The North Island Atom Eagles played their first home game of the season at the Don Cruickshank Memorial Arena in Port Hardy on Saturday, and they triumphed after a gritty back-and-forth battle with the Comox Valley Chiefs.
The Chiefs’ Jenna Walker ended up scoring the first goal of the game at 9:07, and then Westin Churchill scored at 4:49 to put them ahead by two.
The Eagles dug down deep and fought back using great passing plays and controlling the zone, and they rebounded with back-to-back goals from Kyle Rushton and William Harrison to tie it up 2-2 before the second period.
After that, it was all Eagles.
Bella Stewart, Maddy Jorgenson, Dakota Knighton, and Harrison all found the back of the net in the second period, pushing the Eagles into the lead 6-3 before the third and final period.
The Eagles continued to pressure throughout the third, looking to add more points to the scoreboard.
Jorgensen, Tanner Livingston, Rushton, and Adysen Verbrugge all knocked the puck past the Chief’s goalie before the final buzzer, giving them a hard fought 10-5 win.
Eagles’ Assistant Coach Steve Verbrugge was feeling pretty good after the game, stating he thought the team put in a strong effort and “played great.”
“It’s our third win in a row,” added Verbrugge. “We got our younger kids coming up filling the spots that they’re supposed to, and the system is working great — the kids are learning a ton.”
