Murphy Makes 50 Saves to Lead Calgary to 5-2 Win over Eagles
Apr 17, 2026
LOVELAND, CO. – Calgary goaltender Connor Murphy stopped 50 of the 52 shots he faced, while forward Dryden Hunt notched a goal and two assists, as the Wranglers defeated the Colorado Eagles 5-2 on Friday. Eagles forward Tristen Nielsen netted a pair of goals, as goalie Trent Miner suffered the loss in net, allowing five goals on 25 shots. Calgary dominated the battle on specialty teams, as the Wranglers finished the night going 2-for-4 on the power play and 8-for-8 on the penalty kill.
Calgary would jump onto the scoreboard just 36 seconds into the contest when forward Sam Morton buried a wrister from the top of the left-wing circle, putting the Wranglers up, 1-0.
A power play would then set up Calgary defenseman Daniil Miromanov to beat goalie Trent Miner through the five-hole, extending the advantage to 2-0 at the 7:04 mark of the first period.
A 5-on-3 power play for the Wranglers would allow forward Aydar Suniev to field a cross-slot pass at the side of the crease, before steering the puck into the back of the net, giving Calgary a 3-0 lead with 8:08 remaining in the opening frame. The Wranglers would go on to outshoot the Eagles 13-10 and left for the first intermission still on top, 3-0.
Colorado would finally swing the momentum when forward Tristen Nielsen tracked down a rebound at the side of the crease and tucked it home with a backhander, slicing the deficit to 3-1 at the 2:03 mark of the second period. The Eagles would dominate the shots on goal in the middle frame, outshooting Calgary, 20-8. However, the Wranglers would hold Colorado 0-for-4 on the power play in period, as the Wranglers left for the second intermission still enjoying a 3-1 advantage.
Hunt would light the lamp with a wrister from the left-wing circle just 3:48 into the third period, growing Calgary’s lead to 4-1.
Nielsen would provide a response just 20 seconds later with a shot from between the circles that would beat Murphy and cut the Wranglers advantage to 4-2.
A 2-on-1 rush for Calgary would set up forward Justin Kirkland to bury a one-timer from the right-wing circle, rounding out the 5-2 score with 10:06 remaining in the contest.
The Eagles will be back in action when they take on the Calgary Wranglers on Saturday, April 18th at 7:05pm MT at Blue Arena. Single-game tickets for the 2025-26 season are on sale now. To purchase tickets or for more information, go to ColoradoEagles.com or call or text (970) 686-SHOT (7468).
