Eagles begin exciting By Matt Mackinder T
he Colorado Eagles changed leagues over the offseason, but that doesn’t mean they’ve altered their approach to winning a pro hockey championship. Moving from the Central Hockey League (CHL) to the ECHL is a shift that
makes sense from a business standpoint, according to head coach and general manger Chris Stewart, but one that’ll also benefit the fans that have con- tributed to a minor-pro-hockey record of more than 300 straight sellouts at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland. “We’d been contemplating the move (to the ECHL) for several reasons,” said
Stewart. “We had a very successful run in the Central Hockey League, but we feel that by moving to the ECHL, the entertainment value will go up for our fans. “That’s the business we’re in; we’re here to provide entertainment. This
move will give fans more bang for their buck, so to speak.” Since the franchise was formed in 2003, the Eagles captured the CHL’s Ray Miron President’s Cup twice (2005 and 2007) and finished first in their division from 2003-09 and second the past two years. Needless to say, the Eagles have a positive outlook for this season’s debut in the ECHL. “I think we’ll have a good mix of return-
ing veterans and young guys this year,” said Stewart. “I’d like to see the young guys de- velop and move up to the American Hockey League. Some may even get a chance to play in the NHL. “From a business side, which is the con-
trolling factor, we’d like to keep the sellout streak alive. This area cares about their community and cares about their hockey. Hockey has really taken hold here the last eight years and we’ve done nicely. It’s an af- fluent, progressive area and they love their sports.” Stewart said the jump to the ECHL,
formerly known as the East Coast Hockey League until 2003, will be a challenge, but nothing he feels his team can’t overcome. “We bit off a lot and now we have to chew
The Eagles will lean on veterans like forward Riley Nelson for leadership as Colorado ventures into the ECHL this season. Photo/A.J. Nazzaro
it,” Stewart said. “This is a very competi- tive league and a league with a lot of parity. The travel will obviously be a change for us. Instead of going to Amarillo (Texas), we’ll go to Alaska - and that’s a good thing. “We’ll also be bringing (the) Las Vegas
(Wranglers) into our building and that’s another good thing from an entertain- ment perspective. We’ll be going into some new buildings this year, seeing some new teams, experiencing a whole gamut of new things.” Leaning on veterans such as Aaron Schneekloth andRiley Nelson to
help mentor the younger players, including goaltenderMike Garman, a Vail native, is a positive situation for Stewart and assistant coach Greg Panke- wicz, a fan favorite as a player for the Eagles from 2003-09. “These older guys will be our leaders, on and off the ice, and will help with
these young kids when I’m not there,” said Stewart. “The veterans will get the young guys on the straight and narrow. “On one hand, having these young kids can be a headache, but on the other
hand, they can be a lot of fun and that’s what I’m expecting all the way around this year.” Other Colorado natives were on the Eagles’ preseason roster, including for-
wards A.J. Hau (Fort Collins), Patrick Knowlton (Colorado Springs) andNic Polaski (Colorado Springs) and defenseman Brad Hau (A.J.’s brother). “We’d like to have more guys from the area and to have the ones we have are
fantastic,” said Stewart. “At the end of the day, it doesn’t matter if you’re from Loveland or New Jersey; you still have to show you have upside and still have to make this team.”
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new era in ECHL The league change is expected to benefit Colorado in more ways than one
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