It's playoff hockey time in the British Columbia Hockey League, and the Surrey Eagles — last season's Fred Page Cup championship winners — are tied 1-1 after the first two games of Round 1 against their historical rivals, the Port Alberni Bulldogs.
After dropping the first game on their Olympic-sized ice in South Surrey to the Bulldogs 3-1 Friday (April 4) despite strong play and effort, the Eagles soared to a 5-1 victory over Alberni players the next night, with Surrey centre Miles Burgin scoring two goals and an assist Saturday (April 5), earning him first star of the game.
Eagles players Ryan Evenhuis (one goal, one assist) and Yuchan Kong (two assists) were named second and third stars of the game; Kong was also third star in the Friday game after scoring the Birds' sole goal.
Surrey Eagles head coach and general manager Scott Gomez, a former NHL player and coach, said he's proud of the effort the team has put into each game.
"It's playoffs ... it's every shift now," he said, adding that playoff hockey can be a completely different animal compared to regular-season hockey.
"When we stick to our process and don't get too far ahead of ourselves ... the kids have done well," he said of his players.
The teams that get into trouble during playoffs are often teams with players who may be thinking too far ahead, or panicking when things don't go exactly the way they had hoped, Gomez noted.
Overall, he has faith in his players and their strengths, especially when they all play together as a team, which they've managed to do well in a season filled with several new players on the roster as well as injuries, finishing second in BCHL's Coastal Conference standings after the regular season.
"When these two teams get together, it's really good hockey," he continued.
"They're well-coached, and you can't take (the Bulldogs) lightly at all."
Games 3 and 4 happen Tuesday and Wednesday (April 8-9) in Port Alberni, before the Eagles travel back to Surrey for Game 5 on Friday (April 11) at South Surrey Arena, with the puck dropping at 7:30 p.m.
Visit surreyeagles.net for tickets or more information.
