text: Colorado Eagles get punched in the gut by Utah - Loveland Reporter-Herald
  Colorado Eagles get punched in the gut by Utah
  Grizzlies net goal in final second to win 2-1
  Posted: 03/29/2014 10:21:00 PM MDT
  Nobody in the Budweiser Events Center could believe their eyes.
  That's if they managed to see what just transpired. The Utah Grizzlies pulled out a 2-1 victory over the Colorado Eagles, but the manner in which they didn't it left the building stunned.
  With a second remaining in the game, Utah defenseman Marin Lee hurled a desperation shot from the point, which proceeded to twist its way through traffic and leak through a crack in goalie Dustin Butler's pads on the power play.
  The final horn sounded as the puck struck twine leaving Utah celebrating and Eagles standing on the ice wondering what had just happened and if indeed the puck reached its destination in time.
  "Just a bad bounce and it goes in the back of the net. I really didn't see what happened there," Colorado coach Chris Stewart said. "We had the opportunity to get the puck out and instead of making the simple play we ended up coughing it up like we did so many times tonight."
  Both Utah goals were directly from Colorado mistakes and certainly spoiled thoughts of a win from 10 minutes earlier.
  For the second time in three games it was a relative unknown, and equally surprising, player that put Colorado out front. Amateur forward Todd Fiddler found a present following a Utah turnover that gave him an uncontested shot from the slot and the 20-year-old did what comes naturally - finish.
  "It felt awesome. The guy pretty much passed it right on my stick there, but I'll take that," said Fiddler, who joined the Eagles from the Western Hockey League's Prince George Cougars. "I'll take that any day. The electricity of the crowd and everything, it just felt awesome.
  "I honestly didn't even know. I just did the old bury your head and shoot the puck and luckily it went in. It was nice to get the first one."
  Any good feelings were short lived when Utah came right back with a game-tying goal little more than a minute later. A turnover gave the Grizzlies a good look short handed and they didn't waste it.
  The Eagles had their chance to come right back at the Grizzlies, drawing another penalty shortly after Utah's equalizer to give them a 5-on-3 power play. But even the two-man advantage wasn't enough for Colorado to net a second goal past Utah's netminder Igor Bobkov.
  Struggles on the power play will haunt the Eagles, who went 0-for-5 on the night and let potential winner slip away.
  "Oh, for sure. We had the 5-on-3 and we really didn't create any effective opportunities on net," Stewart said. "I think we kept looking for that special play, that back-door tap in, instead of just taking the basics."
  The loss was a swift punch to the gut for the Eagles, who remain in fourth place in the Western Conference with six game remaining in the regular season. The Eagles will travel to end their season series with Utah on Wednesday.
  Grizzlies 2, Eagles 1
  Utah 0 0 2 — 2
  Third period — 1. Colorado, Fiddler 1, 10:06. 2. Utah, Pineault 3 (Jelitto), 11:11 (SH). 3. Utah, Lee 2 (Aubin, Pelech), 19:59 (PP).