Surrey, B.C. – On a rainy Sunday night, the Surrey Eagles (8-9-0) and Chilliwack Chiefs (9-6-0) renewed their rivalry with both teams looking for their 4th win in a row. After a spirited affair which ended with multiple players brawling after the final horn had sounded, it was the Chiefs who came away with the 3-2 win inside the South Surrey Arena.
The Eagles struggled to control the puck at times throughout the game, yet they did a great job of battling in the contest and tied the game multiple times. Ultimately, Hunter Curtis’ 1st career BCHL goal was too much for Surrey to overcome in the 3rd period after they had tied the game up on two previous occasions. The Eagles were outshot 34-22 throughout the game, and shot themselves in the foot with their lack of discipline. Surrey gave the Chiefs 3 powerplay opportunities which took precious time off the clock and didn’t allow them to pressure for the equalizer until it was too late. Buddy Johnson and Ante Zlomislic scored for the Eagles in the loss, while Max Prazma made 31 saves.
For Eagles head coach Cam Keith, there were positives to take out of the defeat which saw the Eagles drop back below .500 after finally reaching the benchmark on Friday night. In a game where Surrey didn’t play their best, they were still able to keep it competitive throughout the game which they were unable to do earlier in the year. “We didn’t have a lot of energy today, but the guys stuck to the game plan. We kept it simple, and tried to create from shots up top and looked for second chance opportunities. I didn’t think it was our best, but for a game where we didn’t play our best I thought it was better. Overall I thought it was a decent game for us but we can be better.”
For this young group, the teachable moments are still plenty and a game like tonight was no different. The ultimate key which failed Surrey tonight was their lack of discipline, which killed their momentum as they pressed for the equalizer in the 3rd which was a big point of emphasis for the Eagles coach post game. “We gotta hold our emotions in check, especially late in games. You never can put yourself out of a game by taking an undisciplined penalty or getting too fired up in a situation, it has to be a business like approach. If someone does something you don’t like, you need to reset and push through it. As a young team, we need to learn when things aren’t going our way we’re still always in games and we need to stay composed and remain focused on the task at hand.”
The highlight of the night was undoubtedly Zlomislic scoring his 1st career BCHL goal, and the young forward from Coquitlam, BC has scored 3 points in his last 4 games. Cam Keith heaped praise to the young forward who has continued to show improvement throughout the past couple weeks. “Zlom has 3 points in his last 4 games, and we really haven’t used him much up until this point. He’s played well and continued to make the most of his opportunities.”
The Eagles will practice throughout the week before heading on a ferry over to Vancouver Island on Friday. Their first stop during the road trip will be a return to Victoria to face off against the Grizzlies. Puck drop is slated for 7:00pm inside The Q Centre, and you can catch the broadcast live on BCHL TV (Powered by HockeyTV) and on mixlr.com/eaglesbchl.
