All eyes were on the Poirier tonight as the Eagles and Express threw their best shots at each other. Once the dust settled the Surrey Eagles once again rested atop the BCHL.
This game was entertaining from opening puck drop to final whistle as it often is when these teams square off. Coquitlam knew they needed to play with swagger and a bit of desperation in their step to ward off the Eagles and their balanced attack. They achieved that and then some through the first 40 minutes of this game.
The best teams in the league know how to capitalize on mistakes. Surrey is no exception to this sentiment. A gamble at the blueline when Coquitlam attacked the Surrey zone resulted in a jump the other way for Aaron Schwartz. The pride of Parkland, Florida made good on the opportunity with a backhand-forehand deke and tucked the puck home past Ethan Simcoe.
In the second period the Express found their answer off the stick of none other than former Surrey Eagle Jacob Bonkowski. Drew Garzone made a mad dash for the goal in the Surrey zone and ended up leaving the puck behind when trying to navigate around the official who was back-skating in the way. He somehow kept the puck moving towards the net and Bonkowski was there with him to coerce the puck through the pads of Jaiden Sharma.
With a tie game heading into the third period the energy in the building was palpable. Coquitlam was buzzing for the entirety of the second period as they outshot Surrey 15-2 in an excellent display of poise and control with the puck.
The Eagles weathered the storm and came back with a vengeance in the third. They only got two opportunities on the powerplay in this game and that was enough. Aaron Schwartz finished off a great possession play with a wristshot that Ethan Simcoe knocked down with his glove but couldn’t grab before Ryden Evers but his 17th of the season past the Coquitlam netminder. The powerplay marker opened the door for Surrey to get out and play their game as a bit of confidence eked back into their play.
Five minutes after they took the lead, Surrey added to it with Ryden Evers again finding paydirt. Former Coquitlam Express Evan Brown set him up for a shot from extremely high in the slot and it found its way past Simcoe for a 3-1 game.
With time winding down the Express had no choice but to resort to the extra attacker. The old faithful that has treated them so well in the past. With Simcoe on the bench Coquitlam got to work and kept the Eagles pinned in their zone for the better part of the final three minutes of the game. This is where third star Jaiden Sharma comes into full effect. Several scramble plays were shut down with the defence supporting the young goalie well. Sharma’s biggest save of the game came from a Manfre drive to the goal off the right wing. Manfre was in his wheelhouse and let a shot go that was labeled for the top half of the goal but Sharma kept his shoulders high to fight it off.
The Eagles finally wrestled control of the puck with just under a minute to go and found the final nail in Coquitlam’s coffin. Aaron Schwartz got the tally and tied teammate Caden Cranston for second in the BCHL with 28 goals.
Offence has been the biggest hurdle for the Express for a significant amount of time now. The Express have scored three goals or less for 13 straight games and are averaging less than two goals a game during that period. Snake bitten is one way to describe it as they manage pressure and opportunities in abundance but fail to get the bounces and puck luck they need. Defence and goaltending have kept them afloat through the recent months, but something has got to give. The work ethic they have shown indicates it will come. One of these games it is going to click and once the lid is off Pandora’s Box, good luck to whoever they face.
Coquitlam are back at it this Friday against the Langley Rivermen on Women in Sport Night. Opening faceoff is scheduled for 7pm PST!
FORTIS BC ENERGY PLAYER – Jacob Bonkowski
MARINER BREWING 3 STARS
3rd – SUR – Jaiden Sharma – 40 Saves
2nd – SUR – Aaron Schwartz – 2G
1st – SUR – Ryden Evers – 2G (GWG)
– Ian Wilson
