The Surrey Eagles gave up five goals in the second period and were down 7-1 against Nanaimo. Despite coming back in the final frame with four goals of their own, it wasn’t enough as Sheldon Rempal stole the show in the 8-5 victory for the visiting Clippers.
Daniel Davidson started in net for the Eagles, but was pulled after allowing four goals on 20 shots. Nanaimo’s Jakob Walter got his third win of the season stopping 35 of 40 shots.
Kurt Black was the only goal-scorer for the Eagles on their road trip to Wenatchee and he opened the scoring in this game. Surrey’s lead wouldn’t last long as Rempal would net his 30th of the season followed by Will Reilly’s power-play goal to take the 2-1 lead after the first frame. A late fight between Surrey’s Matt Brown and Nanaimo’s Matt Creamer would see both players leave the game, but with a standing ovation from the South Surrey Arena crowd.
A couple of unfortunate penalties and miscued passes saw the home team in difficult situations in their own zone. The Eagles gave up two goals in 46 seconds, both on the power-play and Rempal netted his second, third, and fourth goals of the game in a span of 9:33. Some late frustrations came into play for the Eagles and Davidson was replaced by Justin Laforest between the pipes, but after 40 minutes they found themselves down by a score of 7-1.
The Eagles did not count themselves out despite trailing by six to begin the final period! Black scored his second of night two minutes in off a cross-ice pass from Paul McAvoy, who would then follow with a goal of his own on the shorthand. Darius Davidson would score his team-leading 11th goal 65 second later on the power-play and McAvoy would score once again, getting the home team to within two goals of tying it up with the second-best team in the BCHL. Rempal, however, would score on the empty net after Laforest was pulled to seal the 8-5 win for Nanaimo, halting the Eagles’ attempted comeback.
Surrey’s record drops to 5-25, while Nanaimo improves to 21-10-0-2.
Sheldon Rempal’s five-goal performance was awarded with the game’s first star, while Kurt Black and Paul McAvoy each got three points for the second and third star honours respectively.
Darius Davidson’s physical style in the defensive zone earned him his fifth Fortis BC Energy Player of the Game.
Surrey will clash with the Coquitlam Express for a home-and-home series this coming weekend! Friday night’s game will be at the South Surrey Arena with a 7PM puck-drop, while the Saturday nighter will take place at the Poirier Sports and Leisure Centre. The Eagles will round out the weekend with a home game on Sunday afternoon against the Langley Rivermen for a special-themed Star Wars Night presented by Toy Traders.
For more information on the Surrey Eagles Hockey Club, please visit surreyeagles.ca or call (604) 531-GOAL (4625).
