Coquitlam ran out of gas on Sunday afternoon as the Surrey Eagles soared to victory. The Express had a great start but the Eagles survived the opening period flurry and counterpunched to perfection.
The fans didn’t have to wait long for the first goal as Ryan Mottau was sprung on a breakaway and beat Andrew Ness under two minutes into the game. It would be a moment of foreshadowing to the final score but the Express put up an excellent fight for the duration of the first. Coquitlam got a pair of goals from Andrej Kovacevic and Mason Kesselring as Kovacevic beat Nathan Claydon with a turn-and-fire from the slot while Kesselring sniped one home in tight. Surrey tied the game on a nice deke and setup from Siwhan Kim to Sam Elliot. Then James Shannon got the last laugh with under 30 to go in the first as he chased down a clearing feed and went right to the front of the goal, blowing past the defender cutting over. Overall Coquitlam outshot the Eagles 17-8 in the opening frame and had the larger share of puck possession time. The Eagles definitely benefited from their two goals against the flow of play because it set the stage for a dominant middle period.
A few minutes in to the second, the game was tied back up thanks to a Siwhan Kim tip at the side of the goal. Following that, Yuchan Kong was able to break behind the defence and got interfered with enough to warrant a penalty shot. A backhand to forehand move later and the Eagles regained the lead. To add insult to injury, Ryan Staples, the former Coquitlam Express, added his seventh of the season to turn a 3-2 lead for Coquitlam after 20 into a 5-3 lead for Surrey after 40.
The Express were still within shouting distance and played as such to begin the third period. Brandon Gill took the wind out of their sails at the 6:12 mark however as a stretch feed from D-zone to blueline sprung him behind the Express defenders and he put a backhander past Ness. Some signs of life came through as Andrej Kovacevic scored his second of the game on the powerplay with just over five minutes left but the comeback bid came up short when Cam Caron iced the game with an empty netter.
Overall the Express got a solid start in this one but took a step back in the second and third, which Surrey promptly capitalized on. Credit where it is due, the work ethic was still there even when the goals were piling up the other way. It just came down to a matter of executing on the breakout and sorting the defence out when Surrey came on the counterattack. The third game in four days effect showed on some but others just kept their legs moving with what appeared an endless supply of energy. Discipline was also excellent for Coquitlam as they had another game where they took virtually no penalties. The only one to speak of ended up being costly, as Yuchan Kong converted with his penalty shot.
The road ahead does not get any easier as the Express will now prepare for a home and home with the Chilliwack Chiefs. Friday night is at the Poirier while Saturday goes to the Coliseum in Chilliwack.
FORTIS BC ENERGY PLAYER – Leo Eperjesi
MARINER BREWING THREE STARS
3rd – SUR – Brandon Gill – 1G
2nd – SUR – Siwhan Kim – 1G 1A
1st – SUR – Yuchan Kong – Penalty Shot Goal
– Ian Wilson
