Surrey Eagles vs Chilliwack Chiefs: Game 1 Recap

 

Chilliwack, BC – The Surrey Eagles twice fell behind by a multi-goal margin and both times got themselves back into the game, but could never quite complete the comeback as they dropped the opening game of their first-round B.C. Hockey League playoff series 6-3 to the Chilliwack Chiefs on Friday night at the Chilliwack Coliseum.

The Eagles scored the first two goals of the third period to pull within one at 4-3 midway through the third period, but a somewhat flukey Chiefs goal involving a stanchion just moments later, and an empty-netter sealed the deal.

“We finally adjusted to the game but it was just too late. They capitalized on their chances early. We had a good push to get back into it in the third period, but it just wasn’t our night,” said Eagles head coach Cam Keith, whose team came into the series having won the past six straight meetings between the two teams, who tee it up again in Chilliwack on Saturday night.

From the opening face-off, Chilliwack played like the team with 13 NCAA Division I commits and two NHL draft picks, not like the team that had lost their last six games in the regular season to Surrey. They outshot the Eagles 17-7 in the first period in taking a 2-0 lead. After Gabe Schovanek got the Eagles on the board a minute into the second period, the Chiefs quickly responded with two goals 1:13 apart. After 40 minutes, the Chiefs led 4-1, held a 27-13 lead in shots on goal, and finished with a 38-21 advantage overall.

Schovanek’s second goal of the game midway through the third pulled Surrey within one at 4-3, but only 12 seconds later Chilliwack’s Trevor Adams took advantage of a fortunate bounce off the end boards and a simultaneous misplay by Surrey goaltender Reece Klassen to restore his team’s two-goal lead going down the stretch. All three Surrey goals were provided by their top line as both the exemplary goaltending and secondary scoring which had propelled Surrey to a 7-3 record in their last 10 regular season games were missing in the loss.

Given that it was the opening game of the game of the playoffs, notwithstanding Surrey’s six straight wins over Chilliwack to take the regular season series 6-2, Keith couldn’t put his finger on a silver lining. The consolation is that the two teams are right back on the ice at the Chilliwack Coliseum Saturday night.

“We haven’t outplayed this team in this rink once this year. We’ve won here twice, because of goaltending, so it’s something we still haven’t figured out how to do for 60 minutes. Our effort was there, but we just didn’t have enough jam. It was one of those nights when the kids weren’t quite ready to compete as hard as they needed to,” he frankly admitted. “Like any playoff series, it’s a marathon, not a sprint. They have the lead on us and we have to figure out the way to climb back into it. As the old saying goes, a playoff series doesn’t start until a team loses at home, so that’s our goal tomorrow. The guys have to do what they did in the regular season here in the playoffs.

“So the focus for us will be on the first 20 minutes tomorrow night. We have to do the things that give us the best opportunity to score, not give them the chances to score. We’ll have to weather their storm and have push-back. We have to be more aggressive and tighter so they don’t get rolling.”

Games three and four will be played at South Surrey Arena on Monday and Tuesday nights.