Surrey Eagles are setting their sights on next season after Alberni Valley Bulldogs ousted them in Round 1 of British Columbia Hockey League playoffs.
The Eagles, who are the reigning Fred Page Cup champions, are longtime Coastal Conference rivals against the Bulldogs, with a history of hard-fought playoff series between them. It took five games — including one that went into three overtime periods — before the Bulldogs won the series 4-1 at South Surrey Arena Friday in Game 5.
"It was a great series against Alberni — hats off to them," said Ron Brar, who co-owns the team with his brother, TJ Brar. "We knew it was going to be a battle.It's an amazing franchise that we've played against three years in a row."
"We wish them all the best."
Many remaining Eagles players will head home to be with their families for the remainder of playoffs, Brar noted, while the team's coaching staff and management prepares for next season.
"We've got our big ID camp in Surrey coming up." Brar said, noting that's where "we start identifying all the different players we're looking for for next year, as our 20-year-old players graduate and move on to colleges."
In addition, the South Surrey-based junior hockey club is gearing up to start its Birds and Buddies program this fall, a community mentorship initiative that will pair Eagles players with students from local schools in a fun, supportive way.
Surrey Eagles' ID camp happens May 16-19, sign up at surreyeagles.net/idcamp
