Game Story

Surrey Eagles vs Penticton Vees Pre Game Report

by Ryan Ho

One Last Road Trip

Penticton, BC – With the Surrey Eagles (22-21-7) 2019-20 B.C Hockey League season winding to a close, the boys will embark on their last road trip outside the lower mainland for a date against the Interior Division leading Penticton Vees (38-11-2). The Eagles are coming off a huge weekend sweep against the Chilliwack Chiefs, and will look to make more noise in the BCHL with a big win this evening. The last time these two teams played, it was a hard fought, entertaining affair in early November in which the Vees beat the Eagles 4-3 in part to a late 3rd period goal.

It will be Reece Klassen who gets the start for the Eagles tonight, as the team looks to keep him and Tommy Scarfone rolling in preparation for the playoffs. As for our full roster, you can check out our social media feeds later today.

Who To Watch Out For

This game features 5 of the top 8 scorers in the BCHL, and could be one of the most entertaining games of the season! While there isn’t a ton to play for in this rivalry, both of these teams are trying to solidify their playoff positioning with a win. The Eagles would also like some redemption after letting the game against the Vees slip away in November. In tonight’s matchup, look for the BCHL player of the month to shine bright, while the Vees leading scorer looks to stay hot.

Surrey Eagles: Cristophe Tellier

He’s become one of the premier players in the BCHL, and last month he was the best of the bunch. Tellier put up an astounding 20 points in 12 games, while riding a 8 game point streak. The hot month has seen Tellier rocket up to 2nd in BCHL scoring, and has given the Eagles some legit scoring punch atop their lineup. Look for Tellier to continue to stay hot tonight to help the Eagles make another statement against a top BCHL team on the road.

Penticton Vees: Jay O’Brien

Another highly skilled player, O’Brien has been great this year and would be higher in the BCHL’s scoring race had he not missed some time this season. O’Brien has a whopping 56 points in just 39 games, and is the team’s main focal point on a talented Penticton roster. The former 1st round pick will need to be good again tonight against a tough Surrey roster.

3 Keys To The Game

The Eagles are looking for their 3rd win in a row for just the 2nd time this season, but have managed to climb over .500 for the first time since the first week of September all those months ago. There’s no chance this will be an easy task against a Penticton team in their own building, but the Eagles haven’t shied down against anyone around the league, including road wins against Vernon and Trail already this year. To do the same against the Interior’s best, here’s the 3 keys to the game.

  • Special Teams: A continuing theme for the Eagles, they’ll need their special teams to be on for them to have a chance. The penalty kill was good versus Chilliwack, killing off 6 of 7 Chiefs powerplays. Look for the Eagles powerplay to get back up to snuff tonight, with tonight shaping up to be a barn burner.
  • Team Toughness: With the rookies gaining valuable BCHL experience, the overall team toughness of the team has continued to improve. Against such a skilled Penticton roster, look for the boys to get in their face and try to grind out the opposition. Yes, the Eagles have the top end talent to compete in a high flying game, but the added layer of physicality this group has shown will be the bigger key tonight.
  • Reece Klassen: After a 41 save, first star performance on Friday night, the Cloverdale, BC native is up to 6-2-1 on the season since being acquired. Look for him to be great tonight against another top team.

Summary

With great top end talent, some good goaltending, and defense corps which are 6 players strong, tonight has the makings of must watch Wednesday night hockey. The Eagles have been good lately, and the Vees have been excellent all season. The Eagles will look to beat the best in the Interior division as they continue their march to the BCHL playoffs which will start at the end of February.

Can’t make the drive out to Penticton today? You can catch the live broadcast on HockeyTV and Mixlr. The broadcast will start at 6:20pm, with the opening puck drop slated for 6:30pm from the South Okanagan Events Centre.