Penner returns for third season with the Eagles

WINDSOR, Colo. – The Colorado Eagles announced on Thursday that goaltender Andrew Penner has re-signed with the team for the 2010-11 campaign. Penner, 27, is entering his eighth pro season and his third year in net for the Eagles. He’ll join fellow netminders Tim Boron, Kyle Jones and Andrew Loewen at the team’s upcoming training camp.

Among goalies that have played at least 32 games for the Eagles, Penner ranks first in games played (75), wins (52) and saves (2,074). He also holds the second-longest winning streak in team history at 11 games (behind the 13-game streak of Tyler Weiman in 2004-05.
Last season, the 6-foot-2-inch, 219-pound native of Simcoe, Ontario was joined on the Eagles’ roster by younger brother Alex, a talented winger. Penner compiled a 22-8-4 regular season record with a 2.98 GAA and a .902 save percentage.
In January, he was called up to the Springfield Falcons, where he saw action in four games. Despite closing the regular season with six straight wins, Penner was in net for three of four losses as the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs swept the Eagles out of the Northern Conference semi-finals.
During the 2008-09 season, Penner put together a career-best 30-6-3 record with a 2.69 GAA and a .915 save percentage. He finished the regular season with four straight wins and carried that streak into the post-season where he won another seven in a row (eight out of 10) before he was solved by the Texas Brahmas who won the 2009 Ray Miron President’s Cup.
Prior to joining the Eagles, Penner spent five seasons in the ECHL with the Dayton Bombers, Johnstown Chiefs and Wheeling Nailers. In his American Hockey League debut with the Syracuse Crunch (December 19, 2004), Penner, earned his first victory and first shutout, stopping all 30 shots faced. He would play a total of 63 games with the Crunch during the 2004-05 and 2005-06 seasons and was called up to the Columbus Blue Jackets (NHL) for four games, serving as a backup goaltender. Penner was signed as an unrestricted free agent by the Pittsburgh Penguins (NHL) in August of 2006 and was assigned to the Wilkes-Barre/Scranton Penguins (AHL), where he played 28 games during the 2006-07 season. In addition to his efforts in net, Penner is also known for his community involvement in the Northern Colorado area and beyond. To honor his mother, who is a breast cancer survivor as well as other women who have been diagnosed with the disease, Penner designed and wore a pink ribbon mask during the majority of the 2008-09 season. The mask was auctioned off on the Eagles’ Web site for $1,525 and the Colorado Eagles Foundation matched that amount to bring the total to $3,050 with the proceeds were split between the Susan G. Komen Foundation and the Princess Margaret Hospital in Toronto, Canada.
The Eagles organization has also joined his effort by playing annual breast cancer awareness games in each of the past two October’s with a third set for this October. Proceeds are donated to breast cancer survivors and research.
The signing brings the number of players under contract with the team for their upcoming camp to 17.
The Eagles will open the 2010-11 pre-season on Saturday, October 9th when they host the Odessa Jackalopes at the Budweiser Events Center.
Their regular season begins on Friday, October 15^th with a two-game home stand against the Arizona Sundogs.
Contact the author/photographer at robert.keith@prohockeynews.com