The last time the Surrey Eagles and Prince George Spruce Kings met, it was early January at South Surrey Arena, and Justin Laforest had one of the best goaltending performances of the year. He stopped 63 shots in a 2-2 tie, but could not repeat that effort on Friday night in Prince George.
The Eagles would drop the first game of a two-night doubleheader in Prince George by a score of 9-3, as Laforest was replaced by Daniel Davidson in the first period after surrendering three goals.
Things remained close in the first period, thanks to powerplay goals by defencemen Brett Stewart and Tyler Cooper. Both pointmen would score on slap shots from the point that eluded Spruce Kings’ netminder Liam McCloskey.
The second period saw Prince George take a commanding lead with four unanswered goals. A third period goal by Gage Mackie would draw the Eagles a bit closer, but they could not complete the comeback. Mackie’s goal now gives him a total of seven on the season.
The teams are right back at it on Saturday night for a rematch. It could be another chippy affair, as game one ended with some rough stuff and player ejections on both sides.
Check out a photo gallery of Friday night’s game below:
