The crowd at the South Surrey Arena was entertained by a back and forth game that featured high skill and a couple of strange bounces.
Surrey’s Joseph Drapluk opened the scoring on a 5 on 3 powerplay 12 minutes into the 1st Period. It was a strange breakdown, as Express defender Ben Israel was knocked down away from the play, providing Drapluk the opportunity to walk out from the corner and tuck the puck past Gordie Defiel.
The Express pulled even with a powerplay goal of their own. Corey Mackin worked the puck below the goal line to Adam Rockwood, who zipped a pass cross crease to a pinching Cam Marks. The pass bounced off his skate and in for his 2nd goal of the season.
The game opened up for 6 goals in the 2nd Period.
Surrey Captain, Brett Mulcahy, re-established the Eagles’ lead on another powerplay early in the frame. Danton Heinen followed that up just 1:17, making it 3-1 when he wired home a wrist shot from the left wing.
The brief defensive lapse put the Express in a bit of a hole, but they wasted no time in reversing their fortunes.
Jackson Cressey pulled the visitors within one as he deflected a Cody Boyd shot past Devon Fordyce.
Then the BCHL's most dangerous shorthanded tandem struck again. Ryan Rosenthal poked the puck up to Corey Mackin who walked in on a breakaway and beat Fordyce over the glove to tie the game at 3. It was the league leading 12th shorthanded goal of the season by the Express, and 5th against the Eagles.
Mackin potted his 2nd of the period with 2:16 remaining, giving the Express a 4-3 lead.
It was short lived, as Nic Pierog scored off of a faceoff in the Express zone just 37 seconds later.
Nothing was resolved in the 3rd Period, despite each team having chances to break the deadlock. The best came in the final 35 seconds when Adam Rockwood came out of the corner, powered the puck to the net and was stopped by the right leg of Fordyce, who also turned Ryan Rosenthal aside with an even better save on the rebound.
In the first overtime the best chance to end it was a breakaway for Luke Sandler but the Eagles forward lost control of the puck on his attempt to deke to the backhand.
The Eagles prevailed in the 2nd Overtime as Jonah Renouf broke in on a 2 on 1, waited as his teammate drove to the net, before deking past the traffic and slide the puck into an open net for the game winner.
Surrey outshot the Express 40-33. Despite the loss, the Express remain 4 points up on the Eagles for 3rd in the Mainland Division.
The Express will play their final game before the Christmas break Friday, when the Powell River Kings come to town.
