The Wenatchee Wild may have showed up late to South Surrey Arena Sunday afternoon, but they wasted little time scoring once they finally did hit the ice.
The Wild were delayed in arriving the Valentine’s Day contest against the Surrey Eagles due to the team’s bus breaking down en route from Washington, but despite the travel hiccup – plus an abbreviated pre-game warm-up – Wenatchee forward Charlie Combs scored just 57 seconds into the game, and then Dakota Raabe made it 2-0 less than two minutes later.
In the second period, the visitors – who sit in second place in the BC Hockey League’s Mainland Division – scored twice more, with Bryan Yoon and Brandon Puricelli finding the back of the net, and
The third period was much of the same, with the Wild – who’ve been undefeated against the last-place Eagles this year, despite some close calls – scoring twice more to escape town with a 6-0 shutout victory.
Wenatchee goaltender Chase Perry stopped all 23 shots en route to his fifth shutout of the season.
Veteran netminder Justin Laforest stopped 35 shots for the Eagles.
After a recent schedule that has included plenty of three-games-in-one-weekend stretches, this past one was a bit lighter for the Birds, whose only other game last week – aside from the Wenatchee loss – was a rare midweek tilt at South Surrey Arena against the division rival Langley Rivermen, which the home side lost 4-2.
Langley took a 1-0 lead in the first period on a goal from Justin Szeto, and Zac Masson made it 2-0 in the second period. The Eagles fought back to tie the game in the third period, however, after back-to-back goals from Brett Stewart – who fired a rocket from the blue-line that beat Rivermen goalie Nick Trenciansky – and captain Paul McAvoy, but the tie didn’t hold up before the final buzzer.
Langley’s John Schuldt broke the deadlock with 3:17 left in the game and Zach Bleuler iced it with an empty-netter to give the visitors the two-goal margin of victory.
This Friday begins the Eagles’ final set of weekend home games of the season, with a 7 p.m. tilt set against the Cowichan Valley Capitals. On Sunday, at 4 p.m., Surrey hosts the Alberni Valley Bulldogs.
Sunday is also fan-appreciation night, which includes a post-game skate for young fans, as well as an autograph session with the players.