The Surrey Eagles started their BC Hockey League (BCHL) season with a win, but finished the Bauer BCHL Showcase weekend with a split of their two games against Interior Division opponents in Chilliwack.
The Eagles topped the West Kelowna Warriors 3-0 Friday night at the Prospera Centre, then fell 7-3 to the Vernon Vipers Saturday afternoon.
All 16 BCHL teams were in Chilliwack for the Showcase weekend, each playing two games over three days in front of college and professional scouts.
Special teams and the goaltending of Victor Adamo earned the Eagles their victory against West Kelowna.
The Warriors had a 40-24 shots on goal advantage, but couldn’t put a puck past the 20 year-old Toronto native who earned the first shutout of the young BCHL season.
Joseph Drapluk netted the first Eagles goal while on the powerplay midway through the first period. The Warriors dominated play in the second frame, outshooting Surrey 19-7, but fell further behind. Zane Schartz made it 2-0 for the Eagles four minutes into the period.
Surrey native Colton Mackie, in his fourth season in an Eagles uniform, tallied his team’s second powerplay goal with nine minutes to play in the game.
The Eagles were two-for-six with the man advantage, and killed off all four shorthanded situations.
Surrey ran out of gas Saturday afternoon, allowing four goals in the final 10 minutes of play in a 7-3 loss to the Vernon Vipers.
Vernon outshot Surrey 14-6 over the first 20 minutes, but led only 1-0 at the first intermission.
Surrey took over in the second period, and with an 18-6 advantage in shots on goal, pulled even with the Vipers.
Braeden Russell tied the score 1-1, then, after former Eagle Demico Hannoun put Vernon back in front, Jonah Renouf scored on an Eagles power play to knot the score 2-2 after 40 minutes.
Again the Vipers took the lead early in the third period, but just 55 seconds later, Russell scored from Renouf to tie the game at three goals each.
Vernon replied with four goals in the last half of the third period. Trailing 5-3 with two minutes to play, the Eagles pulled netminder Bo Didur for a sixth skater, but the Vipers scored into the open net.
They added another in the final minute of play.
Didur, a 16-year-old from West Vancouver, stopped 27 of the 33 shots he faced.
Surrey was one-for-four with the man advantage, while the Vipers were one-for-two on the powerplay.
The Eagles will play twice at home against Mainland Division rivals next weekend. The Langley Rivermen visit the South Surrey Arena at 7 p.m. Friday night, while the Coquitlam Express are the visitors Sunday afternoon at 4 p.m.
Langley won both of their games on the Showcase weekend, while Coquitlam won one and lost one.
