Game Story

Surrey Eagles vs Prince George Spruce Kings Pre Game Report

by Ryan Ho

Teddy Bear Toss

Surrey, BC – With Christmas right around the corner, the Surrey Eagles (14-16-2-3) finally return home after an 8 game road trip which has seen them turn their season around to take on the Prince George Spruce Kings (11-21-2-3). The Eagles, winners of 5 of their last 6 games, overtook the Spruce Kings for 4th in the BC Hockey League’s Mainland Division earlier in November, and hold a 6 point lead on the spot with 2 games in hand. It’s also a huge night at the South Surrey Arena, as tonight is the annual Teddy Bear Toss night! The boys will look to send the bears soaring at ‘The Nest’ early, and continue to score often while they continue build on their recent success heading into the Christmas break.

Tommy Scarfone gets the start in goal, as he looks to continue building on his impressive 2019-20 BCHL campaign, which has seen him red hot since the start of November. Kieran O’Hearn and Sean Ramsay will not return to the lineup, so Jordan Hendry will make his home ice debut as a member of his hometown team! Look for the full lineup on our social media channels later today.

Who To Watch Out For

It’s been a rough stretch for the Spruce Kings, who will come into tonight’s game riding a 6 game losing streak. For the Eagles, they need to know they’ll be playing a desperate team who’ll look to try and make up ground in the standings against them like the Eagles looked to do last week against the Langley Rivermen. Both teams will look to their top players to try and lead them through another tough divisional game. Here are tonight’s key players to watch out for.

Surrey Eagles: Cristophe Tellier

While it’s one thing to look to your leading scorer to lead you through divisional games, the Eagles have already seen Tellier put up huge numbers against Prince George in their previous 3 meetings on the year. Tellier has been incredible versus the defending BCHL champs, putting up 7 points (3 goals, 4 assists) in all 3 Eagles wins. For the year, the Quinnipiac commit has 16 goals and 37 points in 35 games to lead the Surrey offensive attack. Tellier has been great, and will look to continue to be great tonight on a special night in Surrey.

Prince George Spruce Kings: Nicholas Poisson

One of the few Spruce Kings players to be over a point per game in the season series, Poisson has 1 goal and 3 assists in the 3 games against Surrey this season. Poisson has been looked upon as a leader for a Spruce Kings ravaged with injuries throughout the season. In 32 games, Poisson has 11 goals and 30 points on the year, while continuing to provide invaluable championship experience to this Prince George squad. Look for Poisson to try and turn the tide in the season series against the hometown team and spoil Surrey’s big night.

3 Keys To The Game

The Eagles are 3-0 against the Spruce Kings this season, but need to expect a better effort from the Spruce Kings every time they take the ice against them. There’s still a number of weapons Prince George can utilize to take control of the game, and the Eagles can’t let up if they want to finish at .500 before the Christmas break. As such, here are tonight’s 3 keys to the game.

  • Stay within yourselves: It’ll be another large crowd on tap tonight at the South Surrey Arena, and this young Surrey squad will need to stay within themselves and stick to their game. It can be tough when you have a bunch of fans cheering you on, added energy, lots of adrenaline. If the Eagles can utilize it in a proper manner, and not try to get too fancy, they’ll find more success tonight.
  • Secondary scoring: Something the Eagles have had during their recent surge up the standings is scoring from all 4 lines. Every player on the Eagles has played a huge role in their success, and they’ll need that to continue if they want to be a strong team this season. Look for not just the top line, but every line to be a factor in tonight’s game.
  • Tommy Scarfone: This guy’s just a monster. 8-1-2-2 in his last 13 starts. Every game he’s in, he becomes a factor. If the Eagles can keep his sight lines clear, look for Scarfone to continue his excellent play.

Summary

It’s a big night tonight for the Eagles, in their first game back at home in a month. The Eagles will try to send a bunch of Teddy Bears flying early in the rink, and try to send the Eagles faithful in attendance home happy with a win over the struggling Spruce Kings. They can’t take Prince George lightly at all, but if the Eagles can play their game despite the large crowd, get scoring from all over the lineup, and get another stellar goaltending performance, then things are looking good for the boys at ‘The Nest’.

Tickets are still available for tonight’s special 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.