Game Story

Surrey Eagles vs Salmon Arm Silverbacks Pre Game Report

by Ryan Ho

Star Wars Night

Surrey, BC – After a win in a rink far far away, the Surrey Eagles (20-20-7) are getting set to host their annual ‘Star Wars Night’ with a game against the reeling Salmon Arm Silverbacks (23-20-4). The Eagles come into tonight’s game riding a 2 game winning streak and having clinched their spot in the B.C Hockey League playoffs, while the Silverbacks are 0-2-2 in their last 4 games. The only other game in which these two teams met was in late October, when the Silverbacks came away with a 4-1 decision.

The probable starter for tonight’s game will be Reece Klassen, who won his 5th start in 7 games with the Eagles this year. Sean Ramsay had 2 goals in his return to the lineup last night, and you can see where he’ll slot in on our full roster later today on our social media channels.

Who To Watch Out For

The force is strong with this young group, and they’ve continued their upward ascent in the standings with a 6-3-1 January record. The Eagles have scored 20 goals in their past 4 games and haven’t lost in regulation since January 15 against the Coquitlam Express. The reason for this? The Eagles have gotten scoring from everywhere in their lineup and their powerplay has started to heat up as well. As far as who to watch out for, a Victoria native will look to stay red hot while the Silverbacks best player will attempt to help his team stop the bleeding.

Surrey Eagles: Sean Ramsay

It had been a long time for Ramsay to have had to watch the team from the sidelines, but his return to the lineup last night came with quite a jump. Ramsay looked like an X-wing out on the ice as he flew around the Centennials on his way to a 2 goal, 1st star performance. Ramsay has 4 goals and 16 points on the year, but has a lot more to give as he looks to adjust to the BCHL before playoffs.

Salmon Arm Silverbacks: Akito Hirose

Arguably the best defender in the BCHL, Hirose has an astonishing 9 goals and 46 points in 47 games this season. The Minnesota State University of Mankato commit leads his team in points, and is a threat everywhere on the ice. While his team has fallen in the standings after their blistering hot start, look for Hirose to try and single-handedly spoil the fun inside ‘The Nest’ this evening.

3 Keys To The Game

The Eagles finally climbed back to .500 with their win last night against Merritt, and have scored a lot of goals. What can’t be overlooked is the fact Reece Klassen has been a huge improvement for this team while Tommy Scarfone has been given time to rest up. These Eagles have their swagger back right now, and will look to keep it going against another Interior division team. Here are tonight’s 3 keys of the game.

  • Powerplay: The Eagles powerplay has been absolutely lethal this weekend, going a combined 5 for 9 in their 2 games against Prince George and Merritt. This improved special teams unit will take the Eagles deep in the playoffs if they can continue to find success when they have the man advantage. Look for it to be a factor tonight.
  • Feed Off The Crowd: With such a big game being hosted this afternoon, there looks to be a large crowd on hand for tonight’s BCHL showdown. The boys need to keep their emotions in check, and feed off the adrenaline in a way which won’t see them take a bunch of unnecessary penalties or try and get too cute with the puck.
  • Discipline: The one knock on the Eagles this weekend has been their lack of discipline in their 2 wins. The Eagles have taken a combined 11 penalties so far, and need to cut down on those tonight as they get set to take on the Silverbacks.

Summary

It’ll be a great afternoon of hockey inside ‘The Nest’ as ‘Star Wars Night’ will be in full swing. The Eagles are looking to sweep their weekend triple header against another struggling Silverbacks squad. However, the Eagles need to continue to find success on their powerplay, feed off the crowd in a positive manner, and remain disciplined if they want to accomplish their task.

If you don’t have your tickets for Star Wars Night, then you can walk up to the doors at 3:00pm and buy your tickets. If any adult brings a non-perishable food item for Envision Financial’s Full Cupboard Project, then they’ll get $5 off their ticket! In addition, you can take photos with your favourite Star Wars characters throughout the game. If you can’t make it to the game tonight, the broadcast will be live on HockeyTV and Mixlr starting at 3:50, with puck drop slated for 4:00pm inside the South Surrey Arena.