Nanaimo, BC – Rookie Gabe Schovanek’s shootout goal, the first in 12 such attempts this season for the Surrey Eagles, provided the game-winner as the Eagles withstood a physical manhandling to post a 3-2 B.C. Hockey League victory on Saturday night over the hometown Nanaimo Clippers.
The Eagles had gone scoreless in their three previous shootout losses this season before Schovanek, the sixth and ultimately last shooter, beat Clippers goaltender Zachary Bennett high over the blocker.
“Monster [win]!”, was how Eagles head coach Cam Keith described the victory over the Island Division leaders, a night after the Eagles gave up four second-period goals in a 5-1 loss in Powell River. The victory sets the Eagles up for a successful road swing as they now take on the Island Division cellar-dwellars, the Victoria Grizzlies on Sunday.
“With the timing of it, after playing Powell River and playing a pretty good game but not getting any results, we knew we had to get wins on this road trip otherwise the two wins over Vernon and Trail [last weekend] would kind of get whitewashed,” continued Keith. “Plus, it pushes us up in the standings to sole possession of fourth place [in the Mainland Division]. When we get to after Christmas we have to start paying attention to the standings and where we’re at, and right now it’s really important to keep getting points so that after Christmas we’re in a spot where we can try to push for that third spot, which is our goal so we don’t have to play [BCHL-leading] Coquitlam in the first round. We have a fair schedule after Christmas, but we have to keep going.”
The Eagles enjoyed a good first period Saturday. First, J.J. Fecteau opened the scoring with his first BCHL goal, just two minutes in. Four minutes later Adamo Santia broke his 26-game goalless skid when he notched his fourth of the season to push the lead to two. Nanaimo got one back before the period ended, resulting in a flood of teddy bears hitting the ice, then tied it up seven minutes into the third.
In between, however, the older and larger Clippers used their size to their advantage—somewhat to Keith’s annoyance—to both run roughshod over the Eagles and outshoot them 31-10 over the final 40 minutes.
Surrey took both the bulk of the hits and the penalties, leaving the coach to choose his words carefully when discussing the officiating. “We kind of sat back as they played physical and took over the game and we didn’t have too much of an answer. We just kind of grinded our way through. They let them charge and run into piles and hit guys that didn’t have the puck and it really played into their hands. Nanaimo is one of the oldest teams in the league and they kind of wore us down a little bit, but you know, we stuck to it. It was a very one-sided refereed game for the most part. I was very disappointed, and it got to the point where it was dangerous. I think that was one of the things that changed momentum—they were allowed to play that way and our kids don’t have the strength or experience to answer to those—but that’s hockey. Sometimes you run into rinks where you have to adjust to that. It was another learning experience for us in that way,” said Keith of one of the youngest team in the league.
Eagles goalie Tommy Scarfone was once against at his best as he continues to cement his status as the team’s number one netminder. He turned aside all but one of the barrage of shots he faced in the second and third periods, and made his best save in overtime when he slid across to rob Nanaimo’s Joshua Bourne of an in-tight backhand attempt.
The game was the sixth of eight straight on the road for the Eagles, who after Sunday’s game in Victoria wrap up the long stretch with a game in Langley next weekend. The team returns to “The Nest” on Dec. 20 when the Prince George Spruce Kings pay a visit in what will double as the Eagles own Teddy Bear Toss game.
