Miska Dazzles in Colorado’s 3-2 Shootout Win over Wild
Dec 31, 2021
DES MOINES, IA. – Colorado goaltender Hunter Miska made 23 saves on 25 shots and stopped all three Iowa shooters in a shootout, as the Eagles topped the Wild, 3-2 on Friday. Forward Kiefer Sherwood netted the game-winner in the shootout, while Dylan Sikura and Charle-Edouard D’Astous each found the back of the net in regulation. Forward Shane Bowers collected a pair of assists in the victory, as the win gave Colorado three out of a possible four points in the standings in the two-game set against Iowa.
A 2-on-1 rush would get Colorado on the board first in the contest, as Sikura fired a shot from the top of the crease, beating Iowa goaltender Andrew Hammond and giving the Eagles a 1-0 edge at the 11:18 mark of the first period.
The Wild would strike back just 2:06 later when forward Joseph Cramarossa took advantage of a screen in front of Miska when he buried a wrister from the top of the left-wing circle to tie the game at 1-1.
With the game still deadlocked at 1-1 as the two teams took to the ice for the second period, the Eagles would jump back on top when defenseman D’Astous pounced on a rebound at the side of the crease and backhanded it past Hammond. The goal was D’Astous’ first as an Eagle and gave Colorado a 2-1 advantage at the 3:08 mark of the middle frame. The Eagles would go on to kill off a pair of Iowa power plays and went into the second intermission still leading, 2-1.
The Wild would find an equalizer just 3:38 into the third period when forward Marco Rossi snared a rebound in the crease and zipped the puck into the back of the net to level the score at 2-2.
With 60 minutes not enough to determine a winner, the game transitioned to sudden-death overtime where each team would register one shot, but neither shot would light the lamp. As the contest moved to a shootout, Miska shut down efforts from Rossi, Cramarossa and forward Matt Boldy. After the Eagles' first two shooters came up empty, Sherwood would bury a wrister from between the circles to give Colorado the 3-2 win.
The Eagles outshot Iowa, 30-25 as Colorado finished the game 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 Tucson Roadrunners on Saturday, January 8th at 7:00 pm MT at Tucson Convention Center Arena in Tucson, Arizona. 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.
