A new Surrey Eagles initiative will pair junior hockey players with local students in a program designed to make a lasting difference in their lives.
To help raise at least $23,000 to fund the initiative, an upcoming game with Vancouver Canucks alumni as well as current and former Eagles players will serve as a fundraiser for the initiative, entitled Birds and Buddies. The game night, which happens on Saturday, March 22, is a special event that aims to raise approximately $1,000 per Eagles player for the upcoming season.
Fans can look forward to a thrilling match-up, featuring a split of Surrey Eagles Fred Page Cup champions and Surrey Eagles coaching staff, who will be taking on a team of Vancouver Canucks Alumni and Eagles rookies. Additionally, to enhance the excitement, the first period will feature a mini skills competition, including a 'Fastest Skater' challenge, where four Eagles players compete in a head-to-head race, culminating in a final showdown, and a skills and shooting challenge, where players navigate obstacles and test their accuracy in a timed shooting event.
"Our goal is to have 23 kids 鈥� one per Eagle player 鈥� spread out throughout Surrey," said Rob Brar, who co-owns the team with his brother, TJ Brar. "Our plan is for them to have a backpack for their buddy with books and Eagles gear and swag ... that Eagles player will also come to the school, and he's going to play ball hockey with the kid."
The program will focus on including children who may be struggling socially or emotionally, or who may have experienced bullying or lack strong support systems, Brar said.
Players will also take their buddies on tours of the Eagles dressing room and show them how it all works behind the scenes, hold a 'Breakfast with the Birds' with the students and their parents, include them in post-game skates, and they'll also give their buddies tickets for their families and classmates to come to a game, he continued.
"Then we're going to recognize that kid on our jumbo screen so that kid feels like a million bucks when he goes back to school."
The initiative, held in partnership with Rick's Heart Foundation, is intended to foster mentorship, confidence, and connection through meaningful interactions with Eagles players, as well as to promote social inclusion and create lasting memories.
"For these young students, knowing they have a 'big bird' looking out for them can make a world of difference, both in the classroom and beyond," an Eagles release noted.
Although Rick鈥檚 Heart Foundation and Saint John Paul ll Academy are already sponsors for the evening, corporate sponsors are still being sought for the March 22 Canucks alumni event, and proceeds from that night's game will go directly toward Birds and Buddies. Donations will be accepted through personal contributions, corporate sponsorships, and game-day fundraising activities.
Interested sponsorship parties can email operations@surreyeagles.net, while tickets and more information can be found at
The South Surrey-based team, which just clinched a playoff spot and currently sits in third place in the British Columbia Hickey League's Coastal Conference, are the reigning after a .
Former Eagles goalie Ajeet Gundarah, who helped win the cup and currently plays for Sacred Heart University in the Atlantic Hockey America league, is also continuing on a streak of success, having just been named the AHA's Rookie of the Week for a third time. He has also been named AHA Goalie of the Week three times so far this season, and was AHA Goalie of the Month in December.
Catch this year's team in action this Friday, March 14, at South Surrey Arena and save the date for the March 22 Surrey Eagles and Vancouver Canucks alumni game, also at the South Surrey Arena, with a 6:30 p.m. start.
Tickets are available at and for more details, visit
