Through 40 minutes, the Surrey Eagles and Cowichan Valley Capitals appeared to be locked in a defensive struggle. But by the end of the third period, both offences had awoken to produce a frenetic final frame in game that the Eagles eventually captured by a 4-3 margin.
Eagles forward Richard Vandenhoek scored the only goal of the first period, beating Capitals netminder Alex Peck with a goal that held special meaning for the visitors. Surrey captain Derek Henderson picked up an assist on the play, marking his first point since returning earlier this week from a leg injury that threatened to cut short his junior hockey career.
Vandenhoek's goal stood up as the game's lone score until early in the third period when Grant Toulmin doubled the Eagles lead. But Toulmin's marker was just the beginning during the period in which the teams traded a total of six goals.
Cowichan Valley captain Joey Massingham scored his first of two on the night to bring the Capitals back within a goal, but a power-play effort by Brad McGowan put Surrey back ahead by a pair. Massingham's second made the game interesting heading into the final minutes, but an empty net goal by Tyler Morley salted the game away. Nicholas Wong did scored as time expired to cap the scoring.
Vinny Lessard picked up the win in net for Surrey, while Peck made 17 saves in the loss.
The Eagles are set to continue their Vancouver Island road swing on Saturday with a visit to Alberni Valley, while the Capitals remain on home ice to host the Nanaimo Clippers.
