LOVELAND, Colo. — The Colorado Eagles were in a battle to maintain their fourth place spot in the Pacific Division tonight. Entering the game tonight, they held a three point lead in the standings on the Bakersfield Condors. So far this season the series has been evenly split at two wins apiece, so it was anyone’s game. It was even more of a battle with the recently reassigned Ivan Prosvetov in net for the Eagles and Jack Campbell for the Condors. After managing only one goal last night, it was the hope that the Eagles could pull the win off. After the 2-1 win over Bakersfield, these are the takeaways.
Takeaways
— Ivan Ivan has been on a roll lately. Currently sitting in fifth place on the team in points is the rookie, with 23. Tonight, after taking a nasty elbow to the head in the first period, he came back to score his ninth goal of the year. Ivan’ skills have noticeably improved as he has grown more comfortable with the pro game.
Brad Hunt runs around the zone and sets Josh Wesley up for the one timer. Ivan Ivan picks up the rebound for his 9th of the year #Avs #GoAvsGo #EaglesCountry @TheRinkColorado pic.twitter.com/ideXz4PzBs
— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) February 15, 2024
“I’m always staying after practice,” Ivan said. “I spend 20-30 minutes working on my skills. But, I’m trying to work on stuff like skating. It was always my main thing. So I still gotta get better at that and stick with it. It’s kind of my fear. So I’m just trying to work on everything. Basically trying to get a drill with everything. That’s [what I] gotta keep doing.”
“Yeah, he’s coming into his own,” head coach Aaron Schneekloth said. “He’s getting real comfortable in the hard areas. You see him go after retrievals in the offensive zone and protect the puck and he’s powerful when he escapes and so you know, he’s trending in the right direction. His growth has been exponential this season. And he’s been a really good player for us.”
— Ivan Prosvetov, once again, secured a win for the Eagles. Prosvetov’s three games with the Eagles resulted in three wins. The team won all three games when they desperately needed the points. While Justus Annunen has been in Denver, Prosvetov has been holding down the fort in Loveland. He has 1.54 GAA and .957 save percentage so far while in the AHL this season.
Cory Schueneman redeems himself after a drop pass from Sam Malinski and the Eagles take the lead! Chris Wagner gets the secondary assist.#Avs #GoAvsGo #EaglesCountry @TheRinkColorado pic.twitter.com/YgXAKr5iFP
— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) February 15, 2024
— The Eagles persevered, despite not scoring in the first half. They have been pushing the play forward the entire game without stopping. Colorado, even when down a goal or two, keeps the same pressure up on their opponents.
Eagles health updates
Wagner and Wesley IN
Aamodt UBI
Clurman UBI
Pavel recovery from flu
Olausson day-to-day UBI
Meyers about a week UBI
Foudy week-to-week UBI
Fairbrother long term LBI
Beaucage, Busdeker, Holm healthy scratch#Avs #GoAvsGo #EaglesCountry @TheRinkColorado https://t.co/S0gixO43zh— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) February 15, 2024
Conclusion
There is a long list of injuries that Colorado has at the moment. Normally, you would think that it slows them down. It has done quite the opposite. The Eagles are 8–2 in their last 10 games. They are holding pace with the top teams in the league, like the Hershey Bears and the Milwaukee Admirals. Every player is taking hold of the opportunity to step up and help the team win. They are currently in fourth place and will head out west on Saturday to take on the Coachella Valley Firebirds, who are first in the division. On Sunday, Colorado plays Bakersfield once again and then heads home.