Megna Secures Eagles Win in Thrilling Shootout Contest

Jan 14, 2022

Jayson Megna proved to be the hero on Friday night, scoring the winning goal in a shootout of a thrilling game that saw Colorado overcome a 4-1 deficit. Goaltender Justus Annunen stood tall and backstopped his team to victory, making 25 saves on 29 shots. Multiple Eagles recorded multi-point games, with Jordan Gross leading the team with three assists and a goal in the shootout.

Admirals defenseman Matt Donovan broke the ice first, finishing off a cross-crease pass that slid through Annunen’s five-hole giving Milwaukee the 1-0 lead just 1:10 into the first period.  

A little over four minutes later, the Eagles would tie up the contest on a power-play tally from Alex Beaucage. Beaucage fired home a rebound from the left-wing circle, after a shot from forward Callahan Burke bounced out. Admiral’s forward Graham Knott snuck the puck between Annunen’s legs just 40 seconds later. His quick right-hand shot below the net put Milwaukee up 2-1.

Later in the period, Colorado defenseman Andreas Englund took a four-minute spearing penalty that put the Admirals on the man advantage. Milwaukee forward Egor Afanasyev then ripped home a shot from the high slot that went blocker side with 1:58 remaining in the period. 

Milwaukee would pad their lead only 1:07 into the second period, when forward Fredric Allard fired a shot from the top of the crease, sneaking the puck past Annunen and burying it in the back of the net. 

Colorado forward Gabriel Fontaine passed Burke the puck to score on a breakaway shot that snuck between Admirals goaltender Connor Ingram’s legs. The goal lessened Milwaukee's lead, putting the score at 4-2 with 10:08 left to play in the second period.  

Shortly after, Admirals forward Anthony Richard found himself in the penalty box with a holding and high-sticking penalty, putting Colorado on a four-minute power play. Eagles forward Kiefer Sherwood would score on the double-minor with a wrist shot from the faceoff dot that evaded the glove of Ingram, putting the score at 4-3. 

Early in the final frame, Eagles forward Dylan Sikura fired a rebound off the end boards behind the net into the corner of Ingram’s net to tie up the game at 4. 

Neither team was able to score and take the lead throughout the rest of the third period which sent the game into overtime. By the end of the five-minute overtime period, the score remained at 4-4 leaving the matchup to be decided in a shootout.  

Thanks to multiple stops from Annunen and goals from Jordan Gross and Jayson Megna, the Eagles won in the shootout and put an end to the game with a final score of 5-4.  

The Eagles will return to action tomorrow night to take on the Milwaukee Admirals on Saturday, January 15th at 7:05 pm MT at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, CO. Tickets for all regular-season games are on sale now and start at just $19. You can find more information on ticket packages, theme tickets, and promotional nights, by visiting ColoradoEagles.com or by calling the ticket department at (970) 686-7468.