Eagles Come Back to Beat Chiefs

Brett Mulcahy scored twice as the Surrey Eagles overcame a pair of two goal deficits to pick up an important 6-4 win over the Chilliwack Chiefs at Prospera Centre on Friday night. With the victory, the Eagles moved to within one point of the Chiefs for the Mainland Division lead. The win was marred by an ugly check-from-behind by Chilliwack captain David Thompson on Eagles forward Brady Shaw.

The Birds found the back of the net first when Drew Best made a nice pass out of the left corner to Nic Pierog who beat Chilliwack goaltender Mitch Gillam at 4:45 of the first. Chilliwack evened the score moments later when an odd bounce landed right on the stick of Tanner Cochrane who fired the puck past Michael Santaguida to tie the game. Phil Zielonka put the Chiefs ahead before the first intermission with his 29th of the year, wiring a shot into the back of the net from the high slot.

Jaret Babych put the Chiefs ahead by two just over five minutes into the second period when he wired a wrist shot over Santaguida’s glove off the rush. Surrey made it 3-2 when Mulcahy scored his first of the game, batting a puck out of mid-air off Gillam’s back and into the goal. The Birds got a power play shortly afterwards, but Austin Plevy made them pay, scoring shorthanded to put Chilliwack ahead 4-2. The Chiefs had a great opportunity to extend their lead when Tanner Burns was sent in on a breakaway, but Santaguida stood strong and closed the five hole, making what would turn out to be a crucial save. The Eagles rallied to tie the game before the end of the stanza. First, Michael Stenerson tucked the puck inside the right post after a fortuitous bounce off the end boards, and Mulcahy added his second of the game on the power play to even the score.

It was all Surrey in the third. Best put the Birds in front just 2:01 into the period when he whacked his second rebound past a sprawling Gillam, and Kevan Kilistoff added to the Surrey lead just after the midway mark of the period with a beautiful deflection of a Devon Toews wrister from the left point. The Eagles maintained the lead, but the game turned ugly in the final minute when Thompson recklessly ran Shaw from behind into the side-boards in the Surrey zone with just 16 seconds remaining. The Chilliwack captain was given a five-minute major for checking-from-behind and a game misconduct, and Shaw went straight to the dressing room.

The Eagles out shot the Chiefs 43-33. Surrey went 1-for-7 on the power play while Chilliwack was 0-for-1. Eagles forward Adam Tambellini left the game midway through the second period and didn’t return after an awkward collision behind the play.

Surrey gets right back at it on Saturday night when the Langley Rivermen visit the South Surrey Arena. The puck drops at 7:00pm. Call 604-531-4625 for tickets.

Official 3 Stars:
1. Brett Mulcahy - Surrey
2. Austin Plevy - Chilliwack
3. Michael Stenerson - Surrey

My 3 Stars:
1. Brett Mulcahy - Surrey
2. Nic Pierog - Surrey
3. Austin Plevy - Chilliwack