Colorado put on an offensive show Wednesday night and took the lead in their Pacific Division semifinal series with a commanding 10-1 victory over Ontario at the Budweiser Events Center.
The Eagles host Game 2 on Friday night.
Colorado scored three times in the first 5:32 of the game, including two shorthanded goals on the same minor penalty, and had a 6-1 lead at the first intermission. They scored twice in the second period and twice more in the third to become the first AHL team to hit double digits in a Calder Cup Playoff game since Hershey’s 10-4 victory over Worcester on May 1, 2015.
Keaton Middleton, Kiefer Sherwood and Mikhail Maltsev all scored twice for the Eagles, and Ryan Wagner, Stefan Matteau, Alex Beaucage and Andreas Englund all had single goals.
In addition to their two shorthanded goals, Colorado’s special teams went 4-for-6 on the power play and 6-for-6 on the penalty kill.
Justus Annunen (3-0) stopped 33 of 34 shots in net for the Eagles, who have outscored their opponents 20-5 over their first three playoff games. Their nine-goal margin of victory was the largest ever in a Calder Cup Playoff series opener.
Reign captain Brett Sutter scored the lone Ontario goal.
Pacific Division Semifinals – Series “O” (best-of-5)
P2-Ontario Reign vs. P3-Colorado Eagles
Game 1 – Wed., May 11 – COLORADO 10, Ontario 1
Game 2 – Fri., May 13 – Ontario at Colorado, 9:05
Game 3 – Sun., May 15 – Colorado at Ontario, 11:00
*Game 4 – Tue., May 17 – Colorado at Ontario, 10:00
*Game 5 – Wed., May 18 – Colorado at Ontario, 10:00
*if necessary… All times Eastern
