The Surrey Eagles will face the Victoria Grizzlies in Round 2 of the British Columbia Hockey League playoffs, with the first two games scheduled for this Friday and Saturday (April 19-20) on home ice in South Surrey.
Both teams won the first playoff series in five games, with the Eagles beating the Cowichan Valley Capitals four games to one; ditto for the Grizzlies vs. the Nanaimo Clippers.
The Surrey Eagles finished the regular season at the top of the Coastal Conference and the entire league standings, with 90 points and 44 wins, while Victoria finished the 2023-24 season with 61 points and 29 wins, placing fourth in the BCHL’s Coastal Conference.
“I think this will be a very intense series,” said Eagles co-owner Ron Brar, who owns the team with his brother TJ. “I think (Victoria) is big, they’re strong … they’re a skilled group of guys, and they have beaten us this year before.”
READ ALSO: Champions: Surrey Eagles win regular BCHL season, lead league with 88 points
That means the next series could be a little longer, he noted.
“I have a feeling this series could go up to Game 6 – I’m hoping it doesn’t, but it has the potential to go longer than the last series,” Brar said.
Brar said he has the utmost confidence in the Cam Keith-coached team, which was awarded the Ron Boileau Memorial Trophy as the team with the most points in the BCHL regular season.
“I’m hoping the Eagles pull off a good (series) win and bring Round 3 to the City of Surrey.”
Game 5 featured a sellout crowd at the South Surrey Arena, Brar said.
“We’re hoping for a big crowd Friday night and Saturday night – so far the crowds have been outstanding, the support has been great – the fans are super engaged and you can hear it,” he said.
“Go Eagles go!”
Purchase Eagles Round 2 playoff tickets at tickets.surreyeagles.ca