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PHOTOS/VIDEO: Special weekend for Surrey Eagles as team wins 2 more games, including a thriller

Huge crowd and shutout win on Punjabi Night, followed by 6-5 victory over conference leaders
Tom Zillich
Tom Zillich
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Bhangra musician Jazzy B drops a ceremonial puck at South Surrey Arena on Friday, Nov. 19, 2022, with the help of B.C. Hockey League CEO Chris Hebb, left, and Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke, prior to the Surrey Eagles’ 5-0 win over Vernon Vipers. Also pictured in the background are Eagles team owners Ron and T.J. Brar, and musician Luv Randhawa. (Photo: Garrett James, via Facebook.com/SurreyEagles)

It was a very big weekend for Surrey Eagles, both on the scoresheet and in public relations.

The B.C. Hockey League team skated to a pair of home-ice wins, blanking Vernon Vipers 5-0 on Friday (Nov. 18) before rallying late in the game to edge Nanaimo Clippers 6-5 two days later, on Sunday.

Friday’s game saw a large crowd fill South Surrey Arena for a Pujabi Night celebration where bhangra-music star Jazzy B dropped the puck in a pre-game ceremony, with help from Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke and league CEO Chris Hebb.

Jake Bongo scored a pair of first-period goals for the Eagles, with single markers from Aaron Schwartz, Ryden Evers and Ethan Riesterer. Goaltender Eli Pulver made 25 saves for the shutout win.

STORY CONTINUES BELOW

Sunday afternoon’s game celebrated the Ravens of Semiahmoo Minor Hockey Association. In a pre-game ceremony, a cheque for $6,803.15 was presented to Indian Residential School Survivors by Semi Hockey Foundation, from the sales and auction of special Ravens jerseys designed by Roxanne Charles.

• READ MORE: Hockey teams partner with Semiahmoo First Nation to support residential school survivors.

Against the Coastal Conference-leading Clippers, the second-place Eagles closed the gap with a huge home-ice win. Olli Gabrielson scored with 96 seconds left in the third to break a 5-5 tie and give the Eagles the victory.

Less than two minutes earlier, Cole Galata tied the game by netting a rebound off a Jake Bongo shot from the slot.

The Eagles’ five-goal third period included a pair of earlier tallies by Jacob Bonkowski, along with a single goal from Ante Zlomislic. In the first period, Logan Lorenz struck on the powerplay to open scoring. Goaltender Eli Pulver saved 38 of 43 shots for the win.

Three more home games are next for the Eagles, on Friday night (Nov. 25) against Coquitlam, Sunday afternoon versus Chilliwack starting at 4 p.m. (Nov. 27) and then Friday, Dec. 2 against Salmon Arm.


tom.zillich@surreynowleader.com
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Tom Zillich

About the Author: Tom Zillich

I cover entertainment, sports and news stories for the Surrey Now-Leader, where I've worked for more than half of my 30-plus years in the newspaper business.
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