Weekend Highlights vs. Coquitlam

Make sure to select HD for the best quality of viewing! Road highlights courtesy of the Coquitlam Express.

Birds Claim Boileau Trophy

For immediate release: March 11, 2013

Surrey, BC - At the conclusion of the 2012-2013 British Columbia Hockey League regular season on Sunday, the Surrey Eagles were named the winners of the Ron Boileau Memorial Trophy, awarded to the team who finishes the season with the most points in the league.

The Eagles claimed the trophy for the second time in their history with a league best record of 35-13-3-5, finishing the year with 78 points. The last time Surrey had the best record in the league was in the 1996-1997 season when the Birds put up 100 points and went on to win the Fred Page Cup, Mowat Cup, Doyle Cup and Abbott Cup before losing in the final at the Royal Bank Cup.

"It's a great accomplishment as a team and organization to finish first in the regular season, especially with the amount of parity in the BCHL this year," said Eagles Head Coach and GM Matt Erhart. "Having said that, it's just one step along a road that we hope leads to bigger and better things, and that starts on Friday with what we know will be a tough first round match-up against Langley."

This year's edition of the Eagles will now turn their attention to the post-season and a Mainland Division Semi-Final clash with the Langley Rivermen. Game 1 in the series goes on Friday, March 15th at the South Surrey Arena. Fans are encouraged to get to the rink early and wear white to support the Eagles and help defend the nest.

For playoff tickets, call the Eagles office at 604-531-GOAL (4625).

Express Win In OT; Eagles Clinch First

Michael Maciag scored the winning goal at 2:56 of double overtime to lift the Coquitlam Express to a 3-2 overtime victory over the Surrey Eagles in the last game of the regular season for both teams. Despite the loss, Surrey clinched the Ron Boileau Memorial Trophy with the single point. It's the second time the Eagles have finished atop the league's regular season standings, and the first time they've done it in 16 years.

The Birds opened the scoring early in the first period for the second night in a row. Kevan Kilistoff tallied his seventh goal of the year when he chipped the puck past Cole Huggins to give the home team the lead. Surrey maintained the advantage throughout the first period and took the 1-0 lead to the dressing room after 20 minutes of play.

In the second, Coquitlam pulled even when Mitch Fyffe scored on Michael Santaguida at 7:01, but the Eagles retook the lead with a power play goal late in the period as Michael Stenerson deflected Adam Tambellini's point shot past Huggins to make it 2-1. Stenerson is red hot heading into the post season. The Surrey native has a goal in his last five games in a row.

The Express pressured the Birds in the third, searching for an equalizer, and they found it just after the midway mark of the period when former Eagle Brandon Morley tied the game with a great individual effort as he forced a turnover deep in the Surrey zone, intercepting a pass on the fore check, before walking out front and beating Santaguida with a backhander. Neither team was able to find a go ahead goal in the third, and the game went to OT.

The two teams traded chances in the first overtime period, and Coquitlam had a great chance to end the game when Dan O'Keefe was called for tripping, giving the Express a power play. But the Surrey penalty kill was equal to the task, forcing the game into double overtime. Maciag scored the winner on a 2-on-1 after Morley made a great pass off the left wing to find him going hard to the net, and the Coquitlam defenseman just had to direct the puck into the net.

Surrey was 1-for-4 on the man advantage while Coquitlam was 0-for-4. The Express out shot the Eagles 40-36.

The Eagles also handed out their end of season player awards prior to the game. Here's the list of winners:

MVP: Brady Shaw
Top Scorer: Brady Shaw
Top Defenseman: Devon Toews
Rookie of the Year: Michael Santaguida
Hardest Worker: Trevor Cameron
Unsung Hero: Craig Wyszomirski
Most Sportsmanlike: Michael Stenerson
Most Improved: Nic Pierog
Heart and Soul: Brett Mulcahy
Fan Favourite: Brady Shaw

Up next for Surrey, it's the playoffs! The Eagles open the first round against the Langley Rivermen on Friday evening. Be at the rink at 7:00pm to help the Birds defend the nest. For tickets, call 604-531-GOAL (4625).

Pro4 Sports 3 Stars:
1. Brandon Morley - Coquitlam
2. Michael Santaguida - Surrey
3. Drew Best - Surrey

My 3 Stars:
1. Brandon Morley - Coquitlam
2. Michael Stenerson - Surrey
3. Drew Best - Surrey

Pre-Game Report: Eagles vs. Express

The Surrey Eagles will conclude the 2012-2013 regular season on Saturday night with their eighth and final match-up against the Coquitlam Express at the South Surrey Arena. The Birds have won six of seven games against Coquitlam including an 8-1 win at the Poirier Sports Complex on Friday night.

Heading into the final game of the season, the Eagles know that a win will clinch first place in the BCHL's regular season standings. The Birds haven't won the Ron Boileau Memorial Trophy since 1997, a season in which they won the Fred Page Cup and went all the way to the Royal Bank Cup before losing to Summerside in the final. The Eagles will also hand out their annual player awards prior to the game.

The Express will close out the season on Saturday as they won't be heading to the playoffs. With the end of the year comes the end to the junior hockey careers of seven members of the Coquitlam club. Brad Ryan, Zach Pryzbek, Brandon Morley, Malcolm McKinney, Cal Hofford, Michael Maciag and Cole Huggins will all be moving on after the end of Saturday's game. The Express will be looking to play the spoiler and pick up their first win at the South Surrey Arena this season.

Where: South Surrey Arena

When: 7:00pm

How to listen: Eagles Broadcast or on 88.7FM in the arena.

How to watch: Fast Hockey

Head-to-Head Breakdown

Eagles Win Big in Coquitlam

Thanks to eight goals scored by eight different players, the Surrey Eagles cruised to an 8-1 win over the Coquitlam Express on Friday evening at the Poirier Sports and Leisure Complex in Coquitlam. Michael Santaguida made 20 saves for his league leading 29th victory of the season.

Trevor Cameron opened the scoring for Surrey less than a minute into the first period when his shot off the rush eluded Coquitlam starter Daniel Urbani. The game stayed at 1-0 until late in the opening frame when the Birds were given a power play after Adam Rockwood was sent to the sin bin for slashing, and Brady Shaw rippled the mesh with a one-timer from the high slot for his team leading 38th goal of the season.

Surrey got off to a good start in the second as well when Michael Stenerson scored a short handed goal at 1:31. Urbani's night came to an early end before the midway mark of the stanza after Kevan Kilistoff extended the Surrey lead, and the 17-year-old Coquitlam net minder was pulled after allowing four goals in 12 shots. Cole Huggins came into the game in place of Urbani and made an immediate impact, making two beautiful stops on Shaw before the end of the period. But despite Huggins' strong play, the Eagles tallied another goal on the man advantage when Craig Wyszomirski tipped Adam Tambellini's shot into the Express' net.

The Eagles' power play scored again in the third. This time it was Colton Mackie finding the back of the net with a one-timer from the bottom of the right circle. Coquitlam's lone goal also came on the man advantage when former Eagle captain Brandon Morley pounced on the rebound of an Adam Rossignol chance to spoil Santaguida's shutout bid. Surrey scored twice more before the end of the game. Stefan Burzan netted his sixth of the year and Drew Best tallied his 16th.

Both teams were 50 per cent on the power play -- Surrey was 3-for-6 while Coquitlam was 1-for-2. Trevor Cameron led the way for the Eagles offensively with a goal and two assists.

The win over Coquitlam, coupled with the fact that Penticton lost to Vernon on Friday, means that the Birds now control their own destiny when it comes to finishing first in the regular season standings. The Eagles can clinch the Ron Boileau Memorial Trophy with a victory against the Express on Saturday. For tickets to Saturday's game, call the Eagles office at 604-531-GOAL (4625).

Pro4 Sports 3 Stars:
1. Malcolm McKinney - Coquitlam
2. Michael Santaguida - Surrey
3. Michael Stenerson - Surrey

My 3 Stars:
1. Trevor Cameron - Surrey
2. Michael Stenerson - Surrey
3. Michael Santaguida - Surrey

Pre-Game Report: Eagles at Express

The Surrey Eagles will play their final road game of the regular season on Friday when they visit the Coquitlam Express. The game marks the seventh meeting between the two teams this season. The Birds have won five of six match-ups this year, although the Express won the last game 3-2 in overtime on February 9th.

Surrey enters the final weekend of the season still in the hunt for the Ron Boileau Memorial Trophy for the best regular season record in the BCHL. The Eagles are tied with both the Penticton Vees and Victoria Grizzlies atop the league standings. Meanwhile, Brady Shaw is in second place in the BCHL goal scoring race. The 20-year-old has 37 goals on the year, putting him four back of Langley's Mario Puskarich. Adam Tambellini is third on the list with 36 goals. Michael Santaguida is leading the way in the race for the BCHL's Goaltending Award as he currently holds a league-best 2.30 goals-against-average.

The Express were officially eliminated from playoff contention last Sunday after they lost to the Salmon Arm Silverbacks in heartbreaking fashion when Steven Iacobellis scored the winning goal for the 'Backs with just 23 seconds left in the third period. The match-up with the Eagles on Friday night will be the final home game of the regular season for the Express. Coquitlam is 13-14-0-0 at the Poirier Sports and Leisure Complex this year.

Where: Poirier Sports and Leisure Complex

When: 7:00pm

How to listen: Eagles Broadcast

How to watch: Fast Hockey

Head-to-Head Breakdown

The Matt Erhart Show: March 6, 2013

On this week's edition of the Matt Erhart Show, I chatted with the Eagles' bench boss about the final weekend of the regular season, the approach ahead of the start of the playoffs in less than two weeks and the team's win over Cowichan Valley last Sunday.