The Surrey Eagles’ modest win streak came to an end on the weekend, as the team dropped a 7-4 decision to the visiting Trail Smoke Eaters at South Surrey Arena Sunday evening.
The loss was the first in three games for the Eagles, who had reeled off back-to-back wins heading into the weekend, including a 3-2 overtime win over Salmon Arm last Wednesday.
The two wins – coupled with a pair of overtime-loss points from the first two weekends of the BC Hockey League season – bumped Surrey up into the middle of the Mainland Division pack. With Sunday’s loss, they now sit fourth in the five-team bracket, with a record of 2-5-0-2 (win-loss-tie-overtime loss); they’re seven points shy of the first place Chilliwack Chiefs.
Sunday, the Eagles seemed to be in line for a victory through the first two periods, with the home team holding a slim 4-3 lead through 40 minutes.
Though Trail led 2-1 after the first period – Scott Davidson and Griffyn Martin scored for the Smokies, while Chase McMurphy replied for the Eagles – Surrey outscored Trail in the second frame.
Surrey rookie Ben Vikich scored a pair of goals less than three minutes apart to give his squad the lead – a one-goal margin that held by the second intermission, even after Trail’s Jake Lucchini and Surrey’s Sam Chatterley traded goals in the second half of the period.
The third period, however, proved to be the Eagles’ undoing.
Trail scored four unanswered markers to run away with the two points, capped by a short-handed empty-netter from Craig Martin with 1:22 left to play.
McMurphy and Vikich each finished the game with three points, and rookie goaltender Daniel Davidson stopped 35 shots in net.
