Eastern Washington University’s men’s hockey team got the second half of the British Columbia Intercollegiate Hockey League season off to a perfect start in more ways than one.
The Eagles snapped out of a three-game losing streak and did so by scoring a dramatic come-from-behind 8-7 win over perennial power Simon Fraser last Friday at the University Rec Center.
“Sometimes you dig yourself a hole so large you can’t get out of it, but this group of guys never gave up and just kept working,” EWU head coach Bill Shaw said.
The win improved Eastern’s record to 5-7-0, plus an overtime loss, while SFU (10-3-0-1) completed its road swing winless following a 4-3 loss at Selkirk Saturday,
The Eagles scored first – and last – but the biggest news is how they toppled the visitors from Burnaby, B.C., by scoring the game’s final four goals to rally from a 7-4 deficit at the end of the second period.
Bret Kellogg got that final tally with just 2 minutes, 56 seconds to play, his second of the game to go with an assist.
“My biggest fear was when Kellogg scored with two-and-a-half minutes left, can we hold it; we had expended all that energy coming back,” Shaw said.
Uriah Machuga’s two goals and one assist and Ryan Pajimola’s three assists paced the Eagles.
Eastern’s Joel Blasko got the third-period rally started with his goal with 12:39 to play and Jake Flynn’s score with 8:41 remaining made it a one-goal game before Alec Burks tied it 29 seconds later.
Kellogg’s goal came less than five minutes later to complete the comeback.
Cash Ulrich started the game in the nets but was replaced by Greenwell following SFU’s sixth goal. The two combined for 27 saves.
Eastern returns to the URC for games Saturday at 7 p.m. versus Trinity Western (2-10-0-1) followed by a 3 p.m. game against BCIHL leader Selkirk with a perfect 13-0 record through Jan. 13.
Paul Delaney can be reached at pdelaney@cheneyfreepress.com.
Reader Comments(0)