ROCKFORD, IL. – Colorado forward Jayson Megna notched the Eagles first hat trick of the season and added an assist, as Colorado defeated the Rockford IceHogs 5-3 on Friday. Fellow forward Matt Stienburg posted a goal and an assist, while goaltender Isak Posch collected his ninth win of the season, making 26 saves on 29 shots. The Eagles finished the night going 1-for-2 on the power play and a perfect 3-for-3 on the penalty kill.

Colorado would open the scoring when Megna fired a wrister from the top of the left-wing circle, sending the puck through traffic and into the back of the net, giving the Eagles a 1-0 edge at the 12:22 of the first period.

The game’s first power play would see Megna again light the lamp, as he capped off a breakaway with a wrister from between the circles, doubling the Eagles advantage to 2-0 with 2:44 remaining in the opening frame.

Rockford would get on the board when forward Samuel Savoie fired a one-timer from the bottom of the right-wing circle past Posch, slicing Colorado’s advantage to 2-1 at the 13:38 mark of the second period.

The Eagles would go on to outshoot the IceHogs 14-8 in the middle frame and carried their 2-1 edge into the second intermission.

Colorado would earn a little breathing room when Stienburg capped off a 2-on-1 rush with a wrister from the right-wing circle that beat goalie Laurent Brossoit and put the Eagles up 3-1 just 1:14 into the third period.

The IceHogs would respond just 40 seconds later when Savoie fired a shot that would be kicked away by Posch but caromed off an Eagles defender and into the back of the net, slicing the deficit to 3-2.

Colorado would pick up a bit of insurance when defenseman Keaton Middleton buried a shot from the blue line, giving the Eagles a 4-2 advantage at the 10:59 mark of the final frame.

Again, Rockford would find an answer, as defenseman Dmitry Kuzmin lit the lamp with a wrist shot from the top of the left-wing circle, trimming Colorado’s lead to 4-3 with 7:27 remaining in the contest.

The IceHogs would pull Brossoit in favor of the extra attacker, but it would be Megna who would take advantage with an empty-netter from center ice, capping off the hat trick and putting the Eagles up 5-3 at the 18:18 mark of the period.

Brossoit suffered the loss in net, allowing four goals on 31 shots.