Colorado Eagles March 3 Stars

Where did all the scoring go?

Theres another hockey team in Colorado making a push for playoff positioning as the Colorado Eagles have just punched their ticket to the postseason. This is actually just part of the six-team Pacific Division play-in but it is the first step to making it to the Calder Cup finals.

With a record of 35-20-7 it still has been a mostly good season for the Eagles who have moved up the standings to fourth in the division with a couple games in hand. The month of March has been another inconsistent one as the Eagles earned a 4-5-1 record and scored just one goal in each of their six losses. It’s no wonder there aren’t many standout performances to highlight this installment as once again it’s proving very difficult to score in the AHL.

First Star – Riley Tufte – 10 GP: 4G, 2A, 6P

It’s been a season of ups and downs for Riley Tufte, sometimes literally. He was our October first star and earned five early games with the Avalanche after a strong camp and hot start in the AHL. Tufte didn’t stick in the NHL, however, as he has since been passed over multiple times for a call up and hasn’t been with the Avalanche since November. The disappointment likely contributed to a lull where he scored just 10 points in 28 Eagles games but since late February Tufte has picked things back up again. With four goals and six points in 10 March games he is our first star of the month.

The Avalanche will have an interesting decision to make with Tufte this coming offseason as he is an arbitration eligible Restricted Free Agent. It shouldn’t cost much to bring him back but if the Avalanche have decided to write him off at the NHL level maybe it’s best for both parties to part ways.

Second Star – Trent Miner – 4 GP: 4-0, .974 SV%, 0.82 GAA

Quietly there has been another strong goaltending performance in Loveland. Third year pro Trent Miner was called upon for three starts and one relief appearance this month and in those games he earned a 4-0 record with a total of three goals given up on 114 shots. Miner’s overall statistics of a 9-6-1 with a .930 save percentage and 2.10 goals against average for the season are also pretty solid especially since he’s been called upon to fill in for injury and absences multiple times.

Miner’s future with the organization is in still in question, though, as this is the last year of his Entry Level Contract and will need an extension to return. His performance in the AHL should mean he’s at least a reliable depth option moving forward but if the Avalanche don’t see a NHL future in Miner they likely won’t bring him back. Time will tell which way this goes but kudos to Miner for making the most of his opportunities.

Third Star – Ondrej Pavel – 10 GP: 3G, 0A, 3P

It wasn’t easy choosing the last star this month as a bunch of candidates had similar performances. In the end, though, the edge goes to Ondrej Pavel for crafting his production in goals. As a solid fourth line option in Loveland, Pavel isn’t really expected to score much but a NHL opportunity on merit would ideally see more than his 10 points over 56 games in the AHL. Pavel is already under contract for next season and can hopefully continue developing his NHL tools with the Eagles.