The BC Hockey League is hitting the radio airwaves this season, and the Surrey Eagles will be among the teams broadcast on Team 1040.

Starting with the Eagles’ second game – against the rival Langley Chiefs at the Langley Events Centre on Saturday, Sept. 12 – Team 1040 will broadcast about 15 BCHL games this hockey season.

The games broadcast will feature Langley, Surrey and Burnaby – the league’s three Lower Mainland teams.

Eagles head coach Shane Kuss was excited with the new partnership.

“I think it’s great for the league. Anything we can do to add to the exposure of our league is a good thing,” he said.

Langley Chiefs head coach and general manager Harvey Smyl was also enthused when asked about the Sept. 12 broadcast.

“Sept. 12 was already going to be an exciting night for the league... Adding the Team (1040) to the mix just builds it up even more,” he said.

Sitting in the broadcast booth for the play-by-play will be Blake Price, while former NHLer and BCHL alum Dave Tomlinson will provide the colour commentary.

In addition to games broadcast on the popular AM station, every Eagles game will also still be broadcast on the Internet, through the BCHL website, with play-by-play man Colin Tigelaar on the mic.

The new radio deal came to fruition when Chiefs’ manager of marketing and sales Jared Harman approached the radio station about what could be done to highlight the Chiefs’ first-ever game at the Langley Events Centre.

“(The radio station) kind of suggested this and away we went,” Harman said. “(Team) 1040 is the only sports station in the city and it is obviously where people go for their sports, and having (BCHL) games on the radio is a huge thing.

“They would not air any of our games if they did not think the BCHL was good hockey.”

- with files from Nick Greenizan