Game Story

Surrey Eagles vs Chilliwack Chiefs: Game 7 Preview

by Ryan Ho

Game 7

Chilliwack, BC – After the Surrey Eagles came from behind twice en route to their 4-3 win in game 6 over the Chilliwack Chiefs, the series will shift one final time to the Chilliwack Coliseum as these teams get set to play the only game 7 in the 1st round of the Shaw BCHL Playoffs. No team has won on the road yet in this series, something the Eagles will need to buck if they want to keep their season alive. Coming into the game tonight, the Eagles have been shutout in Chilliwack for over 130 minutes.

Brendan Kim will not be in the lineup for tonight’s game, after briefly appearing in game 6. However, Eagles forward Cristophe Tellier will be a game-time decision after missing games 5 & 6. Tommy Scarfone will get the start in goal for Surrey in tonight’s final game. The full Eagles roster will be posted on our social media channels later today.

Who To Watch Out For

It’s been an incredible series as these teams battle to the bitter end to see who’ll advance, but there’s still one more game on tap. The Eagles secondary scoring has gotten them through their games at home, but they haven’t received a goal in Chilliwack from anyone not named Gabe Schovanek or Hudson Schandor. It’s no secret the Eagles will need secondary scoring, while the Chiefs look to do more of the same in their own rink. For tonight’s players to watch out for, a young 17 year old will look to continue his coming out party, while a new addition to the Chiefs top line will look to have 1 more huge game.

Surrey Eagles: Christian Fitzgerald

The 17 year old Coquitlam native has been the breakout player in the series. He was elevated to the top line in game 6 and promptly put up another 2 point performance, including the game winner to send the Eagles to Chilliwack one last time. Fitzgerald had 3 goals and 6 points in 44 regular season games, and has already notched 2 massive goals in this series with 5 points in 6 games. Eagles Head Coach Cam Keith always believed in Christian, and Christian is finally breaking out into the player Cam envisioned early in the season.

Chilliwack Chiefs: Brett Willits

Brett Willits has been a monster for this Chiefs team with 15 NCAA commits on the roster, and surprisingly enough he’s not 1 of them. The 20 year old London, Ontario native has been incredible in the past 2 games, notching 3 goals and 5 points to try and will the Chiefs. He’s been moved to the top line with Ethan Bowen and Kyle Penney, and they’ve been tough to stop so far for Surrey.

3 Keys To The Game

One more game, one more chance to win on the road. It’s do or die for both teams who’ll play their heart out in front of a crowd inside the Chilliwack Coliseum which will primarily be hostile towards the Eagles. For tonight’s 3 keys to the game, they’re based around the fact the Eagles are 0-3 in Chilliwack, needing one win on the road to move on.

  • Score First: If the Eagles can get the first goal of the hockey game, early in the game and break their shutout streak and trail for the first time in Chilliwack, they’ll have all the confidence in the world to win this game. The Eagles have never led in Chilliwack in the series, and need to find a way to win one game like they won 2 in the regular season.
  • Special Teams: If there was any game to get another powerplay goal in Chilliwack, this is it. In game 5, the Eagles didn’t take any penalties, and that’s a great key to try and win as well, but the Eagles need their powerplay to work in order to come away with the win.
  • Put It All Out There (Again): Last night, the Eagles played like the team with their season on the line. They’ll need to play like that one more game in order to advance to the 2nd round. It won’t be easy, because the boys have to expect Chilliwack will do the same, but look for a spirited tilt inside the Chilliwack Coliseum.

Summary

It does not get any better than this if you’re a hockey fan. A great series will wrap up the 1st round of the Shaw BCHL Playoffs with a game 7 between 2 teams who were separated by just a point in the regular season. If the Eagles can score first, get their powerplay working, and play one more game in this series where they put it all on the line, they’ll advance to round 2 to face off against the Coquitlam Express.

Can’t make the game tonight? No worries. You can catch the broadcast on HockeyTV and Mixlr tonight, starting at 5:50pm. Puck drop for tonight’s game will be 6:00pm.