Trading in their traditional colors for a special two-game series with the San Antonio Rampage, the Colorado Eagles partnered with UCHealth this weekend for an Eagles Fight Cancer campaign designed to help raise awareness about the disease.
It’s no secret that the Eagles have one of the most passionate fan bases in all of the American Hockey League, and whenever there’s a chance to give back to their community and fans, the organization makes the most of the opportunity.
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“It means something special to all of us,” defenseman Conor Timmins said. “To be able to partner with UCHealth for this event is really special for us and for the fans, so it’s a great night.”
Donning lavender and black jerseys, the Eagles treated fans to a 5-1 win against the Rampage on Friday night.
Just over halfway through the first period, Timmins threaded a pass through the neutral zone to a streaking Jayson Megna who split the Rampage defense and roofed a backhand shot to put the Eagles up 1-0. This was Megna’s 14th goal of the year, putting him one goal behind Sheldon Dries for the team lead at 15.
“The play really opened up (in) the middle,” Timmins said. “When you have a guy like Megna with his speed, you’re looking for him all the time, and he was able to bury it.”
Colorado owns a record of 11-1 at home when leading after the first period, and the confidence that fills this group when playing ahead is evident.
“It’s nice to jump out to a lead; especially at home, you get the fans into it and get some energy on the bench,” Megna said. “When you get on the board early, you’re able to get into the game and settle into the pace.
With the Eagles only leading by one goal and no entries on the scoresheet in the second, a highly anticipated third period was in store.
“No matter the score in the game, we’re playing the right way,” Timmins said. “Tonight it was a little sloppy, but we stuck to our game. We have a lot of guys in the room that are older and can handle the pressure.”
Colorado exploded for four goals in the final frame, carried by offense from the blueliners. Two goals scored just 31 seconds apart stretched the Eagles’ lead to 3-0.
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Goals from defenseman Jacob MacDonald and captain Mark Alt gave Colorado the cushion it needed. Forwards Colin Campbell and T.J. Tynan then added a goal each to finish off the Rampage with a 5-1 win.
Colorado improves to 6-0 all-time against San Antonio, and while the team is 11-6-1 at home this season, they are 7-1 in their last eight home games, having outscored their opponents by a 41-20 margin.
“All four lines played well tonight,” Megna said. “It was a little bit of a sloppy game at times, but good teams find ways to win. We’ll take the two points.”
The Eagles will host the Rampage tomorrow at 7:05 p.m. for the second leg of the home series with another promotion of Eagles Fight Cancer with UCHealth.
CORRECTION: A previous edition of the article contained the spelling error “UC Health,” the correct spelling is “UCHealth.”
Ryan Loberger can be reached sports@collegian.com or on Twitter @LobergerRyan.
