Though they won just once in three games last week, the 性视界传媒 Eagles went out of their way to prove to a pair of potential playoff foes that they will not be pushed around.
The Birds were whacked 3-0 on home ice Thursday by the first-place Powell River Kings 鈥� and lost 3-1 the following day to the Victoria Grizzlies, who trail 性视界传媒 by eight points 鈥� but both losses were tempered by what coaches these days often call 鈥渁 high level of compete.鈥�
On Thursday, with his team trailing Powell River 2-0 late in the third period, Eagles blue-liner Linden Saip 鈥� who stands six-foot-two and is listed at 195 pounds 鈥� squared off against Kings defenceman Justin Dasilva, who at six-foot-five and 220 pounds is one of the BCHL鈥檚 biggest, and toughest, players.
The fight came near the end of a raucous third period that saw the two sides pile up 56 minutes in penalties, four misconducts and three game misconducts.
Eagles forward Daniel Gentzler was ejected for a delivering a blow to the head, and was suspended for Friday night鈥檚 tilt against the Grizzlies.
And while a willingness to drop the gloves didn鈥檛 put another notch in the win column, the energy level did spill over to the next night鈥檚 game which, though it featured two second-period scraps 鈥� Jeff Vanderlugt in the first, captain Tyler Morley in the second 鈥� was not quite as boisterous as Thursday鈥檚 action.
The home team鈥檚 attention instead was focused on the opposing net, as the Eagles held a decided edge in scoring chances and peppered Victoria netminder Matt Ginn with 41 shots.
Only Richard Vanderhoek was able to beat him, at 18:22 of the second period.
After stopping 34 shots against Powell River, goaltender Karel St. Laurent earned a rest against Victoria, while rookie Andrew Hunt took over goaltending duties, stopping 21 shots.
The two losses came after a 5-2 win Wednesday over the Coquitlam Express at the Coquitlam Sports Centre, which stretched the Eagles鈥� win streak to six games.
Vanderhoek, Michael Stenerson, Colton Mackie, Scott Holm and Vanderlugt each scored for the Eagles, while defenceman Riley Sweeney chipped in with two assists.
St. Laurent was in net, stopping 25 shots and now has 17 wins on the season.
With 69 points, the team now has a five-point cushion on the third-place Langley Chiefs in the BCHL鈥檚 Coastal Conference; Powell River is in first with 87 points.
The Eagles hit the road this weekend for their final road trip of the regular season, with a Friday-through-Sunday schedule that includes rematches with Powell River and Victoria, and wraps up with a game in Port Alberni against the Bulldogs.
- by Nick Greenizan
