Burnaby, B.C. – On a sunny Sunday afternoon, the Surrey Eagles (14-2-1) skated to their 10th straight win in the Coquitlam pod, beating the Coquitlam Express (4-10-3) by a score of 5-2.
The game started off well enough for Surrey, as they struck first when Tait Ross ripped a shot off the shoulder of Coquitlam starter Dylan Kruss and in. However early in the 2nd, the Eagles were faced with more adversity after their leading scorer Holden Katzalay was given a 5 minute major and game misconduct for goaltender interference just 2:51 into the middle frame. The play knocked both Katzalay and Kruss out of the game. Eagles head coach Cam Keith was proud of how his team overcame the adversity. “Everyone had to grab the rope and pull with Katzalay out.”
Pull they did; the Eagles did not give up a goal on the 5 minute Coquitlam powerplay. While they gave up the equalizer a few minutes later, Brandon Santa Juana and Christian Fitzgerald scored against Jaden Little to give the Eagles a 3-1 lead heading into the final period. Coquitlam made it 3-2 in the 3rd, but Santa Juana would score his 2nd of the game on the powerplay late in the 3rd to restore the 2 goal advantage, and Jacob Slipec sealed the game with an empty netter. Max Prazma won the game with 24 saves. Little was the losing goaltender of record, giving up 3 goals on 13 shots against.
Another win where the Eagles overcame adversity and continued to develop in this 2021 Pod season in the eyes of Cam Keith, and he continues to be impressed by their ability to overcome anything thrown at them. “Probably one of the best ways to develop is to be put in stressful situations and persevere. This group continues to correctly manage the different situations that we have faced.”
As the Eagles get set for their final 3 games in this final week, Keith continued to emphasize the way his team needed to play to close out the season. “Our goal is to play our best hockey these last three games and to finish the season the right way.” The Eagles will play next against the Powell River Kings on Wednesday. Puck drop is slated for 7:30 pm inside the Scotia Barn, and you can catch all the action live on BCHL TV (Powered by HockeyTV) and on mixlr.com/eaglesbchl.
