Surrey, B.C. – The Surrey Eagles (13-9-0) looked to continue their winning ways against a familiar foe on Sunday afternoon, as they prepared for a rematch with the Victoria Grizzlies (12-13-0). The Eagles scored the first two goals of the game, and the last two en route to a 4-2 win which saw Surrey improve their win streak to 5 games.
Before the game started, Michael Abgrall was celebrated as he reached the 100 BCHL game milestone last weekend against Nanaimo. Abgrall proceeded to score 2 goals to help the Eagles skate to another victory inside the South Surrey Arena. Trent Wilson also scored 2 goals in the game, and Eli Pulver made 32 saves in the win which helped Surrey improve to 4-0 against Victoria this season.
A big key for the Eagles tonight was to start the game better than they did on Friday, and Surrey did that. They out-shot the Grizzlies 9-6 in the 1st period and Wilson’s beautiful goal helped set the tone for Surrey in the 1st period. When asked about how his team played throughout the entire game, acting Head Coach Brad Tobin was pleased with the way his team started the game and how they battled throughout in his 1st game as the main man behind the bench this season in the absence of Eagles head coach Cam Keith. “I thought we dug down and played pretty hard. We knew Victoria was coming in after playing their 3rd game in as many nights, so I’m very happy with how we performed especially with me running it.”
The Eagles had done a great job against the top line of Victoria throughout the season series, but tonight Matthew Wood broke through and scored twice to tie the game. The Eagles responded right away, and were able to contain the Victoria top scorers the rest of the game to come away with the victory. It was a positive for Brad as he was pleased with the way his team was able to contain Wood and his line mates. “I think we played them pretty good. Wood is a special player, but we stuck to our game plan and limited his chances. His frustration was building throughout the game as we were able to limit his chances and we’re happy with the effort tonight.”
The Eagles came into the weekend with a 3-5 record inside the South Surrey Arena. They played solid in both games, and Brad hopes this will help the team to more success at home moving forward. “We have a lot of confidence now. It’s big for us because we haven’t been the best team at home. We’re happy with stringing a few wins together, and with 2 more home games before the Christmas break we have an opportunity to build some more good vibes.”
The Eagles next game is Teddy Bear Toss Night inside the South Surrey Arena, and the Alberni Valley Bulldogs will be the opponent. You can get your tickets online on our website, but if you can’t make the game you can watch the broadcast live on BCHL TV (Powered by HockeyTV), and on mixlr.com/eaglesbchl. Puck drop is slated for 7:00pm, and all teddy bears will be donated to Kirmac For Kids charity.
