The Surrey Eagles are the British Columbia Hockey League’s regular-season champions.
After clinching the Coastal Conference (and Cliff McNabb Memorial Trophy), the team – with a league-leading 88 points – has also won the Ron Boileau Memorial Trophy as a result of their successful season, and with only two more away games left in regular season, the South Surrey-based squad is already focusing on the playoffs, and the Fred Page Cup.
“It’s a nice way to finish up our home regular-season last game… we had a fan appreciation night and the kids put on a show,” said Eagles head coach and general manager Cam Keith. “We only lost two games all season at home, so it was a very friendly place for our team to play.”
In that game, played on Friday, March 22, the Eagles posted a 10-6 win over the Nanaimo Clippers to the delight of the home crowd at The Nest, followed by a 5-3 win in Langley on Sunday (March 24), their 10th win in a row.
READ MORE: Surrey Eagles soaring in standings with 84 points, 41 wins as playoffs near
“It’s an amazing accomplishment for this group to win the regular season – no one can take that away,” Keith said.
Moving forward, he says the team – notching their first regular-season champs title since 2013 – will be working on their playoff game.
“Regular season is a lot different from playoff hockey. When it comes to playoffs, there’s so many factors that come into play – luck, bounces and just staying healthy,” Keith said.
“You never know how certain teams are going to react when you get into playoffs.”
🏆 Regular Season Champions 🏆
— BCHL (@BCHockeyLeague) March 24, 2024
The Surrey Eagles have won the Ron Boileau Memorial Trophy! #BCHL | @SurreyEagles pic.twitter.com/zbE0A1z5q7
Keith noted the the Eagles’ roster boasts some of the best offensive players in the league, the best goalie in the league (Ajeet Gundarah, with a save percentage of 0.931) and “a lot of really good hockey players.”
“This team has shown it doesn’t matter what the style of game is, they adjust and play accordingly,” he said.
“We need to slowly morph into what’s going to work in playoffs… a little more simplified version of how we play – a little less skill, a little more meat-and-potatoes approach. What we’re trying to work on now is find a happy medium between how we play in regular season, and carry some of that into playoffs, but also adjusting to what’s going to be thrown at us in playoffs – you’re not going to score 10 goals in a playoff game,” said Keith.
“Our focus is adjusting our game to our opponent during playoffs… being OK with less goals and finding small victories in small plays is the difference between having a successful playoff team and not.”
Clinching their conference and winning regular season means the team has the home-ice advantage – on the Olympic-sized sheet at South Surrey Arena – when playoffs start, Keith noted.
The team finishes the regular season on the Island, with a game vs. the Alberni Valley Bulldogs Friday (March 29), and again vs. the Cowichan Valley Capitals on Saturday (March 30).
Playoffs will follow later in April, when all BCHL teams have finished regular-season play.
Visit surreyeagles.ca for more information.