Eagles Keep Hold of Third Place with 4-1 Win over San Diego
Apr 14, 2023
LOVELAND, CO. – Colorado generated four goals from four different goal scorers, while goaltender Jonas Johansson stooped 26 of the 27 shots he faced, as the Eagles defeated the San Diego Gulls 4-1 on Friday. Forwards Charles Hudon and Spencer Smallman each notched a goal and an assist, while defenseman Sam Malinski and forward Mikhail Maltsev also lit the lamp in the winning effort. The victory was Colorado’s third straight and keeps the team alone in third place in the Pacific Division, ahead of tomorrow’s regular season finale.
After a fight between Eagles forward Matt Stienburg and Gulls defenseman Drew Helleson just 2:35 into the contest, Colorado would waste little time in claiming the game’s first lead. Hudon would kick things off when he skated through the left-wing circle before snapping a wrister that would deflect off a San Diego skater and into the back of the net. The goal was Hudon’s team-leading 28th tally of the season and gave the Eagles a 1-0 edge at the 4:35 mark of the first period.
A power play later in the opening frame would allow Colorado to stretch its lead, as Smallman dragged the puck across the top of the crease before sliding under the leg pad of Gulls goalie Calle Clang, giving the Eagles a 2-0 advantage with 2:58 remaining in the period. Colorado would go on to outshoot San Diego 18-6 and carried a 2-0 lead into the first intermission.
The second period would see San Diego turn the tables, as the Gulls outshot the Eagles 12-4 in the middle frame. Bolstered by a slew of clutch stops by Johansson, Colorado held off the onslaught and headed to the second intermission still owning a 2-0 advantage.
The Eagles would add a little insurance in the third period when Malinski snapped a shot from the right-wing circle, sending the puck glancing off a San Diego defender and past Clang to extend Colorado’s lead to 3-0 at the 4:52 mark of the final frame.
The Gulls would finally strike back when forward Bryce Kindopp took advantage of an Eagles change and hammered a shot from the top of the right-wing circle into the back of the net. The tally would trim the deficit to 3-1 with 11:57 still left to play in the contest.
As the game moved into the final three minutes, San Diego would pull Clang in favor of the extra attacker, but the move would backfire when Maltsev tucked home an empty-netter to give Colorado a 4-1 advantage at the 19:25 mark of the period.
The Eagles outshot the Gulls by a final count of 33-27, as Colorado finished the contest going 1-for-6 on the power play and a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.
The Eagles will be back in action when they conclude the regular season with a matchup against the San Diego Gulls on Saturday, April 15th at 7:05pm MT at the Budweiser Events Center. Tickets for all home playoff games are on sale now. You can find more information by visiting ColoradoEagles.com or by calling the ticket department at (970) 686-7468.
