Burnaby, B.C. – The Surrey Eagles (11-2-1) came from behind twice and overcame some shoddy discipline to win 4-3 in overtime over the Powell River Kings (6-6-2). The win is Surrey’s 7th win in a row as they continue to soar in the Coquitlam pod.
It was one of the tougher games Surrey has played all year, and they didn’t do themselves any favours giving the Kings 9 different powerplay opportunities, including a full 2 minute 5 on 3 followed by another 2-minute powerplay. Eagles head coach Cam Keith credited the win on his abilities to dig deep throughout the game. “[The] boys dug in on the penalty kill with some crucial blocks and timely saves.” Max Prazma made 31 saves in the victory for his 5th straight win.
Right from the get-go, the Kings made it known the Eagles were in for a tough night inside the Scotia Barn. Powell River struck first when Nolan Krogfoss banged home a loose puck right in front of Prazma to make it 1-0. Just three and a half minutes later, White Rock native Jacob Slipec tied it up off a great feed from Michael Abgrall. In the 2nd period, both teams traded goals again. Gabe Schovanek gave the Eagles the lead with his 6th of the year, but Powell River’s Ben Raymond tied it up halfway through the middle frame.
In the 3rd period, frustration started to brew for Surrey in the eyes of Keith. “We became too focused on external issues during the game which affected our decision making.” After having taken 5 penalties in the first 48 minutes of the game, all hell broke loose after the Kings made it 3-2. Jimmy Darby got called for 2 separate cross-checking minors, and Rocco La Cara was called for tripping on the same play which put the Eagles in an undesirable hole.
Despite the situation, the Eagles dug down and battle hard. Directly after the Eagles killed the 2 man advantage, La Cara sprung Christian Fitzgerald in alone who scored an unreal short-handed goal to give the Eagles new life and tie the game up at 3. The Eagles would kill off the remaining penalty being served by Alec Saretzky, and another minor called on Michael Abgrall to force the game to overtime. The Eagles controlled the puck for the full 2:08 of the extra frame, capped off when Brandon Santa Juana ripped an absolute laser over the shoulder of Kings starter Nick Peters for his 4th of the year. Cam Keith called this game, “…a lesson on maintaining a level head and not letting emotions affect our play.”
The Eagles don’t get much time to rest following the victory, as they’ll look for their 8th win in a row Thursday night against the Coquitlam Express. Puck drop is slated for 7:30 pm inside the Scotia Barn, and you can catch all the action live on BCHL TV (Powered by HockeyTV), and mixlr.com/eaglesbchl.
