Monthly Wrap-Up and Look Ahead
Feb 2, 2023
By Drew Galyardt
We’ve officially reached the halfway point of the season, and as we recap what happened for the Eagles in January, we also look forward to the second half of the season where Colorado has the chance to get into a good position in the standings before a tough grind in March and April full of games away from home.
Colorado again lost their first game of the month, this time to the Coachella Valley Firebirds 4-2 on the road. Colorado bounced back down in Tucson a few days later, and swept the Roadrunners by final scores of 2-1 and 6-1 before returning back home for another 6 game homestand.
During their second straight month with a six game homestand, the Eagles looked to take advantage of home ice, going 11-4-1 at the Budweiser Events Center through December. The Eagles split the first series against Rockford before another series split against the Ontario Reign. After two more wins against Henderson in tightly contested games, the month ended with yet another split series against Texas, and a 4-2 loss to Ontario on the road.
Specialty teams were a major talking point again during January for Colorado. The Eagles did improve a bit from December, converting 12 of 46 opportunities and jumped to 18th in the AHL at 19.2%. The penalty killing unit also improved slightly, up to 21st in the league at 79%, with Colorado killing 42 of 50 penalties in January.
Charles Hudon finally overtook Brad Hunt for the goal scoring lead, as Hudon had himself a good month, notching 12 points (6g, 6a) and is tied in points with team assists leader, Jean-Luc Foudy (11g, 19a). As far as goaltending goes, Justus Annunen shouldered a majority of the load in January with Jonas Johannsen called up with the Avalanche. Annunen had a 5-3-1 record in January, and sits in 14th in the league in goals against average (GAA) at 2.58 and a .910 save percentage. Johannsen, despite only playing in 4 games in January, still sits in 7th in the AHL with a 2.36 GAA, and a .920 save percentage.
The Eagles still find themselves in good shape leading up to the All-Star break, at 3rd in the division behind Calgary and Coachella Valley. Abbotsford remains just one point behind Colorado, but the Eagles again have a good chance to continue to rise in the division, as eight of the team’s ten games in February are against Pacific Division opponents.
Colorado kicks off February with two games on the road against Henderson, before returning home for four straight, and look to put themselves in a good position for the long road trips that come up in the month of March.
Tickets for upcoming games are available at coloradoeagles.com, the OCR Box Office at the BEC, or by calling or texting the ticket office at 970-686-SHOT.
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Drew Galyardt is in his fifth season as the in-studio host and show producer for the Colorado Eagles radio broadcasts on 99.9 The Point. He also works in the Eagles front office as an Account Executive for the ticketing department.
