Blazers Even Series With Shootout Win of Their Own

LOVELAND, Colo. - The Colorado Eagles lost in a shootout to the Oklahoma City Blazers, 3-2, as the top two teams in the Northern Conference squared of at the Budweiser Events Center. Fittingly, the game saw two of the league's top netminders -- Oklahoma City's Andy Franck and Colorado's Andrew Penner -- go toe-to-toe in the second shootout game between the two teams in as many match-ups this season; Colorado won the previous shootout, 2-1.

OKC/Colorado Box Score

True to the intensity of the game, the fisticuffs started early and in rapid succession when Adam Knight and Robin Gomez dropped the gloves just 1:43 in, setting off a series of back-to-back-to-back fights. Jay Birnie and Justin Sawyer went at it immediately after the ensuing faceoff and Jason Beatty decidedly won his battle with Cam Doull following the next faceoff.

Colorado got on the scoreboard first when -- off of a faceoff win in the left circle at 7:52 -- Tom Reimann's shot from the point had eyes and snuck through Franck's pads. The rest of the period saw several power-play opportunities for the Blazers -- five in all -- before they finally converted for a 4-on-3 score with just 40 seconds left in the opening frame when Ted Vandermeer cashed in from the left side of the Eagles' net.

Colorado out-shot Oklahoma City 14-7 in the second period, and had several close calls thwarted by Blazers not named Franck. The first instance came at 5:20 when Sawyer laid out across the goal line to stop a puck that had gotten by the Blazers' netminder. Then at 7:07, Simon Lambert backhanded the puck into the empty half of Colorado's net to make it 2-1 Oklahoma City after Penner made a series of stellar saves at the right side of the net before the puck found its way to Lambert alone at the left side.

Then at 10:43, Jason Murfitt prevented a sure Eagles' goal by sweeping the puck off the goal line after it had gotten by Franck. On the ensuing penalty shot, Konrad Reeder had the Blazers' goaltender beat but couldn't get the puck high enough over his right leg and the score remained 2-1. Franck continued to play strong as he stopped Riley Nelson on a short-handed breakaway at 11:30. But with just 48 seconds left in the period, Aaron Schneekloth was able to tie the score by chipping in a loose puck from in front of the Oklahoma City crease.

The teams continued to go blow-for-blow through the third period and a scoreless overtime, forcing the game to a shootout for the second consecutive time for the two clubs this season.

In the shootout, Riley Nelson went first and beat Franck high on the glove side, but he was the only Eagle to score out of five. And when Lambert beat Penner as Oklahoma City's second shooter, it was the first time Penner had allowed a shootout goal all season. Then Chad Hinz -- the Blazers' next shooter -- beat him again to win the game for the Northeast leading Blazers.