If the Colorado Eagles are going to win their first-ever ECHL title, it won’t be with 16 wins in a row. After rattling off seven consecutive wins in the playoffs, the Eagles dropped Game 4 of their seven-game series with the Allen Americans, 4-1, on Thursday night.
The Americans scored four unanswered goals to take their first victory in the series, a chippy game that saw the sides accumulate 121 penalty minutes between them. Rookie forward Julien Nantel gave Colorado an early lead with a goal at the 3:28 mark of the first period, but Riley Gill would not allow another puck past him all night. Chad Costello leveled the score in the second period on the power play, and Tyler Barnes put Allen on top for the first time in the series on a shorthanded goal with just over a minute remaining in the period.
Alex Krushelnyski scored for Allen near the halfway mark of the third, and Josh Britain put things out of reach with a score less than three minutes later. Colorado limited Allen to just one goal on the power play, but had to kill another seven man-advantage opportunities they handed the Americans. The Eagles were 0-for-5 on their own power play.
The Eagles will host their final home game of the series on Sunday, hoping to put Allen away for good with a victory. Puck drop is at 3:05 from the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland.
Featured Image Credit: Standout Imagery, Colorado Eagles