Though the B.C. Hockey League’s regular season doesn’t begin until late next month, the Surrey Eagles kicked off its training camp last week at South Surrey Arena.
The players – split up into two teams – took to the ice for morning practice sessions, followed by daily scrimmages in the afternoon.
The Eagles had 38 prospective players in camp, less than in past years.
“We have a lot of returning players, especially at forward, plus we brought in a few players, too, so there aren’t as many spots (up for grabs) as maybe there have been some other years,” said Eagles coach Matt Erhart. “So we just figured we keep the numbers down a little bit.”
Following camp last week, the Eagles played their first exhibition game of the year Friday in Coquitlam, against the division-rival Express, followed by a home tilt against the Express Sunday.
In Friday's game, the Eagles were heavily outplayed in their own end, defeated by the Express by a score of 5-1.
Back on home ice at the South Surrey Arena, the Eagles had a stronger effort Sunday afternoon, but came up short against Coquitlam, who won the game 4-2. The Eagles' next exhibition game is set for Sept. 9 at South Surrey Arena against the Chilliwack Chiefs.