Observations:
- Somehow, the Eagles always seem to be in the right spot, no matter how unpredictable and spontaneous the play happens to be. A perfect example came in the third period, when Seth Leonard found himself alone in the slot. Lenny ripped one that was labeled for the top corner, and somehow Scott Polaski cruised right into the shooting lane at the last minute and blocked the shot, which in turn kicked right to Ed McGrane and sprung the Eagles 3-on-1 the other way. A similar play happened on a pinball rebound that resulted in a transition goal that gave Colorado the lead for good in the third. Sometimes it's better to be lucky than good, but to be lucky AND good? C'mon...
- The Eagles came in waves, as they usually do, and when they found their stride, Jason Wolfe almost single-handedly kept the Scorpions in the game. He had several key saves, including a great kick save on an Erik Adams one-timer in the first and that huge glove save on Greg Pankewicz in the second. It's a real shame that the game had to be decided on the one shot all night that Wolfe should've stopped, but any goalie will tell you that backhand shots can be pretty tough to read. Still, you know the big guy wants that one back.
- At the other end, Andrew Penner was impressive when he had to be. That save on Leonard in the second was easily the save of the game from either goalie, but aside from that, Colorado's team defense did a pretty stellar job of keeping the shots from the outside, especially on the powerplay. Credit Penner with controlling his rebounds well and not allowing the Scorpions to generate chances from seemingly harmless shots.
- As far as the Reeder/Leonard storyline goes, both were relatively quiet. Leonard seemed intent on bodying up a bit more against his old mates (including a nice hit that almost put Reeder into his own bench) but his offensive talents were pretty well kept at bay. The same can be said for Reeder, who to me seems a bit caged by Colorado's offensive system. It seems pretty weird to not see him at full flight when he's on the ice, but that could also be a credit to Randy Murphy's guys for doing a phenomenal job shutting down the Tobler/McGrane/Reeder line. Obviously Reeder did get the icing goal in the final minute, but the goal seemed rather irrelevant. I also have no idea how Reeder missed that tip-in attempt during the second period. Polaski sent him a slap-pass at the top of the crease, and he managed to tip it clean over the goal and nearly out of play from not even three feet away. Part of me is starting to see why maybe he didn't quite fit into Colorado's offensive system the first go-round. You have to give a guy like him open ice and creative freedom for him to be his most effective, and while Colorado's offense is the best in the business, it seems a bit too formulaic for a player like Reeder
- I was very impressed with the play of the Scorpions' third line tonight, on both sides of the puck. In the first period, the trio of Mike MacDonald, Sam Bowles and Jamie Herrington was all over the place, causing a few uncharacteristic turnovers and really taking the Eagles out of their comfort territory. They also generated some good chances early and kept the momentum with the Scorpions, even after Colorado went up 1-0
- I continue to be impressed with the play of Michael Beynon. He has been a fantastic addition to the Scorpions' blueline and has provided a nice bit of stability on the back end. I also thought he looked pretty good quarterbacking the powerplay last night too. Give him a few more games to get the new systems under his belt, and this guy will start turning some heads
- Laredo waives Marty Standish. Strange move if you ask me, but Joy Lindsay puts things in perspective a bit. I agree that we've probably seen the last of Standish in the CHL, unless he plans a reunion tour with the Blazers.
1 comment:
I definately agree with you on the game last nite. Wolfe did a tremendous job in net (except for the junk goal that I am sure he would love to have back), also the guys being there for him clearing the bad rebounds out for him, and actively pursuing the puck, are things that I have not seen that much this year. Nice hits were put on the Eagles quite a few times buy the Scorps, and that is another thing that has been lacking. We looked like a different team out there. This definately could have been a win if not for the Eagles being who they are (good and lucky). I hate to berate the refs, but there were a few icing calls among other maulings on our guys in from of there crease that should have been called. Then again, we got away with a few take downs of our own. The intensity of the not only the team, but also the fans was up! Sure some of that may have been due to the fact that half of the crowd was letting loose on our wayward ex-teammate. As for that I think that the fans would have a different outlook, if they knew the whole story, I myself cannot divulge it due to certain privacy matters involved.
All in all a good game, if we can keep up this level of intensity, and the offense finds a way to get to the net, we will be a force to be reckoned with.
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