Gm 55: Condors Pile It On Against Hapless Eagles

SECOND PERIOD

The Condors started the second with the same strategy as the first: speedy chances in transition. After two Colorado defenders collided with a Bakersfield skater at center ice, the puck was advanced into the Eagles zone. Condors forward Dylan Holloway came in along the left wing on a 2-on-1 with Lane Pederson, swinging a pass over royal road for a good goal at 0:18 of the period.

The middle regulation frame ended the way it began – with a Bakersfield goal. Pederson brought it into the Colorado end and hooked his route, leaving a drop-back pass for defenseman Cam Dineen. Dineen’s shot on Prosvetov dribbled through his pads, with Noel Hofenmayer jabbing the puck beyond the goal line for the score at 19:52. Another scoreless period for the Eagles left the Condors with a comfy 3-0 lead heading into the second intermission.

THIRD PERIOD

The last frame of regulation brought a chaotic mix of goals and penalties. Bakersfield extended its lead early on in the third, with its first power play goal against the Eagles this season. The Condors did a fantastic job cycling the puck along the left wing side, with Raphael Lavoie dropping it back to Seth Griffith before finding Pederson on the doorstep. A quick turnaround shot and score made it 4-0 at 2:00.

Shortly after the goal, Bakersfield’s Brad Malone and Colorado’s Dalton Smith were tangled up after the whistle. With a ref between the two, they began shifting and jockeying for position to fight. The ref finally acquiesced, allowing Malone and Smith a brief tussle before interceding again. It was a sign of further frustration boiling over for the Eagles in the third.

Cameron Wright would continue to pile it on, as a poke check in the neutral zone allowed a breakaway chance for Wright at the other end. One forehand to backhand move later, and its 5-0 Condors at 8:23 of the third. A little bit later, Greg McKegg brought the puck into the Colorado zone, swinging from the middle to right wing before a drop pass to Marvey Petrov. A snap of the wrist, and the puck was in the back of the net – 6-0, Bakersfield, at 10:00 even.

18 seconds of game time later, Peter Holland busted the shutout bid for Condors netminder Olivier Rodrigue. Colorado forward Riley Tufte was in the slot, trying to pass to the right wing, but McKegg intercepted it. Holland swooped in after McKegg fumbled possession, drilling a backhand by Rodrigue at 10:18 of period number three.

Now 6-1, the Eagles’ discipline eroded past the point of no return. Keaton Middleton was whistled for roughing at 14:00 after coming into a post-whistle scrum late and swinging on Condors players. Wyatt Aamodt jumped McKegg after the latter checked Ondrej Pavel from behind. Both men received misconducts at 15:57. Middleton lost his cool again with just 10 seconds left in regulation, slashing Wright as time was winding down. He received a misconduct and was removed from the game. Dalton Smith also received a misconduct as time expired for a verbal tirade towards the Bakersfield bench.

COMING HOME, REGROUPING FOR A GOOD CAUSE

After the loss, Colorado finds itself with a three-game losing streak in hand. The Eagles allowed its most goals against this season (6), yielding the first and only power play goal to Bakersfield in 2023-24 (first in 31 tries over eight games). Colorado also remains fruitless on the power play in eight straight games (0-for-21).

Heading back home to Loveland for a much-needed reset, the Eagles will host the Calgary Wranglers on Fri., March 15 and Sat., March 16. Both games will start at 7:05pm MT. The annual Pot of Gold Fundraiser game on Saturday will benefit Cooper Logan, a 14-year-old from Timnath, CO suffering from Kawasaki Disease (KD). Fans will be able to bid on the specialty Pot of Gold jerseys in a silent auction from March 11-16.