LOVELAND -- It was a bittersweet ending to an accomplished season.

The Colorado Eagles may have lost their opportunity at a back-to-back Ray Miron President's Cup championship, but hindsight reveals optimism with a standing ovation from another sellout crowd at the Budweiser Events Center on Friday night.

"Our fans have always been there for us, whether we're up by 3 or down by 3," Eagles' center Riley Nelson said. "That's the great thing about playing here in Colorado, you know you're going to get support every night. Unfortunately we didn't get the job done for them this year."

Despite not being able to hoist the President's Cup again, the Eagles did see the positive side of a winning season. Colorado finished 45-28-7, with a 32-8 record at the Budweiser Events Center in front of all their fans.

"We have to be proud of our situation, it's easy to go off on a negative tangent right now, but the real positive is we sell out this building for one reason and one reason only, and that's because of the guys on the ice that play with the heart and soul they play with," Eagles coach Chris Stewart said. "We have an outstanding fan base that grows and grows and grows. And it's not limited to the 5,289 that come here, it's in the tens-of-thousands and it's because of the effort these guys put out every single night."

And there was no shortage of effort or heart on the ice as the Eagles overcame early-season injuries that left them without Stewart and left winger Ryan Tobler for an extended period of time.

"We went through a lot this season -- with Ryan being out for an extended period of time, with Stewie being gone at the start -- but guys, like (interim coach Ryan) Bach, stepping up and running things from the start until Stewie got back," Nelson said. "That's what it's all about, that's what makes you stronger."

Colorado proved itself time and again -- earning a playoff spot five points ahead of instate rival Rocky Mountain Rage, winning another Northern Conference Championship and making it to the President's Cup finals. The Eagles can hold their heads high -- they have something to be proud of.

"We came up against a great team, they played well but I'm proud of our players and I'm proud of what we stand for," Nelson said. "We fought hard to get here."

Stewart added: "We had our opportunity to win back-to-back championshipships, we fell short, but you have to realize everything that this team's gone through since day one to where we are today has been pretty remarkable. I don't think you can miss that side of the story."

No fan missed that side of the story.