Eagles top Vees to win the BCHL’s Fred Page Cup
The Surrey Eagles are the BC Hockey League champions for the 2023-24 season.
The Eagles won their fifth Fred Page Cup, and their first since 2013, with a 3-1 win over the Penticton Vees Sunday before 3,254 fans at the South Okanagan Events Centre, taking the series 4 games to 2.
Eagles goaltender Ajeet Gundarah was the first start in game 6, stopping 35 of the 36 shots he faced, including a handful of highlight-reel saves as he held the fort despite his team being outshot by 20. The 21-year-old, three-year veteran of the league finishes the playoffs with a .939 save percentage and a 1.97 goals-against average to go along with two shutouts, both coming in the Finals.
“I just went out there and had fun,” said Gundarah on his Finals performance. “At the end of the day, that’s why we play. If you don’t have fun, there’s no point….Being in the league so long, you know how hard it is to get here, let a lone win one round in the playoffs. To go all the way, I probably appreciate it as much as anyone could.”