LOVELAND, CO. – Michael Joly scored two goals, including the game-winner, while Andrew Agozzino netted a pair of shorthanded tallies to help Colorado storm back from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Stockton Heat, 4-2 on Friday. The victory now gives the Eagles a win in three straight contests and pulls Colorado within one point of the final playoff spot in the Pacific Division.
Stockton opened the scoring early in the contest when a net-mouth scramble set up forward Dillon Dube to snag the puck and flick it into the net to give the Heat the 1-0 edge just 5:06 into the game.
As the first period neared its conclusion Heat forward Spencer Foo would drive into the Colorado zone and split a pair of defenders before firing a wrister from the slot that would beat Eagles goalie Pavel Francouz and stretch the Heat’s lead to 2-0 with only eight seconds remaining in the opening 20 minutes.
Colorado would storm back in the second period, as Joly would bash a rebound past Stockton goalie Jon Gillies to cut the Heat’s lead to 2-1 just 49 seconds into the middle frame. The Eagles would then find a game-tying goal later in the period when a shorthanded rush down the ice from Logan O’Connor would be finished off with a shot from bottom of the left circle from Agozzino at the 12:24 mark of the period. The goal was Agozzino’s team-leading 19th tally of the season and squared the score at 2-2. The second stanza would also see Colorado outshoot Stockton by a count of 15-4.
The Eagles would keep their foot on the gas in the third period, as Joly would capitalize on a power play when he stickhandled his way into the slot and fired a wrister that would light the lamp and give Colorado a 3-2 advantage at the 2:38 mark of the final frame.
As time wound down in regulation the Eagles would kill off a succession of Stockton power plays and would add a second shorthanded goal from Agozzino with 45 seconds left to play to secure Colorado’s 4-2 victory.
The Eagles finished the night going 1-for-4 on the power play and a perfect 6-for-6 on the penalty kill. Colorado also finished the night with a 27-23 advantage in shots on goal.
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