Quinney’s Hat Trick Pushes Henderson to 4-2 Win over Eagles
Mar 5, 2021
WINDSOR, CO. – Henderson forward Gage Quinney earned a hat trick that included a pair of shorthanded tallies, as the Silver Knights topped the Colorado Eagles, 4-2 on Friday. Colorado forward Jayson Megna netted a pair of goals in the defeat, giving Megna two multi-goal performances in his last four contests.
An early, two-minute 5-on-3 power play would help Henderson post an early lead, as forward Dylan Sikura fired a shot from the slot through traffic and into the back of the net. The tally was Sikura’s team-leading fifth goal of the season and gave the Silver Knights a 1-0 edge just 3:22 into the contest.
The Eagles would also earn a pair of power plays in the first period, but despite a bevy of shots on net, Henderson goaltender Logan Thompson would keep the scoresheet clean and the two teams would head to the first intermission with the Silver Knights still on top, 1-0.
Colorado would be forced to again kill off an early power play, this time in the second period, as Miikka Salomaki was sent to the penalty box for hooking just 1:49 into the middle frame. However, it would be the Eagles who would capitalize when Megna forced a turnover in the neutral zone and flew down the ice, beating Thompson on the backhand from the top of the crease and tying the game at 1-1 at the 2:16 mark of the second period.
With the contest still deadlocked at 1-1 as the game entered the final 20 minutes of play, Henderson would hop back in the driver’s seat when Quinney capped off a 2-on-1 rush when he tapped a cross-slot pass into the back of the net to give the Silver Knights a 2-1 lead at the 1:39 mark of the third period.
Colorado would strike back when Megna deflected a Keaton Middleton shot past Thompson to tie the game at 2-2 with 9:28 remaining in the contest.
With the game still tied up in the final three minutes of the contest, the Eagles would earn their fourth power play of the night. However, a turnover at the Henderson blue line would allow Quinney to dart down the ice, before snapping a wrister past Colorado goaltender Trent Miner. The shorthanded goal would give the Silver Knights a 3-2 advantage at the 18:24 mark of the final frame.
Colorado, still on the power play, would pull Miner in favor of the extra attacker, but it would be Quinney who would generate the goal when he fed a puck into the empty net to complete his hat trick and give Henderson a 4-2 lead with only 1:23 left to play.
Miner suffered the loss in net, surrendering four goals on 24 shots, while Thompson collected his fifth win of the season by making 30 saves on 32 shots. The Eagles finished the night going 0-for-4 on the power play, while the Silver Knights converted on one of their four opportunities on the man-advantage.
Colorado will return to action when the Eagles host the Henderson Silver Knights on Saturday, March 6th at 7:05pm MT. Fans can catch every game this season live on “The Home of the Colorado Eagles,” 92.9 The Bear or on AHLTV.
