Caught In the Avalanche

With the Avs out of the playoffs, I needed a hockey fix. Luckily, I didn’t have to go far to find one…14 miles to be exact. Granted it took 45 minutes to travel that short distance because frankly traffic in Fort Collins on Friday evening sucks! Anyway, I drove down the Budweiser Events Center (BEC) in Loveland, Colorado to see the Colorado Eagles in game 5 of the Northern Conference semi-finals. The Eagles were up 3 games to 1 in this Central Hockey League playoff match-up against the Oklahoma City Blazers.

When I arrived at the BEC I found a party outside the main entrance with games for kids, giveaways, food and face painting. I bypassed the fun in order to find my seat and watch the pre-game skate. After dodging some cheerleaders that wanted me to buy a chuck-a-puck (yes unfortunately, the CHL has cheerleaders…cheerleaders + hockey = ????), I made my way halfway around the building to section E. I forgot to check the map when I bought my tickets, so I was pleasantly surprised to discover my seat was in the third row behind the Eagles penalty box (just to the right of center ice).

The players skated out for the warm-up skate and I quickly noticed that all the players (on both teams) and officials had VT stickers on the back of their helmets. The off ice officials in the penalty box were all wearing maroon and orange ribbons in tribute to the victims of the Virginia Tech shootings this week. At the start of the game, the announcer told the crowd that everyone had VT stickers and there was a moment of silence in remembrance just before the national anthem. It was nice to see the CHL and the Eagles recognize the tragedy and hold a moment of silence.

Thanks for holding still so I could get a pictures of your helmet, Steve Haddon!

Back to the pre-game skate, I was the only person sitting in my section and the players kept skating by and staring at me. I couldn’t figure out why they were all going by and just staring the whole way. Just as I was starting to get really weirded out, I finally noticed one of the players was mumbling something as he skated by, staring at me. I read his lips and he was saying “It’s All About Lappy”…it was at this time that I realized I was wearing my IAAL shirt and the players were all looking at it.

Unfortunately, the game itself was pretty much awful. The Eagles played great for the first 5 minutes and then outside, they were pretty flat. They made it out of the first period in a scoreless tie, but at the end of the second they were in a 3-0 hole. It was not impossible to overcome because the Eagles score 5-6 goals per game pretty frequently, but tonight they couldn’t do it. They found themselves down 4-0 early in the third and then the penalties just started piling up. There were two different instances where there were three Eagles players in the box at the same time.

The Eagles lost the game 5-1 and will face the Blazers back in OKC on Monday. Fortunately, so far this series they are 2-0 on the road. The game was not a total bust though as the crowd was really fun and energetic. Being near the penalty boxes, I got to hear some crazy fans taunting the Blazer players the whole time they were in the box. The funny part was at one point a fan shouted, “Hey look that’s you on the big screen” and the player actually looked up to see a clip of a guy in a Blazers jersey crying.

The Eagles have some really good videos that they play on the Jumbo-tron. My personal favorites were the two with the referee. It seemed that tonight, his calls were just awful and he was letting the Blazers get away with stuff, then calling the Eagles on phantom calls. The first video was a referee standing at center ice and saying, “You know, I just honestly didn’t see that one, if you know what that call I just made was, please text me at 555-7777, thanks.”

Then later, he had made another call that even on video replay was one that no one could figure out the video showed this referee again at center ice and he said, “Guys, I’m sorry, that was just awful. I don’t know what I’m doing, so if you think that was a terrible call, just boo on 3. 1…2…3…” and the whole crowd erupted into boos. Then as the play began, the fans started chanting “Hey Ref! You suck!” Then the referee was “accidentally” flattened between a couple players and the crowd cheered and laughed when he was on the ice.

While I wish I could’ve seen a better hockey game, I had a great experience once again at the Eagles game. This season I’ve been to four Eagles games and 6 or 7 Avs games. While I love the Avs and going to those games is always really fun, I think I have had better experiences at Eagles games. The crowd, though much smaller at the BEC is always a lot more into the games than the Avs fans. Whenever a player is released from the opponents’ penalty box, it is announced over the PA system that the opponents are back at full strength and the crowd always adds “and they still suck!” It’s nothing fancy, but it’s nice to see the fans all cheer together and have such passion for the game. If you ever find yourself in Loveland and wanting to go to a hockey game, I highly recommend the Eagles. The tickets are all priced the same from row one to row fifteen and the club seats are only a few dollars more.

December 16th, 2006

The Colorado Eagles are on a tear again, having won their last 6 games. They have an overall record of 17-4-0. This weekend, they beat the Rocky Mountain Rage 4-3 in OT on Friday and 2-1 in regulation on Saturday. With 34 points, the Eagles are on top of the league currently with a one point lead over the Memphis River Kings, also in the Northern Conference. So far in the month of December, the Eagles have gone 6-1 and their single loss came on the 1^st.

Despite losing Captain Greg Pankewicz to injury, the Eagles have kept up their dominating play. They have gone 10-0 in their last ten home games and look to keep winning. They were announced as the top team once again in the coach’s poll, making it their third time on top of the poll in the last 4 weeks.

The Eagles have a tough schedule coming up before Christmas, but fortunately play all 3 games at home where they are dominant. On Wednesday they will face off against their hated rivals in the Wichita Thunder. Then on Friday, their rivalry with the Arizona Sundogs will continue to develop as they face off in Loveland. Saturday night marks their last game before Christmas and they face off once more against the Rocky Mountain Rage.

Once again, I encourage to get to a Colorado Eagles game in Loveland if at all possible. Most of their games are on Friday or Saturday nights. And hey, if Loveland is too far away, going to an Eagles game in Broomfield is just about as good as there are more Eagles fans there than Rage fans. Going to an Eagles game in Loveland is one heck of an experience though. Between the great hockey games and all the prizes given away, you will not regret the $26 or so you spend per ticket (that includes the processing fees if you buy online, tickets are $18 for normal seats and $23 for club level + internet fees). Go to www.coloradoeagles.com for more information.

After having two early season games televised, the Eagles haven’t been on TV since and won’t make their next appearance until January. If you haven’t been following them, you have been missing out. The Eagles are the number 1 team in the weekly coaches’ poll for the second week in a row. They are the first team in the CHL to be chosen as the top team twice in a row.

Forward Riley Nelson was named CHL player of the month for November. Nelson had a 5 point game on a night when the team defeated the Rage 6-0. Overall for the month, Nelson had 5 games where he had multiple points. He had 4 shorthanded goals and assisted on 3 others.

During November, the Eagles posted a 9-2-0 record during November with an overall 11-3-0 record on the season. In their short history of existence, the Colorado Eagles have easily been one of the best teams in the league and are the best expansion team ever in the CHL. They have won one championship already and are always a fun team to watch.

If you haven’t yet, I would highly encourage you to attend a Colorado Eagles game. If you live in the Loveland area, the Budweiser Events Center is a great place to attend games. It’d even be worth the drive up from Denver just once. Or if you live in the Denver area and aren’t wild about making that drive up I-25, check out one of the Eagles’ many games in Broomfield this year. Just don’t let me catch you rooting for the Rage. Tickets are way more affordable than NHL games and there is not a bad seat in either arena.

(On Friday, October 27, 2006 I had the wonderful opportunity to attend a Central Hockey League game in Loveland, Colorado at the Budweiser Events Center)

One thing was immediately clear when the players hit the ice for last night’s CHL game between the Colorado Eagles and Wichita Thunder. Eagles fans do NOT like the Thunder at all. To the fans, this team is akin to the Avs’ Red Wings of old. As the in arena announcer called out the names of the Thunder starters, the fans couldn’t help but adding “sucks!” after each name. Every time the announcer told fans that a Thunder skater was coming out of the box, they had to shout out “and he still sucks!” Fans were also constantly taunting the oft-penalized captain of the Thunder, Jason Duda. Anytime he came anywhere near the fans along the glass they’d all start shouting at him.

The overall atmosphere of the game was very fun and inviting to fans. There was lots of stuff being given away and there were fun contests during the intermissions and breaks. The fans were into the game and it had a very fast pace, despite all the penalties that were handed out. Several times during the game, it was said that Northern Colorado hockey fans are the best and it was hard to argue with. The Eagles have a sellout record streak of their own going in the CHL. They know how to do things right to keep fans feeling appreciated too. AND it’s a heck of a lot cheaper than an Avs game. To sit where I sat at an Avs game, I would’ve had to spend nearly $200, but I sat one row from the glass for only $26.

Never having sat so close to the glass at a game before, I definitely flinched every time the puck bounced off that glass only a few feet from my face. The players gave each other some good hard checks right in front of me too. It added a whole new element of adrenaline to the game that I’d never felt before. I had to be alert and on edge for flying pucks. Not too many of them came out of the playing area, but it was something that I never really had to contend with at an Avs game (mostly because I couldn’t afford to sit low enough to have that issue).

I’m not saying that I will never attend another Avalanche game, nor am I advocating that you stop going; the Avs are still my favorite team. I’m just saying that attending CHL games are a whole different kind of experience and one I would highly recommend. It’s more fun and much more affordable. The Budweiser Arena in Loveland offers a much more intimate setting than the Pepsi Center as well. Unfortunately if you don’t live in Northern Colorado, it can be a bit of a drive to get to an Eagles game, but luckily there’s another CHL team in Broomfield this year too. I don’t care if you go to a Rage game or an Eagles game, I just think everyone should give it a shot.

The lone referee system was a little different. It seemed like he did a fairly decent job (I mean look at all those penalties!) for working alone. There were some clear missed calls, but overall he was pretty decent. Even with all the penalties in this game, it didn’t seem too much like the game’s flow was really not as messed up as you might expect. It seems in NHL games that the pace of the game generally slows down when there’s a lot of penalty calls, but this game just kept that flying pace. One really nice moment with the referee came just before the start of the third period. There was this 6 year old boy sitting in front of me and he was waving at the referee and overall was a very well-behaved kid (usually I get stuck near the screaming/bratty kids). So the ref smiles at him, skates over to the box and gets a game puck for the kid. It was a very nice of the ref to do.

If you are a fan of fighting in hockey, then this is the game for you to watch! I can’t say that all CHL games will have this much fighting, but the rivalry between the Eagles and Thunder was clear. Several times players dropped their gloves and duked it out. The officials let them go pretty much each time too, not immediately stopping it like you might see in the NHL.  It was pretty obvious that there’s no love lost between these two hockey teams. When the Eagles were not too busy scoring, and the Thunder stopped their conga line to the penalty box briefly, there was no limit to the number of guys willing to drop their gloves or push and shove and pile up in the corner. Fans were happy with their Eagles players for fighting and cheered them as they headed for the sin bin.

About the only drawback to the experience for me personally were the Eagles Chicks…I mean what is up with that? Hockey and cheerleaders do not go together. At no point did they actually lead any cheers either. Fans at hockey games traditionally do not need cheerleaders to start their cheering anyway. It was just kind of bizarre watching them up on this platform behind the glass waving their pom-poms around.

Overall, it was a great game by the Eagles. Nice to see them destroy their hated rivals. It was a nice, fast paced game and the fans were really into it. I had wonderful seats and did not regret the money I spent. I would recommend the experience to any hockey fan that has not been to a CHL game. There were lots of things going on and different kinds of things being given away during the game. It was hard not to have a blast. I plan on attending some more CHL games this season.