To steal a phrase from the poker world, the Surrey Eagles are ‘running bad’.
That is to say that the BC Hockey League team – still searching for its first win three weekends into the season – has done a lot of things right through six games, but hasn’t yet reaped the rewards.
Regardless of what you call it – hockey-types will say it’s simply bad ‘puck luck’ – the fact remains that the Birds have an 0-6 win-loss record after dropping both games at the BCHL Showcase in Chilliwack last week.
On Thursday at Chilliwack’s Prospera Centre, the Eagles lost 3-2 to the Cowichan Valley Capitals despite outshooting their Vancouver Island foes 56-26. Then, on Sunday, Surrey ended the weekend with a 8-6 loss to the Salmon Arm Silverbacks as a furious late-game comeback came up just short.
The Eagles are the only BCHL team yet to win a game.
Against Cowichan, most of the offence came in the decisive third period. The Capitals held a 1-0 lead after 40 minutes thanks to a Josh Owings second-period tally, and the two squads traded goals throughout the final frame.
Cowichan went up 2-0 on a goal from Rhett Kingston, before Andrew Kemp scored his third of the year for Surrey. The Caps extended the lead to 3-1 with less than two minutes to go in the game on a goal from Jared Domin, but the two-goal cushion lasted little over a minute, as Eagles’ forward Darius Davidson replied for Surrey.
Cowichan netminder Adam Marcoux can be given much of the credit for holding the Birds to just two goals, stopping 54 of 56 shots – including 22 saves in a third-period barrage.
Eagles netminder Marc Audet was tagged with the loss, stopping 23 of 26 shots.
In contrast to Thursday’s tilt – in which goaltending stole the show – Sunday afternoon’s affair with the Silverbacks was full of offensive fireworks.
Salmon Arm led 2-1 after the first period, with Davidson scoring for the Eagles, but the second period was a big one for the Interior-Division team, as they scored three straight goals in the first five minutes, and tacked on a pair more later in the period, and led 7-3 after 40 minutes. Surrey’s goals came off the sticks of Tyler Paterson and defenceman Nick Minerva, who finished with three points.
The third period brought a reversal of fortune for the Eagles, with Davidson and Paul McAvoy scoring to bridge the gap to 7-5, though the Silverbacks extended the lead shortly thereafter when Ryley Booth notched his first of the year.
Eagles’ Desi Burgart scored with 52 seconds left to make it 8-6.
Surrey will try to snag its first win of the year tomorrow (Thursday) when they host their division rivals, the Chilliwack Chiefs, at South Surrey Arena. The puck drops at 6:30 p.m. On Saturday, the teams will play a rematch in Chilliwack.
