Scorps fall to league's best team

By Eric Maddy
The SCORE

Konrad Reeder loves the ice at the Santa Ana Star Center in Rio Rancho. Too bad he doesn’t play for the New Mexico Scorpions anymore.

Reeder, who led New Mexico in scoring last season, scored the game-tying goal midway through the second period and the Colorado Eagles went on to defeat New Mexico 4-3 in a Central Hockey League game Friday night.

Reeder’s power play goal with 9:21 seconds left in the second period was the first of three unanswered scored in a 2:50 span that turned a 2-1 New Mexico lead into a 4-2 deficit before an announced crowd of 2,345 fans.

Reeder, who scored 108 points for New Mexico last season, also scored a goal for Colorado when the Eagles defeated the Scorpions in Rio Rancho on Nov. 19. That mid-week game drew a smaller crowd and smaller boos for the departed hero, but the fans disappointment was much louder and longer on this night -- and it was music to Reeder's ears.

"I guess if they didn't know me from last year, they wouldn't be booing," he said. "I guess you could say I was a little bit bitter (at being traded) to Colordo. I had a great time playing here and playing for (New Mexico) Coach (Randy) Murphy, but I'm on a great team whose goal is to win a championship."

Murphy returned the complement.

"He's obviously an elite player at our level, and I'm sure he wanted to show everyone that he's still that kind of player," Murphy said. "On the flip side, I thought we had some players show that as well. The effort was there but for that stretch where we made some mental errors."

Reeder has 12 goals and 13 assists in 23 games for Colorado this season compared to 41 goals and 67 assists in 64 games for New Mexico last year. But he doesn't mind the statistical falloff.

"We've got three good lines that can score," he said.

In fact, it was Colorado's third line that scored two of the goals in the three-minute flury that doomed the Scorpions.

New Mexico played the game short two defensemen. Lyon Messier will miss both games with Colorado due to a death in his family and Tyler Fuller will be out 4 to 6 weeks after breaking his right thumb in a fight at Rio Grande Valley last Saturday.

Murphy said after the game that the team has aquired defenseman Henrik Ivarsson, recently waived by the Arizona Sunddogs, and that he will be activated for Saturday's game.

After Reeder tied the game, it took only 1:04 for Colorado to get the lead for good. Ed McGrane, who assisted on Reeder’s power play goal, then scored off a pass from Greg Pankewicz. Adam Hogg’s goal 1:40 later gave Colorado a 4-2 advantage, which stood up for the rest of the period and into the third.

Andrew Smale scored his first goal of the year for New Mexico with 10:53 left in the game, but the Scorpions could get no closer despite two good rushes, including one in a shorthanded situation, in the next three minutes.

Colorado took a 1-0 lead with 5:46 left in the period on a power play set up by John Mazzei's second penalty of the period. Pankewicz got the honors, with his slap shot off an Hogg pass hitting the post before bouncing in the net behind New Mexico goalie Andrew Martin.

The Eagles' lead was short lived, as New Mexico responded with a power play goal of its own 85 seconds later. Craig Macdonald scored for New Mexico off passes from Jamie Herrington and Seth Leonard with 4:21 left in the period, only 55 seconds after Colorado’s Jay Birnie was whistled for tripping.

The Scorpions took a 2-1 lead 2:55 into the second period when Mitch Stephens scored a power play goal, with Aaron MacInnis and Macdonald getting assists. The lead stood up until Reeder’s goal turned the tide.

The two teams play again tonight at 7:15 p.m. at the Star Center.

The Scorpions, 9-15-1, are in third place in the Southwest Division 19 points, four points behind second-place Arizona.

Colorado, meanwhile, goes into Saturday’s game with an 19-4-1 record, best in the Central Hockey League and a staggering 18 points ahead of second-place Rapid City in the Northwest Division.

For ticket inofrmation, go to www.scorpionshockey.com. Complete statistics and standings are available at www.centralhockeyleague.com.