Penticton Vees (14-1-0-0) vs. Surrey Eagles (3-9-0-3)
Venue: South Surrey Arena
Game Time: 7:11pm
Listen: EZ Rock AM 800
Watch: www.fasthockey.com
Season Series: September 19th 11-2 Vees, Oct 29th 10-0 Vees, Oct 31st at Surrey
Vees Road Record: 7-1-0-0
Vees Record vs. Mainland Division: 3-0-0-0
Vees Leading Scorer: Lewis Zerter-Gossage 8-11-19
Eagles Home Record: 3-5-0-1
Eagles Record vs. Interior Division: 1-3-0-1
Eagles Leading Scorer: Ben Vikich 5-4-9
Trick or Treat: It’s a Halloween affair in Surrey tonight, as the Vees and Eagles finish-off a home and away series at the South Surrey Arena. The Vees overwhelmed the Birds 10-0 back at the SOEC Wednesday. The goal blitz was highlighted by a six-goal second period for the Vees, who hit double-digits for the second straight game against the Eagles. If you may recall, the Vees thumped the Eagles 11-2 back on September 19th at the Bauer BCHL Showcase. This is the first time the Vees are playing on Halloween night since October 31st, 2009, when they took out the Merritt Centennials 4-1 at the SOEC.
They like the Bird: Lewis Zerter-Gossage likes playing the Eagles so far this year. In two games against Surrey, the Montreal native has four goals and seven points. He registered a hat-trick back on September 19th and then followed that up with a three-point night Wednesday. Mitch Newsome likes playing his hometown team. The Surrey product has two goals and five points in two games against the Eagles. He picked up a pair of goals on September 19th to go along with an assist, and he had a couple helpers Wednesday. Rounding out the top three in team scoring against Surrey is Matt Serratore. The Air Force commit has three goals and four points in six periods of action against the Eagles.
Haunted House: The South Surrey Arena has been anything but haunted for the Vees in regular season in the last few years. The Vees have felt quite at home as the visitors, as they’ve posted a 3-1-0-0 record in Surrey in the last five years (Did not travel to Surrey in 2011-2012).The Vees blanked the Eagles 3-0 last season in Surrey on February 8th. Before that it was a 2-1 loss on January 11th, 2013, the blemish in the regular season in Surrey since 2009. Their last two visits after that were wins, 5-1 on January 8th, 2011, and 4-3 on December 19th, 2009.
Shortchanged: Eagles number one goaltender Christian Short was a last-minute scratch Wednesday in Penticton, with a suspected lower-body injury. Short did play Last Sunday in Nanaimo and up to that point had faced the most shots in the BCHL (510) and had faced the most shots on average (42.5). Short is the Eagles backbone, as they rely heavily on their goaltender. The Eagles have scored the fewest goals in the BCHL, averaging just 2.3 goals per-game. Rookie backup Daniel Davidson was shelled for 10 goals against on Wednesday and has an inflated goals-against average of 5.47.
