Game Story

Surrey Eagles vs Victoria Grizzlies Pre-Game Report

by Ryan Ho

Gunning For The Grizzlies

Victoria, BC – The Surrey Eagles (12-16-2-3) will look to finish off their Vancouver Island road trip in style Sunday afternoon, as they’ll head to the capital of British Columbia to battle the Victoria Grizzlies (11-22-0-0). The Eagles are coming off a big 3-2 shootout win last night against the Nanaimo Clippers, and will look to carry that momentum into a game against the last place team in the Interior division. The Grizzlies have been better at home though, so the Eagles can’t get caught on a high and think this afternoon will be a cakewalk.

Tommy Scarfone will get the start tonight after making 41 saves in 65 minutes, including stopping all 3 Clippers shooters in the shootout. As for the Eagles roster, check out our social media channels later today for the update.

Who To Watch Out For

The Eagles will look to take 4 out of a possible 6 points on the tough Island road trip before heading back to the lower mainland for their last 3 games of 2019. The Grizzlies have struggled at times this year, but still have some scoring punch at the top of their lineup. The Eagles will look for continued secondary scoring from a player making a return home, while the Grizzlies will lean on their top 18 year old. Here are tonight’s players to watch.

Surrey Eagles: Sean Ramsay

The electrifying Ramsay has had an up and down rookie campaign in the B.C Hockey League so far this season. There have been moments where Ramsay has struggled, but when Sean is on he’s one of the most dynamic players on this young Eagles team. Ramsay had a nice assist last night in the win, and has 2 goals and 12 points in 31 games played this year. Look for Sean to have another big game in front of friends and family in his hometown this afternoon.

Victoria Grizzlies: Cody Monds

The Grizzlies leading scorer, Cody Monds is the only player on the Grizzlies who has eclipsed the 30 point mark for Victoria this year. The Providence College commit for next season has 12 goals and 30 points in 33 games for the Grizzlies, and is one of 3 forwards over 20 points on the season as well. He’s been their go to guy for a reason, and look for the Brockville, Ontario native to continue his hot play against the Eagles.

3 Keys To The Game

For a Surrey team which has made great strides in climbing back up the standings after a rough October, these games can be tough. After beating the best team in the Island division, a young team can sometimes see a team in the standings which is struggling and fall into a trap. The boys need to play hard, and assert themselves this afternoon before they head home. Here are tonight’s 3 keys to the game.

  • Don’t let up: Alluded in the paragraph above, these types of games can almost be labelled ‘trap games.’ The Eagles need to play as hard against the Grizzlies as they did in the 1st, 3rd, and overtime periods against the Clippers. If the Eagles play up to their game, they’ll find more success.
  • Get the powerplay going: The Eagles powerplay has been dormant on this trip, going 0 for 6 in their 2 previous games on the trip. They go up against a strong penalty kill tonight, with the Grizzlies sitting 4th in the league with a tidy 83.3% penalty kill percentage. If the Eagles can crack it, it’ll open up their game at even strength.
  • Tommy Scarfone: In Tommy we trust.

Summary

The Eagles have played well on this road trip, but they’re gunning for more tonight against the Grizzlies. If the Eagles win, they’ll only be 1 point behind the Langley Rivermen for 3rd in the Mainland division. It’s not going to be easy, but the boys will look to play as hard as they did during their game last night, get their powerplay rolling, and look for more stellar play from Tommy Scarfone in order to pull out another road win.

You can catch the live broadcast on HockeyTV and Mixlr. The broadcast will start at 1:50pm, with the opening puck drop slated for 2:00pm from The Q Centre in Victoria, BC.