Game Story

Surrey Eagles vs Vernon Vipers Pre Game Report

by Ryan Ho

On The Road Again

Vernon, BC – The Surrey Eagles (9-15-2-3) will finish off the month of November on a 2 game road trip, and it starts tonight against the Vernon Vipers (14-11-1-1) in Vernon. The Eagles are coming off a tough overtime loss to the Coquitlam Express, while the Vipers are coming off a 3-1 loss against the Langley Rivermen last Saturday. Both teams want to get back into the win column, even more so for the Eagles who are looking for their 10th win of the season.

It’ll be Tommy Scarfone who gets the start for the Eagles tonight, as he looks to help backstop the boys to their 4th win of the month. Brendan Kim will make his Eagles debut against his former team on a pair with Brett Bliss. For tonight’s full lineup, check out our social media channels later on today.

Who To Watch Out For

The last time these teams met, the game ended in a tightly contested 2-1 shootout finish with the Vipers taking the win. While the Eagles played hard in that game, they’re going to look to break through and score more than 1 goal to change their fate. It won’t be easy, but look for the Eagles oldest player to bust out and net his first BCHL goal of his career, while the Vipers former Vancouver Giant will look to lead his team to a victory.

Surrey Eagles: JJ Fecteau

It’s been quite the season for the 20 year old Georgia native, as the former centre was moved to defense earlier in the year. Fecteau will see time back at his native position up front, and will get an opportunity to make a difference with Holden Katzalay still out of the lineup. Look for JJ’s offensive abilities to shine to help propel the Eagles to another win.

Vernon Vipers: Dawson Holt

It’s been a strong season for the former Vancouver Giant, as Holt has been a difference maker for a Vernon team which has scored a league low 63 goals on the season. Holt has 6 goals, and 14 points in just 16 games so far this year, and had an assist and the shootout winner in the only other game against the Eagles earlier this year.

3 Keys To The Game

The Eagles month of November has been better, but they’re still last in the Mainland division, 3 points back of the Rivermen and 4 points back of the Prince George Spruce Kings. If the Eagles want to make a push up the division standings, these are the types of games the boys have to find a way to win. It won’t be easy against such a stingy defensive team such as the Vipers, but if the boys can follow the keys below they’ll find a way to push through and earn 2 points.

  • Crash the net: Against a team with a strong defensive presence like the Vipers, going to the net and making life difficult for their goaltender is an absolute must. Sure, it’s fun scoring highlight reel goals, but the Eagles need to be willing to go to the dirty areas and bang home 2nd and 3rd chance opportunities if they want to pull through with a win tonight.
  • Keep the powerplay rolling: The Eagles weren’t able to score an even strength goal last weekend, but their powerplay pulled through and capitalized 3 times against the league’s best penalty kill. If the boys can keep their powerplay rolling, it’ll help them stay in the game while they look for an even strength tally to push them over the hump.
  • Efficient breakouts: Lastly, the Eagles need to do a better job of getting the puck out of their own zone to their forwards. They were suffocated in their past few games, and had a real problem getting the puck out of their own end. If the defense can be more efficient in getting the puck up the ice, it’ll allow the forwards more time with the puck to make something happen.

Summary

Tonight’s not going to be an easy night for this Eagles team, but it’s time to see what they’re truly made of. With the month of November almost coming to a close, the boys will look to improve their even strength play, crash the net, and use their powerplay to propel them to their 10th win of the season against a stingy Vipers team.

You can catch the live broadcast on HockeyTV and Mixlr. The broadcast will start at 6:50pm, with the opening puck drop slated for 7:00pm from Kal Tire Place in Vernon, BC.