LOVELAND, Colo. — The Colorado Eagles wanted to build some momentum after their win on Sunday. The Iowa Wild had other plans. The Eagles were playing a little short handed with Peter Holland out because of a lower-body injury. Cal Burke was out for personal reasons. Justus Annunen missed his third game because of a lower-body injury, but the team has declared him as day-to-day. The Wild came to Loveland with a five-game losing streak hanging over their heads. They were looking to end it, and quickly.
Quick hits
- The Eagles had a tough time connecting passes on the tape during last night’s game. Passes were either ahead or at the feet of the player. It was challenging for the Eagles to organize plays when given the chance. It was especially prevalent on the points, which led to fewer shots from the blue line and less pressure.
Stieny defending his teammate👊 pic.twitter.com/rTu4zXBhaA
— Colorado Eagles (@ColoradoEagles) December 2, 2023
“I felt we had a good week in preparation leading up to it and parts of that game I really liked what our team was doing,” head coach Aaron Schneekloth said. “And then there are parts of that game where we definitely need to have better execution a little better and compete for a bit better for protection on our nets. So you’re always gonna find areas that you’re disappointed in and after a loss. The big thing for us is just making sure we can find a way to put 60 minutes together, especially here at home in front of this crowd.”
- Colorado needed to stay out of the penalty box. Nate Clurman, who has recently been getting healthy scratched, committed a hooking infraction just three minutes into the game. The Wild capitalized on the power play with just 34 seconds left, leaving the Eagles chasing the game the entire time. Ondrej Pavel was called for a questionable holding call in the second and the Wild immediately scored on the man advantage. The penalty kill for the Eagles was 85.7%, but they certainly struggled on Friday.
- Colorado looked a little weak on their rushes to the net. They were not following their own shots to the net, as goaltender Jesper Wallstedt was giving up second chances. The Eagles missed an opportunity to tire Wallstedt out by not aggressively pushing toward the net for potential rebounds.
Riley Tufte with the work down low on the PP to finally get one through for the Eagles with the help of Spencer Smallman and Ben Meyers #Avs #GoAvsGo #EaglesCountry @TheRinkColorado pic.twitter.com/yNZKtJ8Jl5
— Brennan Vogt (@brennan_vogt) December 2, 2023
“I mean, that’s, that’s part of it,” Schneekloth pointed out. “I felt like you know, there’s a nice stretch in the second period where we were playing in their zone, taking a penalty. It’s in the back of the net, and now we’re chasing the game even more than what we were before. And you could sense some frustration from our players as well. That’s where we got to be a mature team, find a way to reset and get your game on track and not let it get away from it.”
Conclusion
Colorado could not gain the lead the entire night, as they lost 5–1. The rematch against the Wild in Loveland will take place on Saturday night to wrap up the two-game set. If they hope to maintain sixth in the Pacific Division and win the second game, they will need to become more aggressive in their offensive zone and split the weekend.