The B.C. Hockey League made some dramatic moves at the semi-annual meeting of the board of governors in Richmond last week, and Surrey Eagles fans should be happy with the changes.

Puck fanatics at South Surrey Arena will be pleased to know there will be a greater variety of opponents coming to town in 2012-13, none more exciting than the return of the Chilliwack Chiefs to the BCHL's mainland division.

Next season also promises to be shorter - 56 games, down from 60 - with fewer mid-week games.

"The governors made some minor tweaks and some major tweaks but it's all for the betterment of the league," said Eagles coach and general manager Matt Erhart. "There's more weekend games and less midweek games and that makes more sense financially and it's better for the overall hockey product. Right now pretty much every team has a couple of times on their schedule where they play four games in five nights. Stretches like that lower the level of the play and it takes a lot out of the players not too mention the potential for injuries and missed school.

"Now the worst they'll have to deal with is weekends with three games in three nights.

We think it's a good thing and attendance is also usually down for those games - losing a few mid-week games is no skin off our backs."

The best news for Surrey fans is the renewal of the Eagles-Chiefs rivalry. The two teams had a healthy hate on for each other in the late 1990s and early 2000s until the Chiefs were ousted when the WHL's Bruins arrived in town. The Bruins are gone now and, after a season wandering in the Interior division after relocating to Chilliwack from Quesnel, the Chiefs are back and will make regular appearances in South Surrey.

"For us getting Chilliwack back in our division is huge," said Erhart, himself a former player with both teams when the rivalry burned hottest.

"The rivalry between the teams goes back to before I played (1996-99) so I know what it's all about. I know our fans will be excited to see them back in our division so we can rekindle that rivalry. It was a great thing to be a part of in the past and hopefully the fans can get back into it again."

Another positive development from a fan's perspective is a schedule that will see a full interlock with other BCHL divisions, meaning home fans will be able to see every team in the league at least once. This season Merritt, Salmon Arm, Chilliwack and Penticton - the top-ranked junior A team in Canada - did not pay a visit to Surrey.

Those moves will be welcomed but the governors also came up with a head scratcher when they lumped Prince George in the mainland division alongside Surrey, Coquitlam, Langley and Chilliwack.

"The casual observer will look at it and wonder, what the heck is Prince George doing in the mainland division," Erhart said. "Most of the Interior teams are all in close proximity to each other and the league wanted to keep them together to cut down costs. Prince George is not a quick trip for any of those teams, especially for Trail. For PG, the mainland teams are just a couple of hours more and for us, it means we only have to make two trips there for a double header and maybe we can piggyback an Interior game on the same trip.

"For us it doesn't really change much - a weekend in Prince George or a weekend in Powell River is pretty much the same. The good thing is now we can make that trip and still get home without getting stuck by the ferry schedule."

The league will also hold a showcase for college and pro scouts a week before the regular season officially starts at the beginning of September. The event will be held at a central location and each team will play two games that will count in the standings.

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