Birds Blast Rivermen in Langley

The Surrey Eagles picked up their biggest win of the season on Sunday afternoon, demolishing the Langley Rivermen 10-2 at the Langley Events Centre. Adam Tambellini had a hat-trick while rookie William Clark added two goals for Surrey's third straight victory. The game also marked the highest goal tally for the Birds in a single game this season, surpassing their previous high of seven which also came against Langley back on November 27th.

Kevan Kilistoff opened the scoring for Surrey just 2:31 into the first with a wrist shot off the rush that beat Langley starter Darren Hogg. The Eagles held the 1-0 lead throughout the first period until Tambellini scored a power play marker inside the final two minutes of the frame to put the Birds ahead by two heading into the intermission.

The Rivermen had a good start to the second and got on the board inside the first minute when Mario Puskarich beat Michael Santaguida for his 27th of the year. Langley tied the game just a few minutes later when Austin Azurdia scored. After the goal, Eagles Head Coach Matt Erhart called a timeout, and the decision to calm his team down paid off. Surrey retook the lead at 8:06 when Demico Hannoun fired a bullet of a slap shot from the right circle, picking out the top left corner of the net. Colton Mackie added a power play goal just after the midway mark of the period, chasing Hogg from the goal as he was replaced by James Barr. Despite the change between the pipes for Langley, Tambellini rippled the mesh for a second time before the end of the period with a hard one-timer from the slot.

The Surrey onslaught continued in the third after the Rivermen got into some penalty trouble. Just over a minute into the stanza, Brady Shaw laid a big hit on Langley forward Evan Anderson behind the Rivermen net, and defenseman Aaron Dolby took exception, jumping Shaw while he was down on the ice. Shaw, who didn't fight back, was not assessed any penalties while Dolby racked up an instigating minor and a fighting major, giving the Birds a seven minute power play. Surrey scored twice on the lengthy man advantage as Tambellini recorded the hat-trick with his third of the game while Brady Shaw also found the net. Brett Mulcahy picked up his 11th of the season in the late stages of the third as well while both of Clark's goals came in the final six minutes of the hockey game. Erhart also gave AP backup Brenden Sharp a chance between the pipes in the late stages, and the 18-year-old made two saves in 4:08 of action to finish the game.

The Eagles' power play went an impressive 5-for-8 in the win while Langley was 0-for-4 on the man advantage. Surrey finished ahead on the shot clock 51-35. Hogg, who let in four goals on 15 shots, was credited with the loss for the Rivermen while Barr allowed six goals on 36 shots.

Surrey will go for its fourth win in a row on Friday evening when the West Kelowna Warriors pay a visit to the South Surrey Arena. The puck drops at 7:00pm. For tickets, call 604-531-4625.

Official 3 Stars:

1. Adam Tambellini - Surrey

2. Michael Stenerson - Surrey

3. William Clark - Surrey

My 3 Stars:

1. Adam Tambellini - Surrey

2. Brady Shaw - Surrey

3. William Clark - Surrey