When a hockey team reaches a level of consistent success, when playoff berths become expected and trophies pile up, the criticism gets dumb.
Maybe they’re scoring too many goals. Maybe they win too often.
As the high-flying Colorado Eagles start the the Central Hockey League playoffs tonight against the Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs at the Budweiser Events Center in Loveland at 7 p.m., the Eagles’ odds for a fifth championship series appearance look good.
“Sometimes if you’re scoring too many goals, you get away from things defensively. But you have to score to win,” Colorado winger Kevin Ulanski said Thursday. “And we’ll be expecting a bit tougher defense in the playoffs. Games are going to be tight.”
Ulanski, a former standout at the University of Denver (2003-05), shot to the top of the CHL’s scoring list this season and was voted MVP. His 109 points (34 goals, 75 assists) were more than twice the total of Shreveport leader Shawn Limpright (53 points).
Among Ulanski, veteran Riley Nelson (94) and Ed McGrane (89), the Eagles have three of the top four scorers in the league. They are the highest-scoring team in the minor-league CHL.
But in three games against Shreveport this season, the teams played three one-goal games.
“Last year we played them in the first round and swept them,” Ulanski said of the Mudbugs. “But two games were overtime games. All the teams are here for a reason. The playoffs are that much more intense.”
Since joining the CHL in 2003, Colorado has two league championships and four conference titles. And the Eagles have won more than 70 percent of their games. But they’ve lost in the championship round the past two seasons. A trip to the Ray Miron President’s Cup championship series this season would be their fifth CHL finals appearance in five years.
“Everything is on the line. Everybody picks up their games,” Ulanski said. “Fans are going to see a lot more intensity on the ice. And bad blood will develop. It’s physical hockey. That’s one thing we can always rely on at Eagles games.”
CHL playoffs
Northern Conference semifinals
Colorado Eagles vs. Bossier-Shreveport Mudbugs
(Best-of-seven series; games 5-7 if necessary)
Game 1: Tonight, in Loveland, 7 p.m.
Game 2: Saturday, in Loveland, 7 p.m.
Game 3: Tuesday, at Bossier-Shreveport, 6 p.m.
Game 4: Thursday, at Bossier-Shreveport, 6 p.m.
Game 5: Friday, at Bossier-Shreveport, 6 p.m.
Game 6: April 6, in Loveland, 7 p.m.
Game 7: April 7, in Loveland, 7 p.m.
STAY ON THE COUCH
Carwin seeks MMA crown.
The casual mixed martial arts fan who tunes in to UFC 111 on Saturday night — airing live on pay-pay-view cable and at 12 movie theaters in Colorado — will note that Shane Carwin, who trains in Denver by way of Greeley, has a chance at a world heavyweight title belt. His bout against Frank Mir will crown an interim champion.
But behind the scenes, Carwin took the long road to the already sold-out fights in Newark, N.J. The 35-year-old, a two-time All-American in football and three-time All-American in wrestling at Western State, had to take time off from his mechanical engineering job at the North Weld County Water District to get to the bout.
The fights start at 8 p.m. Saturday.
GET OFF THE COUCH
On your mark . . . Get set . . . Go!
A couple of heady runs will be held Saturday, north and south.
The JourneyQuest 5K will run and walk through park trails and neighborhoods in the southeast part of Fort Collins on Prospect Road, starting at 9 a.m. The Bolder Boulder qualifier will raise funds for people recovering from brain injuries, part of Brain Injury Awareness Month ().
Near Colorado Springs, the Running for Rachael 5K will race through Air Force’s Falcon Stadium at 9 a.m. Organizers promise a challenging course with a quick finish. It’s a benefit for Rachael’s Ribbons of Hope, helping fund pediatric brain tumor research ().
WHAT WE’D LIKE TO SEE
Hamley makes Mammoth debut.
In its first game since Bob Hamley, below, became the team’s third coach this season, the Colorado Mammoth hosts the Washington Stealth tonight in the first leg of a home-and-home series on back-to-back nights.
And if Hamley’s arrival weren’t news enough, the game also is being billed as “Blackout Night.” The Mammoth will wear black jerseys and pink helmets in helping to raise money for cancer research. The 7 p.m. game at the Pepsi Center pits Washington (7-3) against Colorado (2-7) in a battle of the West Division’s top and bottom teams).
FIGHT IT OUT
Golden Gloves hits Denver.
The 65th edition of the long-standing Colorado Golden Gloves boxing tournament will crown state champions in dozens of weight classes this weekend at the Crown Plaza in Denver (Interstate 70 and Chambers Road).
The historic tournament will feature more than 100 boxers, all with a chance to move on to regional and national Golden Gloves bouts.
Early rounds continue today at 7:30 p.m., with Hall of Fame inductions. Championship bouts begin Saturday at 7 p.m. Information: .
AROUND TOWN
Arenacross comes to Coliseum.
Two-time AMA Arenacross champion Josh Demuth of North Richland Hills, Texas, has his work cut out for him when the dirtbike series comes to Denver this weekend at the Denver Coliseum.
Demuth, riding a Kawasaki, holds a slim, three-point lead over veteran Tyler Bowers in the series standings. Bowers, of Danville, Ky., also rides for Kawasaki. So any advantage separating the riders likely will come down to skill. Or daring.
That Bowers is also a two-time AMA champ — and a teammate of Demuth’s — only heightens the drama.
The Denver stop — racing today and Saturday at 7:30 p.m. — is the final leg of the season series. Both riders, along with the 14 others also vying for the title, will likely lay it all out in a last-ditch chance for the championship.
Check for information.
