Certain things from the 1990s have made successful comebacks, including actors, fashion and footwear (did someone say Doc Martens?).
For Surrey farming brothers Ron and TJ Brar, who took over ownership of the British Columbia Hockey League’s Surrey Eagles less than two years ago, the team is looking strikingly similar – wins- and points-wise – to the championship-winning South Surrey Eagles team of 1998.
Headed into the final stretch of the regular season with only one home game left, the junior hockey squad has won their last eight games in a row and have posted 41 wins so far this season.
“We’ve won the conference title, clinched our conference… it’s pretty impressive. It’s pretty historical, where we’re heading in this season so far,” Ron Brar said Sunday (March 17), after a pair of weekend wins. “Having the team playing so well – knock on wood – is amazing! Hopefully we can win the league title, which, I think, has only been won by the Surrey Eagles twice in its history.”
With 84 points, the Cam Keith-coached Surrey Eagles lead not only the Coastal Conference in the standings, but the entire BCHL, now five points ahead of the Penticton Vees, the Fred Page Cup-winning team in 2023 and 2022.
“We’re closing in on that ’98 championship team’s point total that they had when they won the RBC cup – I think it was 88 points (it was) –I think we’re in the top three all-time points of what any team has had before,” Brar said.
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“If you had asked me at the beginning of the year if we were going to be able to challenge the Vees for top spot, I would’ve been like, ‘I’m not sure yet,’ but it’s a credit to our coaching staff… I can’t thank all of our management and players and billets and the families enough for really bringing these guys to where they are today.”
With their 84 points and 41 wins, the Eagles’ current stats are close to the South Surrey Eagles ’97/’98 championship team’s 88 points and 43 wins.
In addition to BCHL top scorers Caden Cranston (29 goals this season) and Aaron Schwartz (32 goals), the hockey squad’s entire bench contributes in every game, as well as having strong goaltending from not only their go-to Ajeet Gundarah, but also with Jaiden Sharma, who net-minded both Friday (March 15) and Saturday (March 16), and Colton Jugnauth as well, Brar noted.
“We’ve got a great problem on our team – we could pretty much put any one of our goalies in and they’re just standouts, night in night out,” Brar said.
“That’s the beauty of this team – there’s so much depth – everyone’s contributing a little bit in every game. That’s why we’re succeeding. It’s not just our line one that has to carry the load, it’s line one, line two, line three and line four… it’s just fantastic to see.”
The South Surrey-based team scored their 40th win on home ice at ‘The Nest’ on Friday (March 15) vs. the Victoria Grizzlies, with Schwartz providing two goals, one coming from Evan Brown, and the game-winner scored in the second period by Ryden Evers, with Cranston notching three assists in the 4-3 game. Sharma stopped 25 of 28 shots for the win.
“The fans have been amazing” this season, Brar said.
“Our arena has been just absolutely filled with young people and seniors and everybody in between. It’s so great to see that support.”
Sharma stopped another 28 of 30 shots in the Saturday (March 16) game in Chilliwack, where the Eagles won 3-2, thanks to goals from Micah Berger, Massimo Fazio and Evers.
Brar, recalling how, despite battling some injuries and playing four games in five nights, the team was down 4-1 in Nanaimo – and came back to win it, 6-4.
“This team, there’s no quit in them. I’ve never seen a better group of guys who want it more than this group,” he said.
“I can’t wait for the playoffs! We’re excited. We think we’ve got the team, we’ve got the coaching, we’ve got the management… we want to bring this home for Surrey. It’s a pretty amazing – for a couple of farmers to own a hockey team and we’re sitting on top of the BCHL – it’s a pretty good feeling.”
Surrey Eagles’ final home game of the regular season happens this Friday, March 22 at South Surrey Arena, with a 7 p.m. puck drop.
They then travel to Langley, Port Alberni and Cowichan for the final three games of the regular season, with playoffs to follow.
For more information, visit surreyeagles.ca