Langley, BC – The Rivermen keep rolling as they beat the Surrey Eagles 3-1 on Saturday night (October 12) for their 6th straight win. With the win the Rivermen move to 9-3-0-1 and continue to build on their lead in the BCHL Mainland Division.
It was a tight checking game especially in the opening period with the Rivermen gaining momentum in the second half of the period after a couple power play chances. The Rivermen were unable to pot a goal on their first period power plays but they controlled the puck and carried the play into the second period.
The Eagles got on the board first with a second period goal from Mitchell Fyffe but the Rivermen seemed determined to keep their winning streak alive as Jakob Reichert scored a couple minutes later to tie things up. The remainder of the second period was tight checking with the game staying tied 1-1 heading into the final frame.
In the third period it became a story of special teams and the Rivermen got things started quickly with a power play goal from their Captain Mitch McLain. It was an interesting goal from McLain as Rivermen teammate Tanner Johnson fired it off McLain’s chest from the point, then McLain found a way to grab the loose puck and bang it in. From there the Rivermen’s penalty kill took over as they shut down the Eagles power play and had two key kills in the second half of the final period.
The penalty kill unit played a significant role in the Rivermen’s finish as did goaltender Brock Crossthwaite who stopped 18 of 19 shots in the game. With 8 seconds left Nathan Craft sealed the deal with an empty net goal and Austin Azurdia managed an assist to keep his point streak alive at 8 games.
The Rivermen can now enjoy the rest of their Thanksgiving weekend but it will be short lived as they have three straight home games beginning Wednesday October 16th at 7:15pm against Chilliwack, followed by Saturday October 19th at 7:15pm against Penticton, and they finish up the week with a 2pm game against Prince George on Sunday October 20th.
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