Rhys Dutcyvich scored a hat trick and Luke Gage netted the third-period, game-winner as the North Island Eagles peewee hockey team rallied for a 5-2 win over the host Alberni Bulldogs in Vancouver Island Hockey League play Saturday.
After Alberni grabbed leads of 1-0 and 2-1, the Eagles roared back with the final four goals of the game, in the last 8:26 of the third period, to win going away.
Goalie Kayden Jones picked up the win in net and Joey Grant added a goal for the Eagles (4-3-2), who moved into sole possession of third place in the Division 3 standings.
After the Bulldogs opened scoring with the only goal of the first period, Dutcyvich drew the Eagles even at 5:35 of the second off an Avory Collins assist.
The 1-1 score carried into the third period, but Alberni struck again less than a minute in to restore its one-goal lead.
Dutcyvich again knotted the score at 11:34 of the third, and the Eagles took their first lead on Gage’s goal less than two minutes later. Dutcyvich completed his hat trick with 3:15 left to play to make it a 4-2 game, and Grant tallied with 1:45 left to provide the final margin.
Gage, Payton Laming and Tynan Klein-Beekman contributed assists in the win.
The peewees return to play at home for the first time in 2015 this weekend, facing Juan de Fuca at 4:15 p.m. Saturday in Port Hardy.
Bantams lose, tie
The North Island Eagles bantam hockey club bounced back from a loss to league-leading Oceanside Saturday to force a 5-5 draw with the Campbell River Tyees during a two-day road trip last weekend.
But the bantams probably felt it should have been a loss and a win.
The Eagles led Sunday’s game 4-1 after Evan Fox scored midway through the second period. But the host Tyees charged back with three straight goals in the first nine minutes of the third period to tie the game 4-4.
David Charlie put the Eagles back in front by converting a Mandy Foldy assist with just under six minutes remaining, but the 5-4 lead was short-lived as Campbell River scored again with 4:30 left to provide the final margin.
Clayton Bono, Devin White and Tanner Roberts also scored for the bantams. Fox, Bono, Carson Strang and Bree-Anna Henderson notched assists in the draw.
On Saturday, the Eagles suffered an 8-1 loss to Oceanside, the runaway Division 3 leaders. The teams skated to a 2-2 draw in Port Alice in November, but the bantams were unable to duplicate that defensive showing against the league’s top-scoring team.
Roberts scored the lone Eagles’ goal, with assists to Bono and Strang.
Oceanside, a Tier 2 club, wrapped up the regular season with a 9-1-2 record and 20 points.
The Tier 3 Eagles are 3-5-3 and host Cowichan Valley at 2 p.m. Saturday in Port Hardy.