The Surrey Eagles put on a show for their home-opener, but it was the Coquitlam Express who surged last minute for the 8-7 spoiler victory at the South Surrey Arena with Scott Gomez in attendance.
In his BCHL debut, Marc Audet had a good run and performed admirably between the pipes. He stopped 19 of 27 shots on goal, while Coquitlam’s Lawson Fenton halted 36 of 43 for his first win of the new season
After Gomez dropped the ceremonial puck, the Express surged early eventually getting a two-goal lead 7:15 into the opening frame, but a sudden surge from the Eagles offense turned the period around. Goals by Logan Mostat, Jeffrey Stewart, Andrew Kemp, and a solo shot from Mitchell Williams put the home team up by two themselves after 20 minutes of play.
The following 20 minutes skewed in favour of the black and gold. An initial goal 67 seconds in by Cam Bertsch lead the charge; two goals in 3:13 put Coquitlam up by a goal before Surrey, BC’s own Darius Davidson netted his own to tie it up at 5-5. However, the Express added two more before the second frame ended and score stood at 7-5.
Surrey would make the comeback in the third period. D-man Tyler Cooper got things going with a wide-open shot into Fenton’s cage; Mostat would score his second goal over the half way mark of the third period and the Eagles looked like they had a chance. Coquitlam had other plans though as Owen Stout controlled a bouncing puck in the middle of the offensive zone for the eventual game-winner.
Surrey’s 2016-17 record begins with 0-1-0-0, while Coquitlam starts 1-0-0-0.
Logan Mostat’s four-point performance was enough to claim the game’s Second Star, while Express-men Owen Stout and Blake Hayward took home the First and Third Stars respectively.
The Surrey Eagles play in their Alumni Game tomorrow afternoon, 4PM at the South Surrey Arena. The friendly will feature former Eagles player and two-time Stanley Cup Champion Scott Gomez as well as Assistant Head Coach Colin Hemingway.
The Eagles will then hit the road early for the 2016-17 season. The boys will trek to the Island for three straight games in Victoria, Nanaimo, and Powell River before returning to the Lower Mainland for the BCHL Showcase in Chilliwack September 22nd – 25th.
