LOVELAND, Colo.—The Colorado Eagles came into Game Four with the chance to cash in on the bid to Round Three of the Calder Cup playoffs.

While increasing hunger and competition is to be expected, there was no shortage of intensity and determination on either side.

Despite the adversity and challenges in the series, Colorado secured Game Four against the San Jose Barracuda (SJS) 3–1 and guaranteed their spot in the Pacific Division final.

Takeaways

There was plenty that went right in the first frame. The team could keep the pressure on and maintained a very disciplined power play and penalty kill. The first period was good to set the pace and tone, but the Eagles had trouble finishing the job.

The penalties began flying in period two, just like last night’s contest. It was toward the end of the second period that the identity of the Eagles returned and things turned around. The Barracuda picked up some momentum and the second frame was the only frame in which they outplayed the Eagles. They put shots to the net and made the team work for every inch they got.

Both teams tried to net a goal, but both were immediately waved off after scoring.

The third period was where Colorado came alive. Though San Jose was the first to light the lamp, the team did not get discouraged. Instead, they carried the puck to the net and exploited the mistakes of their opponent, with Chase Bradley evening the score less than two minutes later.

San Jose could never recover, allowing Tye Felhaber to add a goal. Finally, Jason Polin took advantage of an empty net, which will hopefully boost him forward after suffering several near misses in last night’s matchup.

Head coach Aaron Schneekloth was proud of the team’s performance, especially with how they used their speed to their advantage.

“We’re a team that when we’re playing to our identity, like we’re driving our feet, we’re jumping to seams quick, and we’re able to tip some pucks to space and use our speed,” head coach Aaron Schneekloth said. “And you got to give a lot of credit to San Jose. It’s big, big hockey team that takes up a lot of space, and they were physical and leaning on us all series, and we had to fight to get some ice. But when we made and executed some of those plays, it opened up for us. So the message was let’s just play as fast as we can North. Telling our team, let’s get our feet going forward. So find the seams and get ticks on it, and at least worst-case scenario, it’s going to be put as far we can, get a first touch on it.”

Upcoming

The Colorado Eagles will compete against the winner of the Abbotsford Canucks (VAN) and Coachella Valley Firebirds (SEA) series.

“It’s time for us to rest,” Schneekloth said. “We just played three and four, with travel, two overtime games, a hard fought one to the wire here. It’s a great opportunity for us to get some rest and reset, and then, as a staff, we’ll keep an eye on the [Firebirds vs Canucks] series and see where we’re at. You know, we had some time to prepare for this one. We’ve got a little bit of time. We know it’s down to two opponents, and we’ll keep an eye on that series and do the best we can to keep the team ready.”

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