The Surrey Eagles suffered their first loss of the B.C. Hockey League post-season Monday night, falling 4-3 to the rival Langley Chiefs in the first game of their second-round playoff series.
Making matters worse, Surrey – who swept their first round series in four straight games over the Burnaby Express – was felled by a former Eagles, as Langley forward Darnell Dyck scored the winning tally 12:15 into the third period.
Eagles leading scorer Brad McGowan – who led the league in playoff scoring after the first round – got the home team on the board first Monday, when he beat Chiefs’ netminder Wyatt Galley on the power play, but Langley tied the game before the first intermission, when Tim Daly snuck one past Eagles goalie Karel St. Laurent, who stopped 29 shots in a losing effort.
Both teams scored twice in the second frame – Josh Myers and Matt Ius for Langley, Air Force-bound Scott Holm and Robert Lindores for the Eagles – to leave both teams knotted at 3-3 heading into the final 20 minutes.
Neither team waited long to answer for a goal scored against them in the second period, either. After Myers’ power-play tally at 6:36, Holm scored just 20 seconds later. And after Lindores – who has five points in five games so far this post-season – gave the Eagles a brief 3-2 lead midway through the period, Ius responded just 1:42 later to tie it.
Ius finished the game with a goal and two helpers, giving him 12 post-season points, and a one-point cushion on McGowan, who had 11 after Monday night’s affair.
The Eagles have the opportunity to draw even in the best-of-seven series Tuesday – also at South Surrey Arena.
Games 3 and 4 move to the Langley Events Centre on Thursday and Friday nights.
Puck drops in both games at 7 p.m.
