COYOTES REVERSE FORTUNE
By Sergey Kocharov
It is almost mind-boggling when one looks at the roster of the Colorado Avalanche.
But don’t tell the Phoenix Coyotes that.
On Thursday night, the Coyotes got their second glance at the collection of All Stars and future Hall of Famers of the Avalanche and this time the Phoenix youngsters came through with a vengeance._
Facing Colorado for the second time in a week, the Coyotes staged a remarkable comeback as they erased a two-goal third period deficit and turned it into a 3-2 overtime victory in front of 14,897 fans at America West Arena.
“When you beat a team like that, it will obviously help your confidence level,” said Phoenix head coach Bob Francis, whose team improved to 5-6-3-1 on the season._
“It’s not the script we drew up, but you have to give a lot of credit to a lot of different areas. Sean (Burke) bought some time for us._ We were a bit rusty from three days off._ We weren’t very good in the first period and (Burke) kept us in the game.”
The win was a sweet revenge for the Coyotes, who were previously defeated by the Avalanche 2-1 last Thursday at the Pepsi Center._ It was a game in which Phoenix had a golden chance at winning, considering that they led 1-0 heading into the third period._
But on this Thursday night the tables were turned._ The Coyotes staged a complete reversal on the Avalanche, as they outworked Colorado in the third period, out-shooting the Avs 12-6 while consistently dominating the play in all zones.
“I think this is going to be the game that turns this team around,” said Branko Radivojevic, who tallied the game-winner 1:51 into the overtime on a sheer resilient effort._ “We played hard and found a way to pick up two huge points.”
_
The victory is something that Phoenix hopes to build upon, especially with the rugged road trip that is ahead – as they are set to play three games in four nights.__
“For us every game is going to be a test,” said Burke, who was brilliant in net with 27 saves. “When you play a team of this caliber, you know that in order to win, every guy will have to play well._ Tonight, we found a way to keep it close and at the end found a way to persevere.
“When you’re a young team like us and you come back on a team like that – obviously it’s a good sign.”
By Sergey Kocharov
It is almost mind-boggling when one looks at the roster of the Colorado Avalanche.
But don’t tell the Phoenix Coyotes that.
On Thursday night, the Coyotes got their second glance at the collection of All Stars and future Hall of Famers of the Avalanche and this time the Phoenix youngsters came through with a vengeance._
Facing Colorado for the second time in a week, the Coyotes staged a remarkable comeback as they erased a two-goal third period deficit and turned it into a 3-2 overtime victory in front of 14,897 fans at America West Arena.
“When you beat a team like that, it will obviously help your confidence level,” said Phoenix head coach Bob Francis, whose team improved to 5-6-3-1 on the season._
“It’s not the script we drew up, but you have to give a lot of credit to a lot of different areas. Sean (Burke) bought some time for us._ We were a bit rusty from three days off._ We weren’t very good in the first period and (Burke) kept us in the game.”
The win was a sweet revenge for the Coyotes, who were previously defeated by the Avalanche 2-1 last Thursday at the Pepsi Center._ It was a game in which Phoenix had a golden chance at winning, considering that they led 1-0 heading into the third period._
But on this Thursday night the tables were turned._ The Coyotes staged a complete reversal on the Avalanche, as they outworked Colorado in the third period, out-shooting the Avs 12-6 while consistently dominating the play in all zones.
“I think this is going to be the game that turns this team around,” said Branko Radivojevic, who tallied the game-winner 1:51 into the overtime on a sheer resilient effort._ “We played hard and found a way to pick up two huge points.”
_
The victory is something that Phoenix hopes to build upon, especially with the rugged road trip that is ahead – as they are set to play three games in four nights.__
“For us every game is going to be a test,” said Burke, who was brilliant in net with 27 saves. “When you play a team of this caliber, you know that in order to win, every guy will have to play well._ Tonight, we found a way to keep it close and at the end found a way to persevere.
“When you’re a young team like us and you come back on a team like that – obviously it’s a good sign.”
