For as long as he’d been a Surrey Eagle, Logan Mostat had never experienced the joy of winning a B.C. Hockey League game.
Saturday night at Rolling Mix Concrete Arena, the 18-year-old centre put the boots to that nine-game stretch of disappointment at the expense of the Prince George Spruce Kings.
Mostat stole the puck away from Kings defenceman Stephen Penner off the end boards and from a sharp angle flicked a shot into the net behind Joseph McLeod six minutes into the third period.
Mostat’s goal, the first of his BCHL career, lifted the Eagles to a 4-3 victory, which took away the sting of Friday’s 9-3 loss to the Kings.
“I was trying to support the boys, just got out and played the body and the puck came my way so I put it in the back of the net,” said the Salmon Arm native. “It went down low and (Penner) went to hit me and I just spun around him and went for the wrapararound.
“This is the first win and it’s a real special one. We came out hitting tonight and skating and moving the puck fast and it was good.”
Mostat’s goal came right after Surrey forward Jaxson Joseph rang the goalpost. The Eagles called up Mostat in early January from the junior B Chase Heat of the KIJHL, where he had 22 goals in 36 games.
“I’m definitely feeling like I belong here now,” said Mostat.
Gage Mackie scored two goals for the Eagles and goalie Justin Laforest made 24 saves to record only his second win in 23 games. Wins have been few and far between this season for the Eagles (7-40-0-2) and the 20-year-old Laforest hadn’t won a game since Oct. 4.
The Kings (12-36-3-1) haven’t exactly been ripping it up either and in Saturday’s clash between the two BCHL bottom-feeders, the Eagles showed more offensive finish and fed off the puck-stopping efforts of Laforest.
“Overall I thought our forward group was just sloppy, turned over way too many pucks and didn’t do a very good job with our third man high and didn’t capitalize on scoring chances,” said Kings head coach Chad van Diemen, who watched Saturday’s game from the press box, serving a one-game suspension after getting tossed out of the second period Friday.
“It seemed like we thought tonight would be easier but it’s never easy to beat a team twice. They didn’t leave the rink happy with (Friday’s) game and credit to them, they came out and had a way better game, but I thought we let up, too, going into the second game of a doubleheader.”
The Eagles built a 2-1 lead after one period on goals from Nick Azar and Mackie. Kings winger Parker Colley scored on breakaway late in the opening period and Penner tied it up 3:52 into the second period when he jumped all over an uncovered puck in front of Laforest.
Having trailed since the start, the Kings got their only lead on a 5-on-3 power play 17:14 into the second period. Jarod Hovde spied Connor Logan in front and fed him with a pass from behind the net for an easy tap-in. But less than a minute later, Mackie broke in on the left wing and wired a high shot over Joseph McLeod’s shoulder to tie the game.
The Kings had their chances in the third period, but unlike Friday’s nine-goal feast, nothing came easy. Playing their third game in four nights, the Kings were down to just nine forwards on the weekend and Hovde, who joined the Kings in October in a trade from the Spruce Grove Saints (AJHL), said the lack of bodies up front might have played a factor.
“We worked hard but I don’t think we were as sharp as we were the night before, we just weren’t playing our systems as good tonight and maybe our legs were (tired), playing two straight games with a short bench, it’s a lot of work out there,” said Hovde, who had two goals and an assist Friday. “We buried pucks on Friday, but tonight we couldn’t find it.”
The Kings travel to Wenatchee for games Friday and Saturday, then play their final road game of the season Sunday afternoon in Coquitlam.
LOOSE PUCKS: Eagles forward Darren Hards, a 17-year-old native of Prince George who played last season for the Cariboo Cougars major midget team, did not play in either game in Prince George. He’s been out of the lineup since Jan. 1, when he sustained a concussion in a game against Salmon Arm… Off-ice official Edna Stitt, who provides instant updates to the BCHL website for the game summaries at Spruce Kings games, learned the hard way during the first period of Friday‘s game the rinkside booth where she sits behind plexiglass is not always safe. Stitt was hit by the puck on her left eye when a clearing attempt from the opposite side of the rink dropped in over the glass. The puck struck her flat above the eye, knocking her glasses off and shattering the computer she used to input game data. Stitt, who retired from women’s hockey three seasons ago, was left with a black eye, the worst injury she said she’s ever suffered at a hockey game.
Saturday BCHL summary
Eagles 4 at Spruce Kings 3
First Period
1. Surrey, Azar 2 (McAvoy, Black) 14:14
2. Prince George, Colley 3, 17:19
3. Surrey, Mackie 8 (J.Stewart, Mostat) 19:21
Penalties – Huitema SU (roughing) 10:37, Burnett PG (hooking) 17:05, Brown SU (misconduct), Epp PG (misconduct) 18:24.
Second Period
4. Prince George, Penner 4 (Johnson) 3:52
5. Prince George, Logan 3 (Hovde, Colley) 17:14
6. Surrey, Mackie 9 (Cooper, Huitema) 18:13
Penalties – Mackie Su (roughing), J.Stewart SU (roughing), Cooper SU (roughing), Fritz PG (double-spearing), Epp PG (roughing) 9:08, Kero SU (boarding) 15:25, Cooper SU (hooking) 15:36.
Third Period
7. Surrey, Mostat 1, 6:00
Penalties – Epp PG (cross-checking) 11:05, Joseph SU (hooking) 12:50.
Shots on goal by
Surrey 8 6 7 --24
Prince George 11 13 6 --27
Goal – Surrey, Laforest (W,2-19-2); Prince George, McLeod (L,1-5-0).
Power plays – SU: 2-5; PG: 1-6.
Attendance – 1,025.
Referees – Josh Albinati, Greg Taylor; Linesmen – Nick Albinati, Ben Yeagher.
