Hudon Leads Eagles to 4-3 Win over Bakersfield
Dec 21, 2022
LOVELAND, CO. – Colorado forward Charles Hudon netted a pair of goals, while goaltender Jonas Johansson made 31 saves on 34 shots, as the Eagles capped off their six-game homestand with a 4-3 victory over the Bakersfield Condors on Wednesday. Forwards Shane Bowers and Cal Burke also found the back of the net in the win, as Colorado finished the night going 2-for-4 on the power play.
Bakersfield would net the game’s first goal when defenseman Phillip Kemp buried a slapshot from the point at the 10:52 mark of the first period to give the Condors a 1-0 edge.
Less than five minutes later, Colorado would tie things up on the power play, as Hudon lit the lamp with a wrister from the right-wing circle to even the score at 1-1 with 4:31 remaining in the opening 20 minutes of play. Bakersfield would go on to outshoot the Eagles 8-7 in the period, as the two teams headed to the first intermission with the game still deadlocked at 1-1.
The Condors would jump back in the lead on a controversial power-play goal just 21 seconds into the second period. After the puck appeared to be iced by Bakersfield, the whistle would not be blown, setting up defenseman Yanni Kaldis to hit the back of the net with a shot from the blue line, giving the Condors a 2-1 advantage.
Colorado would strike back when Bowers tucked home a rebound in the crease at the 13:21 mark of the middle frame to square the score at 2-2. Bakersfield would put up 12 shots in the period to the Eagles’ nine and the two teams would head to the intermission still tied at 2-2.
Hudon would convert on a power play early in the third period to give Colorado its first lead of the game when he snapped home a wrister from the top of the right-wing circle to give the Eagles a 3-2 edge just 13 seconds into the final frame.
The advantage would grow when Colorado forced a turnover on the forecheck, setting up Jean-Luc Foudy to bump a pass across the crease to Burke, who would slam the puck into the back of the net to give the Eagles a 4-2 advantage at the 7:33 mark of the period.
Bakersfield would punch back when Kaldis netted his second of the night with a shot from the slot, trimming the deficit to 4-3 with 10:09 still remaining in the contest. The Condors would then pull goaltender Olivier Rodrigue in the final two minutes of the contest in favor of the extra attacker, but would come no closer, as Colorado held on for the 4-3 victory.
The Eagles will be back in action when they travel to take on the Iowa Wild on Wednesday, December 28th at 5:00pm MT at Wells Fargo Arena in Des Moines, Iowa. Tickets for all regular season games are on sale now and start at just $21. You can find more information on ticket packages, theme tickets, and promotional nights, by visiting ColoradoEagles.com or by calling the ticket department at (970) 686-7468.
