The North Island Bantam Eagles had a tough road trip on the weekend, falling to the Comox Valley Chiefs and the Alberni Valley Bulldogs.
The Eagles had a formidable opponent in the Chiefs on Saturday, who are a Tier 1 team playing in tier 2, and they ended up losing 12-5 with goals coming from Joey Grant (x2), Ethan Bono (x2), and Tristan Mardell.
The Eagles faced off against the Bulldogs on Sunday, where they dropped an incredibly close game 6-5. Grant (x3), Bono, and captain Tynan Klein-Beekman all scored for the Eagles.
“We need to fight harder,” said coach Ryan Handley after the game, stating the team needs to “work harder and get much tougher if we want success.”
Handley added the Eagles “need commitment from some players and we need to play the body much more. We were not happy with our defensive zone coverage on Sunday and it’s tough for our goaltender to challenge the shooter when the pass isn’t being taken away. We will have a hard week of practice and get back to playing the way we need to to be successful.”