Surrey Eagles vs Wenatchee Wild Pre Game Report

Off To The USA

Wenatchee, WA – After the Surrey Eagles (18-20-2-4) laid down a beatdown against the West Kelowna Warriors last night, they’ll head across the Canada-USA border to take on the only team down south, the Wenatchee Wild (21-19-3-1). The Wild will be hosting their Military Appreciation Night this evening, and will look to put on a much better showing for their fans after they were shutout by the Cowichan Valley Capitals by a 4-0 score on Friday night. As far as individual milestones go, Eagles captain Hudson Schandor now has 98 career B.C Hockey League points, as the countdown to 100 has begun.

The Eagles will once again turn to Reece Klassen for his 5th straight start tonight. Look for the full Surrey Eagles roster on our social media channels later today to see if there are any changes.

Who To Watch Out For

The Eagles top line was incredible against the Warriors, picking up 13 total points as a line. Cristophe Tellier led the way with a 5 point effort, while captain Hudson Schandor and rookie Gabe Schovanek each had 4 apiece. They’re up for a tougher task this evening, as the Wild have 21 wins on the year and will look to redeem themselves for their home fans. With some potent offensive weapons of their own, here are tonight’s key players to watch.

Surrey Eagles: Cristophe Tellier

The former Wenatchee Wild forward has been incredible this season for the Eagles, and last night was his best game in an Eagles jersey. The Quinnipiac commit now leads the team in goals (22), and points (50) in just 44 games, and has taken his game to a new level as the year has gone on. The Sherbrooke, Quebec native will look to keep his fantastic weekend going against the team that traded him in the off-season.

Wenatchee Wild: Nick Cafarelli

For the Wild, Nick Cafarelli has been their rookie sensation this year, and leads the team with 36 points (15 goals, 21 assists) in just 38 games. The young forward with a commitment to the University of New Hampshire is the straw that stirs the drink offensively for the Wild, and will be the key player for the Eagles to stop this evening.

3 Keys To The Game

For the Eagles tonight, they’re going to need to be ready for a much better effort from their opponent. Both games the Eagles have scored 7 goals this season, they’ve lost the next game because they weren’t able to keep their effort level consistent to the night before. If they want to hold onto 3rd place in the B.C Hockey League’s Mainland Division, they’ll need to keep the same level of play from last night and come out of the USA with another 2 points. To do that, here are tonight’s 3 keys to the game.

  • The Top Line: When the top line is clicking like they were last night, the Eagles are one of the toughest teams to beat in the BCHL. With 2 players over a point per game (Tellier & Schandor), and the 3rd member of that line not far behind (Schovanek with 26 points in 35 games) the top players can will the Eagles to victory. With Schandor closing in on the century mark for his career, look for this line to be buzzing again.
  • Powerplay: The Eagles powerplay went a tidy 2 for 3 last night, including a 5 on 3 tally to get them out in front early, and then put the game away late. The boys make the game so much easier on themselves when they rotate with the man advantage, and get shots through to their opposing netminder. Look for them to continue their success on the man advantage as the boys try to get it ready for the playoffs at the end of February.
  • Keep It Up: The boys need to play just as hard tonight as they did last night in their huge 7-3 win. As previously stated, the Eagles have scored 7 goals 3 times this year, and they lost their next game after the other two 7 goal games. Look for a better Eagles effort as the boys look to start another winning streak to end the weekend.

Summary

The Eagles will look to go down to the USA and pick up a big 2 points against a quality team this evening. If the boys can play with the same effort level like they did last night, continue to build off the success of their powerplay and let the top line work, the Eagles will come out of Wenatchee with their 2nd win in a row. Also, best of luck to Schandor tonight as he’s 2 points away from 100 in his BCHL career!


Can’t make it to the game tonight? You can catch the live broadcast on HockeyTV and Mixlr. The broadcast will start at 6:50pm, with the opening puck drop slated for 7:05pm from Town Toyota Center.