Back To Work
Surrey, BC – On Monday night the Surrey Eagles were able to come back twice against the Chilliwack Chiefs en route to their 1st win in this Fred Page Cup round 1 series. However, as the series gets set to continue tonight, the Eagles have their work cut out for them if they want to even the series up at 2. The boys did a lot right in their 3-2 victory, but they have to continue the hard work they’ve put in throughout the series if they want to head back to Chilliwack on level footing.
It’ll be Tommy Scarfone back in the crease tonight after coming in relief of Reece Klassen, and giving up 1 goal on 17 shots in 49 minutes of action. Kieran O’Hearn will not be back, and Brendan Kim is a game-time decision. The full roster will be posted on our social media channels later today.
Who To Watch Out For
For the first time in the series, the Eagles got goals from members outside of their top line of Hudson Schandor, Cristophe Tellier, and Gabe Schovanek. While each of them have 3 points in the series, Schandor and Schovanek haven’t gotten on the board since game 1, while Tellier picked up a point last night on the Carter King tally. For tonight’s game, the 1st star from last night will need to be great again while the Chiefs look towards their leading scorer from the regular season.
Surrey Eagles: Brett Bliss
The Brown University commit has been thrust into top pair minutes in every situation after Kieran O’Hearn was taken out of the series via a suspension in game 1. He’s thrived with the added opportunity, playing great against every Chilliwack line he’s matched against and scoring his 1st career BCHL playoff tally in yesterday’s win. Bliss had 6 goals and 19 points on the season, and will look to continue his hot play tonight.
Chilliwack Chiefs: Nikita Nesterenko
The 3rd star from last night’s game, Nesterenko got himself another assist to increase his tally to 3 in 3 games. However, Nesterenko doesn’t have a goal in the series. If the Chiefs want to come out of Surrey with a 3-1 lead, Nesterenko will have to find the scoring touch which saw him put up 20 goals and 56 points in 56 regular season games.
3 Keys To The Game
The Eagles finally managed to kill off all the Chiefs power plays in a hockey game, and lo and behold they came away with the victory. In a pivotal game 4, look for more of the same as the Eagles look to even up the series.
- Special Teams: The Eagles finally won the special teams battle in game 3, but it needs to continue if they want to find more success. While the penalty kill was great, the Eagles powerplay went 1 for 5, and failed to score with a minute long 5 on 3. Look for the powerplay to improve a little more in game number 4.
- Secondary Scoring: None of the 3 Eagles goals last night came from their top line, and this sets them up beautifully in game 4. While the top line hasn’t been as dominant as they normally have been, the fact the Eagles proved they can score with their other lines should allow the Eagles a little more opportunity to find better match-ups for the top unit.
- #InTommyWeTrust: Scarfone has been excellent in the series, only giving up 3 goals on 41 shots in his 2 appearances. If the Eagles continue to receive quality goaltending, the Eagles can expect to soar back into this series and potentially win it.
Summary
The pressure is still on Surrey tonight as they look to avoid falling into a 3-1 deficit at the hands of the Chiefs, but there’s a ton of confidence heading into game 4. The Eagles have been terrific the last 2 games, and they’ll look to play with that same energy level in front of their home fans inside ‘The Nest’ and come out with a game 4 win.
Tickets are still available for tonight’s game 4 showdown between the Eagles and the Chiefs! Can’t make the game tonight? You can catch the broadcast on HockeyTV and Mixlr tonight, starting at 6:50pm. Puck drop for tonight’s game will be 7:00pm.
