The Colorado Eagles head into their last game of the three game California road trip. Sunday’s opponent was the Coachella Valley Firebirds. The same firebirds that eliminated the Eagles from the playoffs last season. So far on the trip the Eagles have taken three of a four points with a shootout loss to the Ontario Reign on Saturday and a win against the Bakersfield Condors on Tuesday, Trent Miner now has made three consecutive starts as Arvid Holm has fallen ill. Both Peter Holland and Justus Annunen remain out with lower-body injuries. Here are some quick hits from the 1–0 victory over the Firebirds.
Quick hits
— Trent Miner was fantastic in net for his third start in a row. What was an unexpected start for Miner because Arvid Holm was ill. Miner stopped all 22 shots he faced against the Firebirds. This was after he had to play through a shootout on Saturday and 32 shots on net. Every game that Miner has played, he is looking strong in net. The consistent starts in the AHL are helping both his game and confidence.
— The power play unit has finally seen some goals come their way. They have now scored a power play goal in every game of the road trip. The goals are coming from everywhere on the ice as well. Contributions to the goals came from both defensemen and forwards.
Pare on the PP😤 pic.twitter.com/DVxmqPLybt
— Colorado Eagles (@ColoradoEagles) December 18, 2023
— The defensive core has been a staple for the Eagles on offense. Now with six goals and eight assists in the last five games. Players like Brad Hunt, Wyatt Aamodt and Jack Ahcan are all contributing offensively. In a lot of circumstances, they are crashing the net and waiting for the rebound to come to them.
— Cedric Pare, with his goal on Sunday, now has two goals and two assists in four games. He was constantly battling for the puck and managed four shots on net. He has become known for his quick release just like the one that got his goal from the high slot.
Conclusion
The Colorado Eagles ended their three game road trip on a very successful note. They pulled five out of the possible six points out of the trip. Colorado is now one point in the standings of Coachella Valley and Henderson. The road was something to be feared at the beginning of the season, but now it is somewhere that they can play well. Their power play will come home clicking and their goalie is playing his best hockey yet. Next up will be the Calgary Wranglers on Friday night back home in Loveland as they try to narrow the gap to first.