Redemption

The Surrey Eagles (2-2-0) look to get themselves back in the win column following 2 losses when they travel to Duncan to take on the Cowichan Valley Capitals (3-1-0). It won’t be an easy game for Surrey, who fell flat on their face in the 3rd period last night against the Alberni Valley Bulldogs. Cam Keith and his young team will need to rebound quickly, wipe away what happened, and get themselves set for another tough game tonight.

The Eagles lineup will remain unchanged up front, as Cam will allow his team to show their resiliency and bounce back right away. In net, it’ll be Thomas Scarfone between the pipes in the 2nd game of the back to back Vancouver Island road trip. You can check out the full Eagles lineup below.

Who To Watch Out For

The Capitals come into tonight’s game averaging a gaudy 4 goals a game, while the Eagles have surrendered 3.5 goals a game. The Eagles need to tighten things up, as it’ll be a battle on both ends of the rink. There’s a lot of talent for both teams in the lineup as these teams get set to do battle, but here are the players to watch for tonight.

Surrey Eagles: Cody Schiavon

If there was ever a game the Eagles needed their captain to step up and be a monster, tonight’s the night. Schiavon has been the Eagles workhorse this season on the blueline, and last night scored his 1st goal of the year. However, he wasn’t immune to the Eagles collapse and had a couple of costly gaffes late as the Bulldogs snatched the win. Tonight, they’ll need their captain to set the tone and make sure the boys find their game early.

Cowichan Valley Capitals: Tyrell Boucher

The Capitals are only 4 games in, but their leading scorer is none other than blue-liner, Tyrell Boucher. The 20 year old Grand Prairie, Alberta native came to the Capitals after playing the past 2 ½ years with his hometown Grand Prairie Storm in the AJHL. His first season in BC has started better than he could’ve hoped for, with 7 assists in those 4 games. The Eagles will have a boatload of problems as Boucher’s excellent puck moving ability and ability to clear the zone will be a tough puzzle to crack, but a necessary one if the Eagles want to get back in the win column.

3 Keys To The Game

While it’s easy to look at the negatives after the boys lost a game in the 3rd period, the Eagles played strong in the first 40 minutes last night. Obviously, 40 minutes isn’t the entire hockey game, and there are still things they need to shore up to give themselves a better shot to win. Here are the 3 keys to the game.

– Better Special Teams: This is combined into one point, but yet again it reared it’s ugly head in the loss last night. While the Cade Alami goal came right as the Eagles powerplay expired, they fell to 1 for 16 with the man advantage to start the year. On the flip side, the Bulldogs went 1 for 3 on the powerplay, and their powerplay goal was their first of what turned into 5 in the final frame. Simply put, the Eagles need to start seeing some results on special teams if they want to break this mini losing skid.

– Wipe The Slate Clean: There’s no point in dwelling on what’s already happened for the players tonight. They need to refocus and get set for another tough opponent on the road. This young team will need to show the resiliency from early in the year and prove they won’t back away from a challenge.

– Play The Full 60 Minutes: As stated above, the Eagles played a great game through 40 minutes, then collapsed in the 3rd period. This team is young, and Cam promised growing pains throughout the year. The boys need to learn how to lockdown games late and make it easier on themselves, both mentally and physically. If the Eagles go into the 3rd period with the lead, they need to keep pouring on the pressure and put the Capitals away.

Summary

The Eagles and Capitals are both coming off losses in their previous games, so both teams will be out playing to get back in the win column. For the Eagles, they’re especially motivated after having a win snatched out of their grasp a night ago. Look for a tight game from Cam Keith’s team, and one in which the Eagles play a simpler, yet more efficient style as the boys gun for their 3rd win of the season. You can catch tonight’s broadcast on HockeyTV and Mixlr at mixlr.com/eaglesbchl. The broadcast will start 10 minutes prior’s to puck drop. Puck drop is at 7:00pm!