Burnaby, B.C. – The Surrey Eagles (4-2-1) clawed back from 2 deficits, including a late go-ahead goal by the Coquitlam Express (3-2-2) but can’t gain the extra point in a 4-3 overtime loss at the hands of the Express on Wednesday evening.
In a much more evenly played contest between the two teams, the Eagles needed to battle for every inch on the ice. Eagles head coach Cam Keith liked the effort his team gave but noted the Eagles’ lack of finish as a culprit in their OT loss. “I thought we competed for 60 minutes on both sides of the puck but didn’t capitalize on our chances. Coquitlam made things hard on us limiting 2nd chance opportunities.”
Rocco La Cara, Holden Katzalay, and Gabe Schovanek scored for Surrey in the loss, while Eagles starter Tommy Scarfone gave up 4 goals on 42 shots. Coquitlam was buoyed by a great offensive performance from rookie Keaton Oakley, who had 2 goals and an assist in the contest. Tyler Schleppe scored, and Danny Pearson scored the overtime winner for the Express.
It was a struggle for Surrey to even get the game to overtime. Despite the 4 goals against, Scarfone was terrific in the 3rd period while he stifled numerous Coquitlam shooters. Schovanek’s goal came with 61 seconds remaining in regulation to tie it up late after Coquitlam took the late 3rd-period lead. Despite the loss, Cam praised his group’s resiliency. “Our group has done a tremendous job of staying focused through the highs and lows.”
Yet there’s always something to improve upon after every game, and Cam mentioned game management as his number 1 key. “We will continue to work on game management and an increased focus on getting to 2nd chance opportunities around the net.”
The Eagles’ will look to put those keys to the test on Friday, as they get set for another game against the Powell River Kings. Puck drop is slated for 7:30 pm inside the Scotia Barn. You can watch the game on BCHL TV (Powered by HockeyTV) and on mixlr.com/eaglesbchl.
