LOVELAND, Colo. — Colorado Eagles have stepped up their game in the last few weeks. The team had been hovering around the sixth place slot and needed to push for more. In the last seven games, the Eagles have risen three places in the standings. To begin their home stand, they recently swept the Abbotsford Canucks on Feb. 9 and 10.
Trent Miner returned to the lineup in place of Ivan Prosvetov, who was recently reassigned to the Eagles. Against the Canucks, he stood undefeated at 2–0–0–0.
“I was expecting myself to be good,” Prosvetov said. “I have big expectations of myself, and I am a good goalie. I can make a difference in the game and it’s worth trying to do.”
Rolling into the Bakersfield Condors series, the Eagles lead 2–1–0–0 overall. Both teams are evenly matched, making it a battle by nature.
First period
Colorado started the period strong. The defense locked in, but the offense struggled to get started. Until they were rewarded with a power play, the Eagles had not recorded a shot on goal.
With half of the period already gone, both the Condors and Colorado struggle to get anything going. The first period concluded scoreless, and the home team outshot Bakersfield by one.
Second period
Bakersfield visited the penalty box only two minutes into the period. The Eagles had a power play percentage of 16.9 percent.
Only thirty seconds into the man advantage, Peter Holland lights the lamp and gives Colorado a one goal lead.
HOLLAND OPENS IT UP pic.twitter.com/KxWjIEOSQw
— Colorado Eagles (@ColoradoEagles) February 14, 2024
For ten minutes, it would hold. Bakersfield finds a top shelf opportunity and takes it, tying it up at one. Less than two minutes later, Miner makes a costly mistake. To poke the puck away from his goal, he left the crease. He missed giving Bakersfield the lead without earning it.
Right where momma hides the 🍪🍪 pic.twitter.com/GxWtw7WirE
— Bakersfield Condors (@Condors) February 14, 2024
A thank you Misssttaaaa Carterrrrrr. #Condorstown pic.twitter.com/NAoqVilj3i
— Bakersfield Condors (@Condors) February 14, 2024
Again, Colorado outshot their opponent by one, yet were trailing after 40 minutes of play.
Third period
The Eagles continued to battle for a goal to neutralize the score, yet fell short every time. They were close on several occasions, but couldn’t find a way past Condor goaltender Olivier Rodrigue.
Just under halfway through the period, Bakersfield found an opportunity for a breakaway. Brad Hunt chased him down but took an interference penalty in exchange. The Eagles penalty kill units successfully contained their opponent.
The Eagles are seventh in the league when defending their net at a disadvantage. But their offense still struggled to find their groove.
Despite putting a tremendous effort forward, Colorado came up short 2–1 and outshot their opponent 12–7 in the last frame.
Tomorrow, they will face off again against the Condors at 7:05 p.m.
Takeaways
—At the beginning of the season, the Eagles struggled to get their offense going at all. Now, it seems the team can only find success on a power play. Without being able to fire on all cylinders, it is difficult to win games without some struggle during play.
Head coach Aaron Schneekloth had commented on this trend, stating it was a work in progress.
“You know, we’ve talked about it all year,” he said. “It’s a work in progress. You’re trying to create some chemistry and some feel out there and the addition of some certain players in certain situations. You got some urgency and some opportunities where we’re burned out earlier in the season. They weren’t finding the net and some opportunities in some situations and now they are. The guys are working hard in practice, and they’re prepared for what they’re going to face from the opponent and our execution level has been extremely high in the last month and a half.”
—There has been a lot of rotation in the top scorers for the Eagles. Riley Tufte used to dominate the category, but he hasn’t found the back of the net since Jan. 21 against the San Jose Barracuda. Right behind him is Hunt, who has tied Tufte at 12 goals. Quickly rising in the top three scorers is Cedric Paré, who has eight goals and last scored on Feb. 2 against the Ontario Reign.
—With both teams exercising their goalie tandem, it is possible there will be a faceoff between Prosvetov and Jack Campbell. Campbell has 18 games with the Condors, sporting a 10–8–0–1 record. Prosvetov would suit up for his third game in a Colorado uniform. With both of their playing levels in mind, it is expected that tomorrow’s game will be a goalie battle.
Interview with Coach Aaron Schneekloth
Interview with goalie Ivan Prosvetov