Eagles are set to face Abbotsford in the AHL Pacific Final

This season, the Colorado Eagles and Abbotsford Canucks finished first and second in their division, but Abbotsford proved to be a tough matchup for Colorado. The Canucks won six of the eight head-to-head games and narrowly defeated the Eagles 2-1 in their most recent meeting on February 17.

Ben Lypka from the Vancouver Island Free Daily writes that the Eagles enter the series having earned a first-round bye by finishing first in the Pacific Division. They then eliminated the San Jose Barracuda 3-1 in the semifinals. Colorado started strong with a 6-3 win in Game 1 on the road, but San Jose responded by taking Game 2, 2-1 in overtime. The Eagles bounced back in Game 3 with a 3-2 overtime victory at home and sealed the series with a 3-1 win on May 7.

Forwards Tye Felhaber, Jayson Megna, and Matthew Phillips each tallied six points in the series against San Jose. Megna, a former Vancouver Canucks player, appeared in 58 games for the team during the 2017-18 season and has been part of Colorado's system since 2019-20. Phillips has developed a reputation as an Abbotsford Canucks nemesis, having tormented the team while playing for both the Stockton Heat and the Calgary Wranglers.

Colorado also boasts several talented defensemen, including Jacob MacDonald, who earned the Eddie Shore Award as the AHL's top defenseman this season. He scored an impressive 31 goals and totaled 55 points for the Eagles, his 31 goals set a record for defensemen, with 13 coming on the power play. Jack Ahcan (41 points) and Calle Rosen (34 points) are two other defensemen who contribute offensively. In contrast, Abbotsford had only one defenseman, Wolanin, surpass the 30-point threshold this season.

It all starts on Friday night.

Source:
Vancouver Island Free Daily
SERIES PREVIEW: Abbotsford Canucks, Colorado Eagles clash for Pacific Division crown