Langley, BC – A wild second period and three shorthanded goals powered the Langley Rivermen to a 5-2 win over the visiting Surrey Eagles Friday night at the Langley Events Centre.
The Rivermen scored four times in the second period, two shorthanded and one on the power play, while Austin Azurdia added a third shorthanded marker into the empty net late in the third period to seal the Rivermen's third win in their last four games.
After a scoreless first, the Rivermen connected on their second power play of the game 7:41 into the second when Matt Ustaski one-timed a Jakob Reichert pass from down low into the Surrey net to open scoring. Five minutes later Mitch McLain was sprung on a shorthanded breakaway from a Zach Urban pass as the Rivermen Captain backhanded the puck over Bo Didur's glove to make it 2-0 Langley. Just over a minute later, Gage Torrel tipped the puck in at the side of the net off a Charlie Pelnik point shot to make it 3-0 Rivermen.
The Eagles were awarded a penalty shot after the puck was covered in the Rivermen crease with five minutes left in the second and Nicolas Pierog made good on his attempt putting Surrey on the board. But the Rivermen got the three goal lead back with Ustaski's second of the game, on the penalty kill, to take a 4-1 lead into the third.
With six and a half minutes to go in the final frame, Jakob Reichert was handed a five minute major for a blow to the head giving the Eagles a big opportunity to close the gap. Surrey was able to score once on the big power play pulling within two but when Didur headed to the bench for the extra attacker, Azurdia raced with the puck up the right wing boards, cut across to the middle and slid the puck into the empty net for the Rivermen's third shorthanded marker of the night.
McLain finished with three points Friday night while Ustaski, Reichert, and Urban all had a two point game. Brock Crossthwaite made 26 saves for his sixth win in his last seven starts.
The win improves the Rivermen's record to 21-11-1-2, five points ahead of Prince George for first place in the Mainland division. Next up for the Rivermen is a visit from the Powell River Kings Saturday night. Puck drop is 7:15pm at the LEC on Teddy Bear Toss night, where bringing a stuffed animal to throw on the ice after the Rivermen's first goal will get you into the game for free.
