The Surrey Eagles’ season series with the Cowichan Valley Capitals was swept as the home team couldn’t climb out of a four-goal hole throughout the final 20 minutes of play.
Eagles’ netminder Daniel Davidson halted 16 of 23 shots, while Caps goaltender Lane Michasiw stopped 31 of 34 attempts.
Surrey Captain Paul McAvoy got things going for the home team, scoring on an early power-play just 54 seconds into the opening period. However, the visiting team would come back firing all cylinders against the Eagles’ back end. The Capitals scored two goals in 14 seconds, courtesy of Jared Domin and Adam Osczevski, followed by another Domin goal three minutes later. Cowichan Valley would add two more before the first frame ended.
Entering the second period, the Eagles sparked some momentum as McAvoy netted his second of the game for his 12th of the year. That goal came at 44 seconds, but the three-goal deficit would be short-lived as the Capitals would score two more throughout the period, forcing a goalie switch. Davidson was replaced by Justin Laforest and would stop all 11 shots taken from Cowichan Valley, but the home team was down 7-2 after 40 minutes.
Once again, the perseverance of the Eagles’ Captain led to his third of the night to complete the hat-trick; McAvoy scored the milestone 1:40 into the final period of play. It would turn out to be the only goal of the frame and the Capitals would hold on for the 7-3 win at the South Surrey Arena.
Surrey’s record drops to 7-44-0-2, while Cowichan Valley improves to 26-22-3-3.
Cowichan Valley’s Jared Domin and Surrey’s Paul McAvoy both got hat-tricks and were named the first and second stars respectively. Caps Forward Josh Adkins would be awarded with the third star for his four-point performance.
Brett Stewart played aggressively and stood his ground deep in the defensive zone and was honoured with the Fortis BC Energy Player of the Game.
The Surrey Eagles play their final home game of the 2015-16 season this Sunday afternoon against the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. Puck-drop is scheduled for 4PM with a free post-game skate and autograph session with players following the game. It is also Fan Appreciation Night and fans are encouraged to visit the team’s website to vote for your ‘Fan Favourite.’
