The North Island Atom Eagles tied the Saanich Braves on Saturday at the Chilton Regional Arena in Port McNeill.
The game was a closely matched battle from the start with both teams taking turns controlling each other’s zone, but it was the Eagles who got out to an early lead in the first period thanks to a goal from Tanner Livingston, assisted by Maddox Peterson, at 11:28.
The Eagles continued to score from that point, with Dakota Knighton getting the puck from Travyn Foster and finding the back of the net off a long shot at 9:50.
The Braves answered back with a goal of their own at 7:51, but it was Livingston who picked up his second goal of the game after that with a hard wrist shot to make it 3-1.
The second period was a defensive battle, with neither team being able to get on the scoreboard.
The Eagles goaltender Lucas Handley stood his ground through two periods, making great save after great save to keep his team in the lead.
In the third period, the Braves mounted a comeback, scoring two goals in the last four minutes of play to tie it up 3-3, and that was how it ended.
The Eagles next home game is Feb. 17 at the Don Cruickshank Memorial Arena in Port Hardy against the Powell River Kings.
As of this writing, the Eagles are currently in third place in their tier 3 division with eight points.
