PORT HARDY—A near flawless performance Sunday showed just what this year’s rep midgets are capable of as they swept aside the visiting Comox Chiefs in exhibition play.
The comfortable 10-1 win was just the tonic after Saturday’s playoff, where the Eagles suffered an 8-1 playoff defeat at the hands of Alberni Valley. Riley Heemels got the only goal for the local side in that game, in which the midgets held their own in the opening stages before a five-goal third period saw the Alberni side run off with it.
The T3 Alberni team was always a tough prospect. Having spent the season battling it out in Division 1, the side claimed the top spot in the T3 North bracket with ease.
The Eagles will progress to the Island semifinals after taking the second seed in the North.
And Sunday’s game against the T2 Comox side was quite the confidence boost ahead of that matchup.
George Walkus put the Eagles on the board with just 33 seconds gone, latching on to an Alex Scott pass and firing home.
From then on a fluid, commanding and, above all, disciplined display from the local side saw them take the game by the scruff and never let go.
The Eagles added goals from Tyren Dustin, Tyson Cadwallader, Darryl Coon, Thomas Symons and Malcolm Browne, with Brett Walker and David Shaw adding two apiece. Thomas Coon joined brother Darryl, Dustin, Shaw and Cadwallader on the assist list with Scott picking up a second helper.
The visitors finally managed to get on the board with just 2:10 left in the third, an odd-man rush and backdoor pass spoiling Troy Cadwell’s shutout but taking nothing away from a rock-solid performance throughout.
Coach D’Arcy Deacon said, “The score speaks for itself. We asked them to focus on a disciplined style of play.” The coach said that the squad did concede a few more penalties than it had wanted but commended the players for not engaging when the Comox side began to show sides of frustration.
“We have a big game next weekend,” he said. “We asked the team to play this game as if it was a final playoff game.”
If the Eagles can replicate the same form, they will give any opponent a run for their money. With the schedule still to be confirmed when the Gazette went to press, Sooke looked likely to be the Eagles’ next opponent after topping the T3 South bracket.
