Two British Columbia Hockey League teams who have some serious playoff history will face off in South Surrey this Friday and Saturday as Round 1 of BCHL playoffs starts.
Surrey Eagles, reigning after an that saw the league-leading squad win six of nine BCHL trophies awarded each year, are aiming to bring the cup back to Surrey, said Ron Brar, who owns the team with his brother, TJ Brar.
"The Fred Page Cup is the ultimate goal ... we said goodbye to it yesterday, it's on its way back to BCHL head office," Brar said Tuesday (April 1).
"After that, we begin the battle cry to reclaim the throne again. We've got the team. ... It's going to be something else."
With several players now recovered from injury, the Eagles' second-place finish in the Coastal Conference this season wasn't necessarily anticipated, Brar noted, as many of the cup-winning team's players graduated or "aged out" of BCHL play last year.
"No one expected us to finish second overall this year after we won the Fred Page Cup 鈥� so many of our players graduated ... so we had to rebuild almost from scratch. Had we not had the injuries, I think we would've finished first in the conference."
Surrey Eagles play Alberni Valley Bulldogs, ranked seventh in the Coastal Conference's regular-season standings, in two games this weekend (April 4-5), to kick off Round 1 of the playoff season, a team they've met in the playoffs on more than one occasion.
"Port Alberni 鈥� they're our arch-nemesis in the playoffs," Brar said, recalling Round 2 of BCHL playoffs two years ago.
"Two years ago they beat us in Game 7 of Round 2. ... They're physical 鈥� I think we had three or four broken collarbones in that series and one concussion. It was a physical, physical battle," he recalled, adding that eventually, the Bulldogs prevailed.
That time.
"Then last year in Round 3, we went to Game 7 against them as well and ultimately, beat them in Game 7," Brar said, noting the team then went on to win the Fred Page Cup over the Penticton Vees afterward.
"So now we're playing them in Round 1. It's quite a rivalry. ... It's going to be exciting! We just need a little puck luck, I think we're poised to go deep. Playoff hockey is such a different game from regular season, and I think it's going to be some great hockey."
Surrey Eagles, who won the last two games of the regular season last weekend on the island vs. Nanaimo Clippers and the Bulldogs, also enjoyed a game with players that included Cliff Ronning, Kirk McLean and Dave Babych, among others.
The March 22 game was also a fundraiser for a new, community initiative the Surrey Eagles are starting next season, a program called Birds and Buddies that pairs players with local students in a mentorship capacity.
"It was beyond my expectations. ... My heart was warmed," Brar said of the immense community support at the game, which featured a meet-and-greet with players as well.
"That lineup (for the meet-and-greet) went from the inside of the arena and snaked all the way outside the arena, It was just incredible seeing the amount of people who wanted to come out," he said, adding the crowd was nearly at capacity for the game. "It was such a fun game! Cliff Ronning scored a hat trick in the game, then he does the riding the pony on the stick down the centre of South Surrey arena ... it was so entertaining."
The event, held in partnership with Rick's Heart Foundation, raised "a tremendous amount of money," Brar shared, noting several individuals, groups and businesses made generous donations toward the new Birds and Buddies program.
"This mentorship program ... it's really special and I think it will have a massive impact in our community."
Eagles face off against the Bulldogs at 6 p.m. this Friday, April 4, at 7:30 p.m., and again at 6 p.m. on Saturday, April 5, for Games 1 and 2 of the series.
Both games take place at South Surrey Arena, 2199 148 St.
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