Eagles Rally Falls Short in 2-1 Loss at Calgary
Oct 28, 2023
CALGARY, AB. – Colorado forward Riley Tufte scored with 11:53 remaining in regulation to bring the Eagles within a goal, but it would not be enough, as the Calgary Wranglers hung on for a 2-1 victory over Colorado on Saturday. Eagles goaltender Justus Annunen suffered the loss in net, despite a terrific performance that saw him make 22 saves on 24 shots. Wranglers’ goalie Dustin Wolf improved to 4-0-0 on the season, as he turned aside 28 of the 29 shots he faced.
The first period would see Colorado earn a pair of early power plays, but the Wranglers penalty kill would rise to the occasion and thwart both of those efforts. Each team would register eight shots on net in the opening 20 minutes and the two teams would head to the first intermission with the contest still scoreless.
The Eagles would earn another power play in the second period, but again would be stymied by Wolf and the penalty kill, despite several quality chances on net. The middle frame would also see the Wranglers go to work on their first opportunity on the man-advantage, but Annunen would deliver several critical saves to keep Calgary at bay.
As time ticked down in the period, Wranglers defenseman Nick DeSimone would wrap behind the net before delivering a pass right onto the tape of Mitch McClain at the top of the crease. McClain would slam a shot along the ice and into the back of the net, giving Calgary a 1-0 edge at the 17:01 mark of the second stanza.
The lead would grow at the 6:26 mark of the third period when Wranglers forward Connor Zary made the most of a 2-on-1 rush when he lit the lamp with a wrister from the right-wing circle to put Calgary on top, 2-0.
Just 1:41 later, Tufte would wrap behind the net before muscling the puck past Wolf to slice the deficit to 2-1. The tally was Tufte’s team-leading fifth goal of the season and extended his point streak to five games.
Colorado would come up dry on a power play late in the contest and would eventually pull Annunen in favor of the extra attacker. The move would not produce an equalizer, as the Eagles fell by a final score of 2-1.
Colorado outshot the Wranglers by a final count of 29-24, as the Eagles finished the contest 0-for-4 on the power play and 2-for-2 on the penalty kill.
The Eagles will be back in action when they travel to take on the Calgary Wranglers on Sunday, October 29th at 1:00pm MT at Scotiabank Saddledome in Calgary, Alberta. Season tickets for the 2023-24 season are on sale now and can be secured with a deposit of just $100 per seat. Click here to place your deposit.
