Surrey, BC – It wasn’t a thing of beauty, but the ramifications more than made up for the lack of artistry as the Surrey Eagles defeated the Chilliwack Chiefs 3-2 via the shootout in B.C. Hockey League action Friday night at the South Surrey Arena.
Since he’s done since being acquired at the trade deadline, Eagles goaltender Reece Klassen stood tall for all 65 minutes and the shootout decider to backstop his team to the victory. After losing their first three shootouts this season, Surrey has now won two of its past three, which neatly parallels the team’s improved goaltending during that span.
Surrey’s leading scorer Cristophe Tellier scored the shootout’s only goal with a sweet backhand deposit through the five-hole of Chiefs goalie Mathieu Caron. That was all Klassen needed to help secure the two points, as he was a perfect three-for-three in foiling the trio of Chiefs. Tellier, who has rocketed up the BCHL scoring race in recent weeks, had an assist on Gabe Schovanek’s 1-1 tying goal in the second period for Surrey. Eagles defenseman Owen Nolan put Surrey ahead early in the third period—after Klassen made five saves when Chilliwack opened the period on the powerplay—but Chilliwack got its own equalizer before the midway mark of the final period.
The Chiefs carried the play for the bulk of the period, outshooting Surrey 20-12. But with Klassen in fine form, Surrey secured the two points which increased their lead over the fourth-place Langley Rivermen to five points as playoff position jockeying is in full swing, however Langley still holds a game in hand. It’s increasingly likely that Surrey and Chilliwack appear destined to meet in the first round of the playoffs. Friday night’s win, Surrey’s third straight against a highly talented Chilliwack team, manufactured another late-season confidence boost for one of the league’s youngest teams.
“It was a scrambly game,” admitted Eagles head coach Cam Keith. “One team would go on a bit of a run, then the other team would do the same. Exciting for the fans I’m sure, but we rolled the emotions of the game poorly. But we competed hard, plus we had a short bench, and sometimes games are like that.” The Eagles lost first Brandon Sandon Juana to a first-period concussion, then Adamo Santia to a second-period fighting-major, and were also without the services of defenseman Jimmy Darby for an extended period after he took a 10-minute misconduct early in the third period for verbal abuse of an official.
“Maybe it’s that time of the year, but both teams weren’t sharp, it was like the dog days of August,” said Keith in using a baseball term. After taking the lead in the third period Surrey sat back which came close to being costly against a Chilliwack team which dressed 14 NCAA commits and two NHL draft picks. “We really couldn’t find our game after we got that big goal from Owen,” said Keith. “It was one of those games where we were riding emotions it seemed like every single play. That’s uncharacteristic for our group which has been building momentum. Lately we’ve been surgical, making smart plays, and nothing seemed to really bother us. Today we were getting into after-the-whistle altercations and more of that kind of stuff, which is good. You do want to see some raw emotion, and we need that, but we still need to learn to control it.”
The two teams meet again Saturday night in Chilliwack, and for the first time since he joined the team in mid-January, Klassen, who has gone 6-2-1 since his arrival, will start the game on the bench as Keith confirmed that goaltender Tommy Scarfone, who took over the number one job with a run of great performances in November and December, will make his return. Scarfone has been out since suffering a groin injury during a practice while the team was on an extended holiday season break.
