Valentine’s Day Special

Surrey, BC – On the day of love during this year’s B.C Hockey League campaign, two division rivals will do battle with all love having been lost as the Surrey Eagles (24-23-7) are set to square off again their 1st round playoff opponent, the Chilliwack Chiefs (25-17-11). With the season winding down to a close, these two teams have two games remaining on the schedule as the battle for 2nd place in the BCHL Mainland division is still on, albeit slightly. The Eagles have won 4 of the 6 games this year, and are looking to continue building momentum heading towards the Fred Page Cup Playoffs.

After Reece Klassen put up the shutout during yesterday’s game against the Prince George Spruce Kings, Head Coach Cam Keith has decided to go back to him for tonight’s game as he rides the hot hand. For the full Eagles roster, check our social media channels later today.

Who To Watch Out For

These two rivals have played some fierce games in the past few weeks, and tempers will need to be moderated with a playoff series looming between these squads. With home ice potentially at stake it’s up to the Eagles to rise to the challenge and continue to play the right way. As such, look for their leading scorer to lead them without his running linemate, while the Chiefs look to their top blue liner to pull away from Surrey in the standings.

Surrey Eagles: Cristophe Tellier

Tellier’s leadership isn’t as vocal as his captain, however Tellier didn’t miss a beat while Hudson Schandor continued to rest up before playoffs. The 2nd leading scorer in the BCHL marched on last night and racked up another assist on Gabe Schovanek’s game winning goal. Also on tap for Tellier is the fact the countdown to 100 BCHL points is firmly underway, as the Sherbrooke, Quebec native is 4 points away from the century mark in his BCHL career.

Chilliwack Chiefs: Cooper Moore

The Detroit Red Wings draft pick from last year has been the best defenseman on a young Chiefs team which has found relative success this season. The future North Dakota representative has excellent puck moving abilities from the blue-line, coupled with great skating and vision which has seen him quarterback the league’s best powerplay. However, Moore only has 2 assists in 6 games against Surrey, and he’ll look to change that to help clinch 2nd place for the Chiefs this evening.

3 Keys To The Game

The Eagles have won 4 straight against Chilliwack, after having lost the first 2 games of the season series back in October. As the Eagles have improved dramatically throughout the year, the hope is their improved play will carry them through the playoffs. However, with games remaining in the regular season, this one could be a huge building block for their future success. As the Eagles try to win their 5th straight against Chilliwack, here are the 3 keys to the game.

Discipline: The Eagles are 2-2 in their last 4 games, but their discipline has been a massive problem for the team of late. They’ve taken 15 penalties, good for an average of just under 4 a game. Chilliwack’s powerplay is the best in the league for a reason, and the best way to stop it tonight is by staying out of the penalty box.
Keep It Simple: When the Eagles keep it simple on home ice, they win hockey games inside ‘The Nest’. Against a Chilliwack team with a ton of offensive firepower and great puck movers, keeping things simple is another massive key for the Eagles as they try to build on their recent success. The more complicated they try to get, the less likely they are to win the game.
Grind Them Down: The Eagles have done a masterful job of playing down low against the Chiefs and not letting them find their rhythm for a majority of the game. While they got caught watching the first period of their February 1st victory, they were able to bounce back and find their game in the 2nd and 3rd periods to come out of Chilliwack with the win. They’ll need a better 60 minute effort tonight, and it all starts by hard work down low in the Chilliwack zone.

Summary

While the Eagles have been successful against Chilliwack this season overall, they can’t let that get to their heads in tonight’s matchup or their future battles. The boys need to continue to do what has worked against this team: stay disciplined, keep it simple, and grind them down in order to pick up 2 points at home. It’ll never be easy when going up against a team with so much firepower, but the boys will look to ride their winning formula to another victory tonight on the day of love.

Tickets are still available for tonight’s game! You can walk up to the box office starting at 6:00pm to buy your tickets, or visit our single game tickets page and start the preorder process. Can’t make the game tonight? No worries. You can catch the broadcast on HockeyTV and Mixlr tonight, starting at 6:50pm. Puck drop for tonight’s game will be 7:00pm.