The first month of 2019 may not have been kind to the Sicamous Eagles, but they seem poised to turn things around, starting off February with a pair of wins.
The odds seemed long for the Eagles when the 100 Mile House Wranglers came to Sicamous on Feb. 1. The Wranglers had shut the Eagles out at the start of January and also bested them 4-1 midway through the month.
The results of the previous games coupled with a Harley Bootsma goal to give the visitors an early lead in the Feb. 1 meeting could easily have taken the wind out of the Eagles’ sails and led them to be defeated once more.
It didn’t.
The Eagles tied the game up off the stick of Colton Yaremko assisted by Josh Olson with six minutes to go in the first period. The Wranglers restored their lead with 60 seconds on the clock.
After the first intermission back and forth play ensued, with goaltenders at both ends of the ice facing no shortage of pressure.
Related:Eagles lose to Storm closing out luckless January
Olson solved Wranglers netminder Jakob Gullmes 13 minutes into the middle frame; it was the period’s only goal.
The third period showed there is no love lost between the Eagles and Wranglers. Two minutes in, Jacob Chafe of the Eagles and Darian Long from the Wranglers were both penalized for unsportsmanlike conduct.
Yaremko potted his second of the game at 12:22 this one assisted by Dallas Stewart and Trysten Brookman.
Things got ugly between the two teams at the halfway point of the period. Two separate fights broke out and once the officials had broken them up James Kase Hunter and Jack Olson of the Eagles and Jayce Schweizer and Darian Long of the Wranglers were all ejected from the game. Assorted other penalties for actions outside of the fights were awarded and the Eagles and Wranglers who had not been ejected played on.
The Eagles capped off their win with a Sean Thornton goal two minutes before the final buzzer.
Bruised from their clash with the Wranglers but basking in the glow of victory for the first time in over a month the Eagles prepared to host the Grand Forks Border Bruins on Feb. 2.
Related:Sicamous Eagles play two overtime thrillers
The home team potted a pair in the opening 20 minutes, the first came from Aaron Plessis and the second from Sean Moleschi.
The Bruins found their feet in the middle period, scoring five minutes in and then following it with a shorthanded one-man effort from Josh Garlough-Bell to tie the game.
Colby Sherlock restore the home team’s lead with four minutes before the second intermission but the Bruins replied with a goal of their own.
Garlough-Bell got himself in trouble with the referee in the opening minute of the the third period; he was sent to the box for cross-checking giving the Eagles an power-play opportunity. Jordan Sheasgreen capitalized, scoring the Eagles’ fourth.
Justin Hodgson made it 5-3 with nine minutes to go, and the home team skated out the clock ending a two-win weekend.
The Eagles seem comfortable on home ice and they will stay their for a game against the Summerland Steam on Friday, Feb. 8.
@SalmonArm
jim.elliot@saobserver.net
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