Friday, February 8, 2013

Eagles Soar Past Spruce Kings

Thanks in large part to two shorthanded goals in the second period, the Surrey Eagles defeated the Prince George Spruce Kings 5-2 at the South Surrey Arena on Friday night. As a result, the Eagles finished the season series with a record of 4-4-0-0. Michael Santaguida made 32 saves for the win.

The Spruce Kings found the net first inside the opening five minutes of the hockey game when Jeremiah Luedtke picked up his own rebound and scored on Santaguida up high. But the Birds responded when Joel Gaudet rippled the mesh with a shot off the right wing just 14 seconds later to tie the game at 1-1. The Eagles took the lead in the last minute of the period when Adam Tambellini netted his 28th of the season on the power play after a great pass off the left boards from Brady Shaw.

Surrey got into penalty trouble in the second, giving the Spruce Kings four straight power plays, but the Birds came out ahead after killing all four man advantages and scoring twice while short handed. Captain Brett Mulcahy potted his 16th of the season after a good second effort when his first chance didn't find the back of the net, and blue liner Tommy Stipancik extended the Surrey lead when he was sprung on a partial breakaway as he came out of the penalty box and made a nice deke to the backhand, beating Prince George goaltender Kirk Thompson. Moments after Surrey's fourth goal, Thompson was pulled in favour of backup Liam McLeod after allowing four goals on 13 shots.

Prince George tried to fight back in the third, and the Spruce Kings pulled to within two goals when Coltyn Hansen completed a nice solo effort by tallying his 16th of the year. But that was as close as they would come. Shaw would complete the victory for the Birds by tucking the puck into an empty net as time expired to clinch Surrey's 29th victory of the season. The win was also a milestone for Head Coach and General Manager Matt Erhart as it marked his 100th victory as a Head Coach in the BCHL.

The Spruce Kings out shot the Eagles 34-32. Surrey went 1-for-4 on the man advantage while Prince George was 0-for-5.

Pro4 Sports 3 Stars:
1. Brady Shaw - Surrey
2. Tommy Stipancik - Surrey
3. Joel Gaudet - Surrey

My 3 Stars:
1. Brady Shaw - Surrey
2. Tommy Stipancik - Surrey
3. Joel Gaudet - Surrey

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