Surrey Eagles vs Wenatchee Wild Pre Game Report

Sock Toss Night

Surrey, BC – As the march to the B.C Hockey League playoffs continues for this young Surrey Eagles (22-22-7) team, the boys are getting set for a rematch with the only team from the USA, the Wenatchee Wild (25-22-4). The Eagles are starting their final stretch of the season, where they’ll play 6 of their last 7 games at home, so tonight is a good starting point to try and build some momentum at ‘The Nest’. Tonight is also the Eagles Sock Toss Night, in support of the Surrey Fire Fighters Charitable Society. The first goal scored by the Eagles will set off a rain of socks which will all be donated to support Surrey Youth Homelessness!

After coming in relief of Reece Klassen in Wednesday night’s game, look for Tommy Scarfone to get the start at home this evening against the Wild. Our full Eagles roster will be posted on our social media channels later today.

Who To Watch Out For

The Eagles battled hard against the Penticton Vees on Wednesday, coming back from three 1 goal deficits before the 4th Vees goal proved to be too much to overcome. Tonight, the boys are looking to bounce back, like they’ve done through most of 2020 en route to an 8-5-1 record since the calendar flipped over. As far as who to watch out for, a certain Eagle has 4 goals in his last 2 games, while the Wild’s top forward looks to replicate his success from the game on January 18th.

Surrey Eagles: Carter King

King has had himself quite a stretch recently, scoring 4 goals in his past 2 games to up his season total to 13. The Calgary, Alberta native has continued to develop through the season, and has become one of the Eagles more consistent scorers in 2020, with 7 goals and 9 points in his last 13 games. Look for more of the same from Carter tonight as the Eagles look for revenge against Wenatchee.

Wenatchee Wild: Sam Morton

The 20 year old from Lafayette, Colorado has been a key player for the Wild the past couple of seasons, but has really taken off since returning to the lineup this year. In just 19 games, the forward has 8 goals and 21 points for an over PPG clip, while giving the Wild some much needed top line scoring. Morton also had himself a game against the Eagles in January, scoring 2 goals in their 4-3 overtime win against tonight’s home team. Morton will be a factor this evening as they’ll look for the 2 game sweep against Surrey.

3 Keys To The Game

As previously mentioned, the Wild beat the Eagles by a score of 4-3 in a wild overtime thriller in Wenatchee on January 18th. If the Eagles want to bounce back and stay over .500, they’ll need to follow these 3 keys to the game.

  • Be Better Defensively: The Eagles haven’t had many problems scoring goals as the season has progressed and their younger players have developed, but the team needs to remain strong defensively if they want to see post-season success. There were too many open looks for Penticton on Wednesday night as the Vees scored 4 times, and the Eagles can’t be giving up so many grade A opportunities. Look for the entire team to bear down and help out their goaltender this evening.
  • Penalty Kill: While the powerplay has improved recently, the penalty kill has started to struggle at an inopportune time. The boys have given up powerplay goals in 2 of their past 3 games, while also giving up a multitude of scoring chances. Look for a better effort tonight when down a man if the boys want to avenge their January 18th overtime defeat.
  • Tommy Scarfone: Scarfone made all 7 saves in relief on Wednesday, which makes it 49 straight shots he’s stopped going back to his 1st career BCHL shutout on Saturday night against the Chilliwack Chiefs. This will be Scarfone’s first home start in 2020, and he’ll look to put on a show for the Surrey faithful in attendance.

Summary

The Eagles are looking to continue their winning ways, despite the set back on Wednesday night. Their opponent this evening is another interior division team with offensive firepower and good goaltending, so the Eagles can’t afford to take another night off. Look for the penalty kill to be better, better defensive play, and more great goaltending from Scarfone if the Eagles are to pick up the 2 points this evening.


Tickets are still available for tonight’s 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.