Sunday afternoon’s game between the Surrey Eagles and the Wenatchee Wild was delayed due to a malfunction on Wenatchee’s team bus, but it wouldn’t be a factor for the visiting team as the love from their fans gave them that extra boost ultimately beating Surrey on Valentine’s Day.
Eagles’ goaltender Justin Laforest stopped 35 of 41 attempts in his 29th start, while Wild netminder Chase Perry halted all of Surrey’s 23 shots.
Despite the late start and the quick warm-ups, the Wenatchee Wild came out flying in the first period, scoring the game’s first goal 57 seconds in. The goal came courtesy of Charlie Combs for his 12th of the year and was followed 94 seconds later by Dakota Raabe’s 17th of the season to give the visiting team a two-goal edge. The Eagles would kill three penalties, but the score remained 2-0 after the first frame.
Eagles’ Captain Paul McAvoy and affiliate centre Kyle Dosanjh had arguably the best chances of the game for the home team to tally their first of the night, but couldn’t find an opening. The Eagles also had two power-plays to work with, but the skillful centres of the Wild worked even harder and got two more goals instead; doubling the first period score 4-0 after 40 minutes of play.
The Surrey Eagles came out on an aggressive note in the third period, but it would not matter as the Wild once again scored two goals and Chase Perry recorded his 5th shutout of the year for the 6-0 win. The Wenatchee Wild sweep the season series with the Eagles 7-0.Surrey’s record drops to 7-43-0-2, while Wenatchee continues to move up with a new record of 32-15-2-3.
Wenatchee also swept the three star honours: 3) Blake Christensen, 2) Charlie Combs, 1) Chase Perry.
Trent Huitema was awarded the Fortis BC Energy Player of the Game for his strong presence in the back end.
The Surrey Eagles will play their final set of weekend home games for the 2015-16 season this Friday and Sunday. Friday night’s 7PM puck drop will feature the Eagles and the Cowichan Valley Capitals, while Sunday afternoon’s 4PM start will see the Alberni Valley Bulldogs face-off with the home team; Sunday is also Fan Appreciation Night at the South Surrey Arena, which includes the free post-game skate and autograph session with the players.
