Victoria scored twice in the final 3:06 to defeat the Eagles 4–2 and improve to 3–0 on the season.
The Victoria Grizzlies gave the home crowd plenty to celebrate Friday night, scoring twice in the closing minutes to defeat the Surrey Eagles 4–2 in their Home Opener at The Q Centre.
Surrey opened the scoring when Paul Wiczek found the net at 4:51 of the first period, but the Eagles’ lead lasted just over two minutes.
William Léonard pulled Victoria even at 7:15, converting a setup from Levi Eiter for his second goal of the season.
Tyson Schamehorn then brought the crowd to its feet at 18:47, scoring his first BCHL goal to give the Grizzlies a 2–1 lead. Gabriel Courchesne and Mike Cuesta collected the assists.
Surrey answered midway through the second period when Owen Fitzgerald tied the game at two, setting up a tightly contested final 20 minutes.
The deadlock held until Eiter delivered the decisive goal with 3:06 remaining. Parker MacDougall created the opportunity, and Eiter finished it for his first goal of the season, giving Victoria a 3–2 advantage.
Jackson Gillespie sealed the victory with an unassisted empty-net goal at 19:07.
“I thought our group handled the moment well,” said Grizzlies Head Coach and General Manager Geoff Grimwood. “There was a lot of energy in the building and we had to respond after falling behind early. We stayed composed, continued to work and found a way to win another close game in the third period. Levi stepped up when we needed a big play, and it was great to see Tyson rewarded with his first BCHL goal in front of our fans.”
Eiter finished with a goal and an assist and was named the game’s first star. The alternate captain now has six points through Victoria’s first three games.
Mikus Vecvanags stopped 21 of the 23 shots he faced to earn his third consecutive victory. Victoria outshot Surrey 30–23 and successfully killed all four Eagles power plays, keeping its penalty kill perfect through the opening three games.
Alex Hendry was named the FortisBC Energy Player of the Game.
The Grizzlies next head on the road for a Sunday afternoon matchup against the Powell River Kings. Puck drop is scheduled for 2 p.m.
Scoring Summary
- Victoria: William Léonard, Tyson Schamehorn, Levi Eiter, Jackson Gillespie
- Surrey: Paul Wiczek, Owen Fitzgerald
- Shots: Victoria 30, Surrey 23
- Power play: Victoria 0-for-3, Surrey 0-for-4
- Goaltending: Mikus Vecvanags — 21 saves on 23 shots
