Colorado would earn the first power play of the game and the Eagles would seize the opportunity, as Puustinen crashed the net and tucked a rebound at the top of the crease. The goal was his first in a Colorado jersey and put the Eagles up 1-0 just 5:55 into the game.
After shutting down a Tucson power play, Colorado would strike again, as Senden lofted a rebound to the bottom of the left circle, extending the Eagles’ lead to 2-0 at 3:47 of the first period. Colorado would outscore the Roadrunners 9-5 in the first 20 minutes and hold a 2-0 lead going into the first intermission.
Tucson would turn the momentum around early in the second period as forward Ben McCartney flew through the left circle before slamming in a backhander from the top of the crease to cut the deficit to 2-1 at the 1:18 mark.
The Eagles were still up 2-1 when the puck dropped in the third period, but stopped a pair of power plays for the Roadrunners, forcing Tucson to pull goaltender Jaxson Stauber in favor of the extra attacker in the final minutes of the game. The empty net would prove useful for Colorado, as Polin picked off the puck in the Eagles zone before sailing down the ice and burying the empty net. The goal was his sixth of the season and rounded out the 3-1 score with 1:10 left to play in the match.
Stauber suffered the loss in net, allowing two goals on 29 shots. Colorado won the battle on special teams, going 1-for-4 on the power play and a perfect 4-for-4 on the penalty kill.
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