward Noah Gregor snapped home a wrist shot on the power play that would give San Jose a 2-1 edge at the 19:13 mark of the period.
Trailing by one after twenty minutes of play, Colorado would strike back when Nantel smashed a rebound near the crease past Barracuda goaltender Josef Korenar, tying the game at 2-2 with 3:58 left to play in the second period.
San Jose would reclaim the advantage minutes later, as forward Maxim Letunov would fire a backhander from the low-slot past Hunter Miska, who had replaced Bibeau earlier in the period. The tally would put the Barracuda on top, 3-2 at the 18:16 mark of the second period.
Heading into the final frame, San Jose would grow its lead when forward Ivan Chekhovich sent a shot from the right circle through traffic and into the back of the net to give the Barracuda a 4-2 advantage with 11:08 remaining in the third period. Colorado would pull Miska in favor of the extra attacker in the final minutes of the contest, but a turnover at center ice would setup defenseman Trevor Carrick to feed the puck into the empty net to make it 5-2 in favor of San Jose at the 17:33 mark of the period.
The Eagles would again pull Miska and this time it would pay dividends, as Joly would step into a one-timer from the right-wing circle to light the lamp and trim the deficit to 5-3 with 1:27 remaining in the contest. Colorado would draw no closer, falling by a final count of 5-3.
The 2019-20 season begins when the Eagles host the Stockton Heat on Friday, October 4th 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.
