Eddy helps Grizzlies clip Eagles’ wings

Victoria Grizzlies Connor Eddy celebrates with teammates after his first period goal against the Surrey Eagles on Tuesday night. ADRIAN LAM, TIMES COLONIST

Brian Drewry

VICTORIA 8 SURREY 5

Different venue, same Connor Eddy. After notching a hat trick last Friday at Hap Parker Arena in Powell River, Eddy kept in high gear Tuesday night at The Q Centre, racking up four more goals to lead the Victoria Grizzlies to an 8-5 victory over the Surrey Eagles.

The 19-year-old Eddy, who hails from Victoria and is head to the NCAA and Northern Michigan University next season, raised his season goal total to 18, second on the team to linemate Matthew Wood’s 23. And Eddy, after chipping in two assists on Tuesday, now has 10 points in his last two games as Victoria stretched its win streak to four games.

After Eddy opened the scoring just 1:30 into the first on a power play, the Eagles scored three straight goals, including power-play markers of their own from Primo Self and Michael Abgrall. But with Surrey playing their third game in three nights, the Grizzlies kept coming and the Eagles eventually wilted.

Eddy’s pair early in the second brought the Grizzlies even and then Michael Hoekstra for Victoria and Cole Calata for Surrey sent the teams to the second intermission tied 4-4.

After Joel Plante beat Kyle Kelsey in the Grizzlies goal seven minutes into the third to give the visitors the lead again, Grizzlies star rookie Wood struck after a nice feed from Ellis Rickwood, who finished the game with four assists.

Then it was Eddy on a breakaway two minutes later to give the home team the lead for good. Andrew Amousse on a power play and Kalen Szeto into an empty net rounded out the Grizzlies scoring as Victoria improves to 16-14 on the season.

Kelsey finished with 27 saves to pick up his seventh win of the season, while Max Prazma made 30 saves in a losing cause for the Eagles, who fall to 17-15.

The Grizzlies now hit the road for a pair of games beginning Saturday night with a trip to Duncan to take on the Cowichan Valley Capitals, then it’s on to Nanaimo on Sunday afternoon to face the Clippers.

LOOSE PUCKS: The Grizzlies were again without injured defenceman Isack Bandu and forward Jackson Morehouse.

bdrewry@timescolonist.com