LOVELAND, Colo. —The Colorado Eagles needed to win both games against the Tucson Roadrunners (UTA) if they wanted a shot at first place in the division. The Roadrunners, on the other hand, are fighting to get into playoff position with five games remaining in their season. So both teams have something to lose in this two-game set this weekend. Colorado is coming into the series 5–2–2–1 in its last 10 while Tucson is 5–5–0–0 in its last 10. Colorado had a whole new looking lineup to start on Friday. Taylor Makar, Ronnie Attard, Jason Polin, and Chase Bradley returned from extended injuries to make impacts.

Friday night: 5–2 loss

Written by Brennan Vogt

The initial frame started quiet. Scott Perunovich, from Tucson, then took a penalty during the latter half of the period. The Eagles got several shots off during the power play, but it was the way it ended with disappointment. Jacob MacDonald tried to gather the puck, but it rolled off his stick. Perunovich dashed out and snatched the puck to skate the other way and bury the shot.

A minute and a half later, Makar chased a Roadrunner into the corner to knock him over and steal the puck away. With ease, he centered it for Ivan Ivan to even the score and grab his 11th of the season.

“I thought he (Makar) was very noticeable tonight,” said head coach Mark Letestu. “Whether it was the forecheck, the offensive side, he looked like an NHL player tonight playing in the American Hockey League. I thought it was a really strong game. Now, Taylor still has things he has to work on. He’s taking way too many minors in the offensive zone at key times, and that’s something we’re going to work with. But there’s a large portion of his game that was right tonight. And there’s a lot of a lot of leadership qualities in the way he played tonight. And that’s that’s good to see from the first year player.”

Later in the first, Keaton Middleton tried to throw the puck down the boards. There was a struggle at the hashes, and the puck pit out to the slot for an easy shot by Michal Kunc to put Tucson up 2–1.

Colorado continued the high pressure to start the second period as they poured shots on net. But it wasn’t enough even after a faceoff win with 12:25 left in the period. Daniil But blocked a shot and ran with it to the front of the net to pass at the last second to Cameron Hebig.

Three minutes later, Colorado found out what it had been missing. Tye Felhaber pushed hard on the forecheck for Bradley to pick up. Bradley snapped a shot off the goalie and followed his own shot to chip it over and in.

The Eagles couldn’t find what they needed in the final period of the Friday night battle. Makar, who had been an excellent standout the entire game, was called for a high-stick seven minutes into the period. Unfortunately, Robbie Russo snapped a shot on the power play for Max Szuber to pick up in front of the net. An empty-net goal would make things final, and the Eagles would lose 5–2.

Matthew DiMarsico interview April 10, 2025

Mark Letestu interview April 10, 2025

Saturday night: 3–2 OT victory

Written by Marie Sexton

Tucson’s chances of landing the final playoff spot in the Pacific Division depended on a win in Saturday’s game, and it showed. They came out playing a hard-hitting, gritty game. The first period for the Eagles was played well. They looked tight and disciplined, and far more aggressive than on Friday. Tucson tallied the first goal only 1:22 into the period. The Eagles answered back only 19 seconds later with a quick shot from Tristen Nielsen.

Eight minutes later, Alex Barré-Boulet added a power play goal to put the Eagles up 2–1. The Eagles outshot Tucson 22–8 in the first period and took a one-goal lead into the first intermission.

Things unraveled in the second. Tucson made some adjustments, and Colorado scrambled to keep up. Neither team could find the net, and players showed frustration. There were a handful of penalties called, but the referees didn’t seem inclined to get the game under control. A massive scrum occurred late in the period. It took several minutes to quell, but still the referees refused to call any penalties, which led to things being even chipper in the third.

At 11:36 of the third, Nielsen was called for slashing. Considering the near tackles that had been allowed prior to that, it was a surprising call. Unfortunately, a bad bounce off of Gustav Stjernberg’s stick in front of the crease resulted in a power play goal for Tucson, tying the game at two with 6:31 left to play and eventually sending the game into overtime.

Both teams were called for penalties late in the third, which meant overtime started three-on-three, but went to four-on-four as those penalties expired. There were no whistles throughout the entire overtime period, so play never went back to normal three-on-three. Although shots on goal ended up being three each for the extra frame, the Eagles never held the puck for any extended period. But in the end, with less than a minute left to play, Jacob MacDonald scored the overtime winner.

Takeaways:

The Eagles came away with a win on Saturday, but their play sometimes feels way too passive. They’re loose on the puck in the defensive zone. In the offensive zone, they give the puck away too easily and then seem to immediately fall back, giving up the neutral zone without a fight and failing to forecheck when they need it most. In the last few minutes of Saturday’s game, when the game was tied, they seemed content to sit back and wait for the puck to come to them rather than going after it.

Special teams continue to be this team’s weakest attribute. On Friday night, the Eagles were 0-for-2 on the power play. On Saturday, they finally managed to score a power play goal. That makes them two for 22 in their last seven games. They’ve also given up at least one power-play goal in each of their last six games.

The Ontario Reign (LAK) won both of their games this weekend, clinching first place in the Pacific Division. Colorado is in second place with a six-point lead on the third-place Henderson Silver Knights (VGK). The Eagles have only two games left to play, but Henderson has three, so Henderson could still overtake the Eagles. Henderson would need to win all three games, and Colorado would need to lose both of their final games. It’s unlikely, but not impossible. Henderson has been on a tear lately, going 8–1–1–0 in their last 10 games. Colorado, on the other hand, is 5–3–2–0 in their last 10. In other words, the Eagles may be in second place, but they still need to watch their backs. On the bright side, they only need one point to secure the second seed in the playoffs.

Up next

The Eagles have two games left as they host the Calgary Wranglers (CGY) next weekend fir back-to-back games at Blue Arena. Calgary are currently in last place in the Pacific. They’re 1–8–0–1 in their last ten games. AHLTV on FloHockey.com will stream the games.