Darryl Coon, Matt Cahill and Thomas Symons scored two goals each Sunday as the North Island Eagles bantam rep hockey team topped Campbell River 6-2 and capped a road sweep on the opening weekend of the Vancouver Island Hockey League placement round.
On Saturday, Coon had two goals and two assists, Kale White scored twice and Symons added a goal as the Eagles rolled to a 5-1 win over Juan de Fuca in Victoria.
Riley Mathieson and Shae Simpson shared goaltending duties both days. Mathieson started both games and allowed just a single goal in two halves of work; Simpson held Juan de Fuca to one goal and Campbell River to two.
The bantams, along with the rest of the Eagles rep teams, kick off the home portion of their tiering schedule this weekend. They host Kerry Park Saturday at 1:45 p.m. in Port Hardy, then shift to Port McNeill Sunday to play Nanaimo at 11 a.m.
In Saturday’s victory in Victoria, Coon, Cahill, Brandon Purdey and Alex Scott each contributed assists. Cahill also had a helper Saturday in Campbell River.
One week before the placement round games began, the bantams notched a 4-2 exhibition win over Comox behind Cahill’s hat trick. Symons added a goal and Coon and Tyler Sexton contributed assists. Mathieson and Simpson split time in net as both goalies get work early in the season.
Atoms fall short
Coming off a big win in their opening exhibition game, the Eagles atom development team fell short Saturday in their first road contest, losing 8-5 to the Alberni Valley Bulldogs.
“The Eagles continued to come back from behind during the game and Alberni’s goalie played extremely well,” atoms coach Marty Gage said. “We definitely out-chanced them and spent more time in their zone than in ours.”
Gage was also pleased to see the second and third lines step up and provide much of the offence after the first line grabbed 90 per cent of the points in the exhibition win over Campbell River on Sept. 17.
“It shows we have the capability to be a competitive team this year and we’re all excited about watching the team develop,” said Gage.
Midgets, peewees win
It was a good weekend for the Eagles program, as the midgets and peewees also came home with victories while opening the season on the road.
The midgets swept their trip, beating Saanich 5-1 Saturday and slipping past Nanaimo 5-4 Sunday.
The peewees dropped their opener 2-0 to Sooke Saturday, but bounced back to claim a 4-2 win over Peninsula Sunday.
Both teams play at home this weekend. Game times and locations appear at left, in On Deck.