After three more losses on the weekend, the Surrey Eagles are trying to stay focused on the positive.
The struggling BC Hockey League team – which sits lasts in the league with just eight wins in 51 games – went winless on a two-game road trip, losing 2-1 to the Trail Smoke Eaters Saturday and 3-2 to the Salmon Arm Silverbacks Sunday. Then, on Monday at South Surrey Arena, the Eagles dropped a Family Day matinee 4-2 to the visiting Coquitlam Express.
But despite not picking up any points in the standings, Eagles head coach Blaine Neufeld pointed to the fact that all three games were close.
“We’re one bounce away in so many of these games, and the guys really are fighting through it as best they can,” he said.
Of late, the difference in most of the team’s one-goal losses is a combination of luck and confidence, Neufeld said.
“We’re young, and because we haven’t won a whole lot this year, sometimes your individual confidence goes down as the team’s kind of drops as a whole,” he said.
“I really feel for the guys, because they’re fighting hard, but we need to not let (the losses) get to us, and try and get a few wins here over the last seven games.”
Saturday’s game in Trail was a particularly tough test for the Birds, as the team was forced to ice a roster of just nine forwards and four defencemen – a full line and defence pairing short of the usual. The short bench was a result of injuries, the suspension to Sam Chatterley, while the Drapluk brothers both missed the game because they had to stay behind to write their SAT exams. They met up with the team for Sunday’s game in Salmon Arm.
“I actually thought it was one of our better games we’d played recently,” Neufeld said. “Everybody was needed, and everybody was engaged. We played pretty well.”
Against Trail, Surrey fell behind 2-0 after 40 minutes, but Eagles’ Spencer Unger made it a one-goal game seven minutes into the third, with Ben Vikich and Darius Davidson picking up assists.
Christian Short was between the pipes for Surrey, stopping 33 of 35 shots on goal.
Sunday’s game in Salmon Arm was much the same, with the Eagles trailing after two periods. Salmon Arm’s Phil Middleton and Nick Hutchinson each scored in the first period to stake the home side to a 2-0 lead, and Surrey’s Andy Chugg made it 2-1 on the power play midway through the second.
In the third, Salmon Arm went up 3-1 on a goal from Taro Hirose, and though Quinn Lenihan made it 3-2 just four minutes later, it was as close as the visiting club would get to tying the game. Short was again in net for the Eagles, making 34 saves.
On Monday afternoon, in front of one of their biggest crowds of the season, the Eagles – playing with four affiliate players in the lineup – and Express traded goals in a back-and-forth affair.
Coquitlam led 2-1 after the first period – Unger scored the lone Eagles’ goal – but the Express opened up a three-goal lead with two unanswered markers in the second frame.
Vikich rounded out the scoring for Surrey with a power-play goal 10:01 into the third period.
Netminder Daniel Davidson stopped 24 shots on goal in the loss.
With just seven games left in what has been an extremely difficult season, Neufeld said a strong end to the schedule would do wonders for next year.
“We’ll have a bunch of guys coming back, so there are still improvements we can make, and things we can learn and teach, that will help us out next season,” Neufeld said.
The Eagles will get a few reinforcements this week, in their hunt to end the season on a high note.
Chatterley – who was suspended for five games earlier this month, for instigating a fight – has just one more game to serve before he can return, and Neufeld also expects veteran blue-liner Latrell Charleson to return Friday against the Chilliwack Chiefs, after missing the last three games with an injury.
After hosting the Chiefs Friday at South Surrey Arena, the two teams will play a rematch Saturday night in Chilliwack.
Then, on Wednesday, Surrey will head down the road to Coquitlam for a midweek game against the Express.
Wear pink to the rink
The Surrey Eagles are encouraging fans to wear pink to this Friday’s game against the Chilliwack Chiefs.
The matchup of BC Hockey League rivals is Pink in the Rink night at South Surrey Arena, in support of the BC Cancer Foundation.
The Eagles are encouraging all fans to wear pink to the game in support of cancer survivors, patients and their families. The team will donate all 50/50 revenue, as well as partial ticket sales from the game, to the BC Cancer Foundation.
As well, the team will auction off autographed team merchandise during the game, with proceeds going to the foundation.
The game starts at 7:11 p.m. For tickets or more information, visit www.surreyeagles.ca or call 604-531-4625. Tickets can also be purchased on game day at the South Surrey Arena box office, beginning at 6 p.m.
