Chiefs Secure Shootout Win Over Eagles
By Shaelee Dombrowski
The Chilliwack Chiefs concluded the first weekend of their homestand with a shootout win against the Surrey Eagles at their Remembrance Day Game on Saturday night, presented by Retirement Concepts.
As part of their Remembrance Day ceremony, the Chiefs paid tribute to all who have served and sacrificed for our country and welcomed special guest 100-year-old veteran Bernie Hops for a ceremonial puck drop.
For the second night in a row, the Chiefs got on the board first, this time with a wrap-around goal by Brady Keith. Surrey was next to get on the board, but Keith wasn’t done yet. He regained the Chiefs lead later in the period after Milan Mrsic set him up out front.
The teams exchanged goals in the middle frame. Chilliwack’s came from Tate Hanson after he was awarded a penalty shot when the Surrey player hooked him on his breakaway. The Chiefs racked up the shots in the second period, putting 22 on net thanks to the 5-minute power play they found themselves on after Adam Boatter took a high hit. Despite the pressure applied, Chilliwack came out of the second period with just a one-goal lead.
Tensions were high in the third as both teams battled for a much-needed win. The Eagles tied it at three just over halfway through the third with a saucer pass that sent Surrey’s Jack Clark on a breakaway after he got behind the Chiefs defence. Energy was sparked back into the building just over a minute later when a fight between Chilliwack’s Nickolas Kovich and Surrey’s Asher Lucas broke out in the neutral zone. A late third-period Eagles penalty gave the Chiefs a chance to take their lead back and prevent extra time, but no dice.
The Chiefs were tasked with a huge penalty kill in overtime when a five-minute major was assessed to Brandon Osborne for head contact. Most of the penalty was spent in Chilliwack’s end, where they fought to keep the game alive. Both their penalty killers and goalie, Noah Tegelaar, stayed sharp and successfully fought off Surrey’s power play. The extra frame went scoreless, resulting in both teams’ first shootout of the season.
Justin Dumais was the chosen first shooter for the Chiefs after Noah Tegelaar shut the door to the Eagles first. Dumais deked Surrey’s goalie, then got the puck up and over him on the backhand into the net. Noah Tegelaar denied Surrey’s second shooter with a stretched-out right pad save after the Eagles shooter attempted to go over the pad on a fake-out. Peter Murray, the newest addition to the Chilliwack Chiefs, was next up with the chance to secure the win for his team, and he did when he beat the Eagles goalie glove side.
The Chiefs will be back at home on Friday, November 13th at 7 pm, where they will look to stay in the win column and earn two more points against the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. It will be Country Night at the Chilliwack Coliseum, presented by 89.5 JR Country, and rising local country star Morgan Griffiths will be in the building as intermission entertainment, hitting the stage during both intermissions.
Photo Credit: Jackson Ferguson
