Skip to content

Storm breaks to Eagles’ first win

Sicamous Eagles bounce back frightful Friday the 13th loss to stomp Storm
8946507_web1_171018-EVN-Eagles-Grizzlies_1
Lachlan Labere/Eagle Valley News The Revelstoke Grizzlies’ Harrison Rosch aims to keep up with Sicamous Eagle Cody Louks during a race to the visitor’s end during the Friday the 13th game at the Sicamous and District Recreation Centre.

It was one for the books for the Sicamous Eagles.

After one tie and a string of losses, including a 7-4 upset by the Revelstoke Grizzlies Friday night, the Eagles scored their first win of the season on Saturday, Oct. 14, in a 6-1 stomping of the Kamloops Storm.

The Eagles’ Friday the 13th home-game versus the Grizzlies had its share of horror-show moments, complete with questionable penalty calls by refs to frequent visits to the sin bin.

The game began all well and good, with the Eagles getting on the board first courtesy of Noah Paterson, who delivered a goal at 15:38 in the first period off Cody Loucks and Nicholes Cossa. The score remained at 1-0 until the last five minutes of the frame, when a cross-checking call on Sebastien Archambault gave the Grizzlies a man-advantage that was converted to a 1-1 tie. This set the Eagles off on an energetic offence that paid off at 2:41, when Brendan Wozniak potted a single off Eric Bertuzzi and Archambault. The Grizzlies dug their claws in during the last minute of the frame to add one more goal before the buzzer.

The score remained at 2-2 until the halfway mark of the second period, when a couple of penalties on the Eagles – including a contentious high-sticking call on Archambault that had home-team fans loudly questioning the referees’ eyesight – saw the Grizzlies turn a two-man advantage into a one-goal lead. The Eagles fought hard for the rebound but the Grizzlies held onto the lead going into the third.

By the third period, growing tensions throughout the night reached a frightful climax filled with slashing, fighting, roughing and penalty kills for both teams.

Scoring-wise, the Grizzlies popped in a power-play marker at 14:40, with the Eagles responding minutes later with a power-play conversion by Breckin Erichuk off Justin Hodgson and Aaron Plessis. The Grizzlies added two more goals to their tally at 10:52 and 10:35. Plessis potted the Eagles’ final goal of the night on a power-play at the five-minute mark, assisted by Dallas Stewart and Carter Brown. The Grizzlies got in the last word with a Terrance Josephson goal at 4:30.

Following the frenzy of Friday night, the Eagles quickly found their stride in Saturday night’s game versus the Storm.

Sicamous netminder Zack Wickson saw more action in the first period than his Kamloops peer, but didn’t let anything get by him. Meanwhile, the Eagles turned the frame’s second half into a two-goal lead, with markers by Sean Moleshi off Joel Bourgeois and Trysten Brookman, and Josh Olson off Steward and Plessis.

First goal of the second frame was delivered by Kamloops at the halfway mark. Brian Bailer picked up the rebound, however, off Cossa and Tyler Collens, who potted the last goal before the buzzer on the power play off Bertuzzi.

Third frame started with an early, unassisted power-play conversion by Josh Olson, with the final goal of the night, an unassisted empty-netter at 7:21 by Plessis.

That’s three points for the Eagles now as they prepare for a series of away games that begins Tuesday night (after press time) in Revelstoke versus the Grizzlies. Next weekend, the Eagles take on the North Okanagan Knights in Armstrong, followed by the Chiefs in Kelowna and the Storm in Kamloops. On Friday, Oct. 27, they face the Heat in Chase before returning home Oct. 28 to once again do battle with the Grizzlies.


@SalmonArm
lachlan@saobserver.net

Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter