Plagued by injuries, the Colorado Eagles play without excuses

Eric Conn
February 20, 2007

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f you told Colorado Eagles vice president and head coach Chris Stewart before the season that his team would be where they are now -- in first place with less than 20 games to play in the regular season -- he wouldn't have believed you.

After losing franchise player Greg Pankewicz to an injury early in the season and battling through a short bench the last month because of injuries to other key players, Stewart said he's impressed to see how far the Eagles have come.

"We've certainly surpassed anything I thought we would do," Stewart said after the Eagles dropped a 4-3 thriller on Feb. 14 to the third place Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs. "When I look at where we've been with injuries and losing Pankewicz and staying in first place and basically leading the league since the drop of the puck, I'm very happy."

The Eagles have also battled injuries of late, including the loss of defensemen Erik Adams and Les Borsheim, who combined for 22 points on the season and make up part of Colorado's defensive leadership core.

Despite playing with a shortened bench, however, the Eagles remain in first place in the CHL with a 36-12-0 mark and 72 points -- just one point ahead of the Memphis RiverKings.

Even more than just surviving, the Eagles have had a standout year, recording the longest winning streak in CHL history at 15, winning 19 straight at home and leading the league in goals, assists, points, power-play goals and shorthanded goals.

As for forward Ryan Tobler, he said the adversity the team's faced has worked to the advantage of forging character and unifying the locker room.

"We've always said we're not using being shorthanded as an excuse -- we've got more than enough in this locker room to get it done," Tobler said. "Bottom line, our goal is to win the league and we know we can do it."

In each of the three years in Northern Colorado, Tobler said, the Eagles have faced obstacles that only make the journey to the top that much more meaningful.

"It seems like we've had that sort of challenge before us every year," he said. "This team has never made excuses, and from day one we've worked our butts off and we've gotten it done."

The short bench has, however, accounted for an overall wearing out of the team, Stewart said, as the remaining 10 to 11 men on the bench have seen a 33 percent increase in playing time in the last month or so.

Even then, Stewart isn't about to start making excuses. After a pair of losses this weekend by a combined score of 13-8, he said the ax is still waiting for those players who represent weak links on the team.

As for the remaining 16 games and a worn out locker room, the Eagles must wait until March for reinforcements. Everyone currently on the injured reserve, including Pankewicz, is expected to make a full return by the start of the playoffs.

Regardless, Stewart said, the Eagles will make it work -- they have all season.