Streaks Up/Down
Every team wants that eight game or more winning streak while avoiding anything more than three games lost in a row. And the Mainland Division has been chalked full of streaks, both good and bad.
Every team has had an upswing and, except for the Powell River Kings, have had a losing skid as well. The law of averages says that the Kings should encounter a 3-4 game losing skid and allow the rest of the teams to try and close the gap. The Kings just had a nine game winning streak snapped last weekend by the Surrey Eagles.
The next hottest team in the division are those Eagles, as they have rattled off five straight wins and six of their last seven. So how are they doing it, especially after a very, very slow start to the season that included six game and four game losing streaks? What has been the difference for the Birds?
The first has been an increased attention to their own end of the rink; the team has done a much better job of protecting their defensive zone. Even though the Eagles have given up some goals in games during their winning streak, they have outscored their opponents, 6-5 in Victoria and 8-5 against the Kings.
Goals. That is another reason for the turnaround. Surrey was averaging fewer than three goals a game for the first nine games of the season while giving up almost five a game. Those two categories have closed together in the last while. The team has been getting offensive contributions from three lines and getting some help from the fourth as well as the defence chipping in.
The last reason for the rise of the Eagles is goaltender Tommy Tartaglione. He has been terrific for the team’s last nine games. He wasn’t getting the bounces early in the season but has more of late and his teammates have helped him out by putting the puck in the net.
The Eagles will be given a stiff challenge this weekend, hosting the Kings and the Nanaimo Clippers, who both first place team in their divisions.
ctiggelaar@surreyeagles.ca
