Olausson Ends Eagles’ Skid in Tucson

The Colorado Eagles came into last night on a season-long, three-game losing streak. The Tucson Roadrunners were not faring much better as they had lost their last three games, as well. This battle was between the fifth and sixth place teams in the Pacific Division, with the Roadrunners needing the points more than the Eagles did.

Also, former Eagle Travis Barron got to play his old club last night. He won the ECHL’s Kelly Cup with the Eagles and  has since found a new home in the desert. 

First Period 

The Eagles flew out of the gate tonight (pun intended). They started the game with some energy and were not as “flat,” as coach Greg Cronin had called it. Forward Callahan Burke was able to break the game open while the Eagles were on the penalty kill. As they were attempting to kill off a Justin Scott hooking penalty, the Roadrunners tried to enter the zone and make a pass at the blue line. The puck hit Burke’s foot and he took off through the neutral zone and snapped a wrister home. The Eagles came out of another penalty kill unscathed as returning Eagle Luke Martin went to the box for hooking. By the end of the period, the Eagles had flown past the Roadrunners by doubling up their six shots on net. 

We'll take that shorty thank youuuu#EaglesCountry pic.twitter.com/W0Dhgh5lMV

— Colorado Eagles (@ColoradoEagles) January 7, 2023

Second Period

Penalties became the name of the game as six infractions were called throughout the period. Three penalties were called for each team, with neither able to convert any chances. There were two highlights to the period. The first one was a Tucson goal with 15:43 left in the second. A miscue by the Eagles in the neutral zone led to Victor Soderstrom rushing into the zone as he drifted towards the right side boards. Colorado was badly out of position and it left Alex Galchenyuk to defend the pass from Soderstrom to Ryan McGregor with the tap in to tie the game. 

The second highlight of the period came while Burke was serving two minutes for tripping. The Roadrunners were dominating possession play during their power play advantage. They were trying to throw as much rubber towards the net as they could, but Colorado native Nate Clurman managed to block three shots for the Eagles during the penalty kill.

Reeling it in 🪝#LetsGoTucson pic.twitter.com/PBp80QrRtr

— Tucson Roadrunners (@RoadrunnersAHL) January 7, 2023

Third Period

The third period was relatively uneventful until about seven minutes remaining. Justin Scott rushed through the neutral zone while carrying the puck. As soon as he crossed the blue line, he dropped it back to Spencer Smallman. He had his head up looking for a speedy Oskar Olausson on the near side. Olausson got the pass in the middle of the slot and flicked it over Roadrunners goaltender Ivan Prosvetov for the game winner. 

That was absolutely stunnin’ *said in a British accent to make it fancy🤌*#EaglesCountry pic.twitter.com/oQ23VdDDQB

— Colorado Eagles (@ColoradoEagles) January 7, 2023

Conclusion

The Eagles were a different team than they had been the previous few games — they came out with drive and energy. In the last few games, they were flat and played some rather boring hockey. They had little to no offense, where tonight they were firing on all cylinders. Colorado was throwing everything on net and they had moments in their offensive zone. If they can continue this type of game play, they may have found their success again.

Player Of The Game 

Oskar Olausson – Olausson played a strong offensive game last night. He showed that he has the offensive mind that the Colorado Avalanche are looking for in a prospect. The speed was definitely there, coming from behind the play to rush in for the game-winning goal.