The Surrey Eagles finally know their playoff opponent, and it’s the same team they traded blows with in a pair of games last week – the Coquitlam Express.
And though the second-seeded Eagles finished the season with 19 more points than the division-rival Express, the two teams proved during the 12 head-to-head regular-season matchups that they are more closely matched than the B.C. Hockey League standings make it seem.
The Eagles won seven of 12 games against Coquitlam, but two came in overtime. Conversely, two of the Express victories – including a 5-1 drubbing – came in the season’s first few weeks, and there’s been plenty of roster turnover for both club’s since then.
“We were kind of a .500 team back then (early in the year), and we were 1-4 against them at one point before we starting winning a bunch in a row, but there were some tight games, for sure,” said Eagles head coach Matt Erhart.
“It’s a good matchup, a real budding rivalry, and we’re looking forward to it. We’re happy with our regular season, but it’s a clean slate now – everybody is 0-0.”
Most recently, the Eagles and Express squared off for a pair of games last week, with the Eagles winning 7-3 Wednesday, and Coquitlam returning the favour Friday night, with a 7-4 win of their own.
The Eagles ended the regular season Saturday on home ice, losing 4-1 to the visiting Salmon Arm Silverbacks.
Surrey and Coquitlam will square off in a best-of-seven first-round series beginning Friday, 7 p.m. at South Surrey Arena, with Game 2 set for Saturday in South Surrey. The series shifts to Coquitlam Monday and Tuesday, for Games 3 and 4.
One player the Eagles will certainly rely on in the first round is 20-year-old goalkeeper Karel St. Laurent, who wasn’t with the team in the early stages of the season, but brings plenty of experience to the team’s crease.
“He’s a 20-year-old guy who was in the Quebec (Major Junior) League finals last year… he’s been in some high-level competitions before, and this is why we acquired him – for the playoffs,” Erhart said.
The Eagles will have to face off against the Express without the services of one of their top forwards, as rookie Michael Stenerson – a Semiahmoo Minor Hockey product – is out indefinitely with a broken leg. He suffered the injury in Wednesday’s game against Coquitlam.
“I’m not sure how bad a break it is, but he’s most likely out for the year,” Erhart said of his rookie forward.
“He’s had a good rookie season and we’ll miss him, for sure.”
The Eagles will also be without oft-injured forward Cobi Smith-Mass, who played just 37 games this season. After a lengthy absence, he returned to the lineup for Wednesday’s game against Coquitlam, only to be hurt again. Erhart said like Stenerson, Smith-Mass is “out for awhile.”
Forward Dale Hunt is also currently on the shelf, and while Erhart said he’s questionable for Game 1 Friday, he should be able to return in the near future.
In the Eagles’ win Wednesday, the team got big games from Tyler Morley and Mitch Jones, each of whom had three-point efforts, while Robert Lindores had two goals, and both Daniel Gentzler and Brad McGowan had one goal and one assist.
Friday’s rematch was another story, however, as the Express got a four-point performance – one goal, three helpers – from Massimo Lamacchia, while Surrey managed just 23 shots on Express netminder Khaleed Devji.
On Saturday against Salmon Arm, Silverbacks’ sniper secured the BCHL scoring title with a two-assist effort, which gave him 93 on the season – four points up on fellow scoring-title contender McGowan, who ended the year with 36 goals and 89 points.