Undefeated Calgary Surge Set for Clash with Niagara River Lions

Fresh off consecutive wins against their provincial rivals, the Calgary Surge (-143) (2-0) are set to host the Niagara River Lions (+102) (0-1) in the night cap of CEBL’s two “Game of the Week” matchups that will be broadcasted across the country on TSN Tuesday night. 

The Surge, who relocated from Guelph to Calgary in the offseason, knocked off the Edmonton Stingers on May 27 to earn the first victory in the newly formed all-Alberta rivalry. The next day, May 28, the two teams travelled to Edmonton for a rematch, and the Surge used a historic 16-point comeback in Target Score Time to dispatch the Stingers for the second straight night. 

The win set a CEBL record for the largest comeback in Target Score Time.

The trio of Stef Smith, Sean Miller-Moore, and Simi Shittu have combined to lead Calgary to their undefeated start. 

After combining to score 47 points in Calgary’s opening matchup against Edmonton, the Surge’s big three totalled 61 points against the Stingers on Sunday. All in all, through Calgary’s first two games, the trio have scored 108 of Calgary’s 156 overall points on the year. 

Miller-Moore, specifically, had a game-high 23 points in the comeback win against the Stingers on Sunday. 

The River Lions, who entered the season as the odds-on favourite win the CEBL title, are coming into Calgary after losing their season opener 84-69 on May 26 in Montréal to the Alliance. 

Patrick Whelan was a bright spot for Niagara in the loss, scoring a team-high 13 points and four three pointers off the bench. Lloyd Pandi also added 12 points in the losing effort. 

The River Lions kept the game close through three quarters, however, they had six turnovers in the fourth quarter—a frame which saw the Alliance outscore Niagara 30-17 to secure the upset. Niagara ended up with 19 total turnovers in the opener. 

Niagara is still without reigning CEBL MVP and Clutch Player of the Year Khalil Ahmad to start the season. Ahmad averaged close to 21 points last season and notched a league high 10 game-winners in Target Score Time. 

Without Ahmad, look for Niagara to have a balanced attack on offence. Nine of the ten players who dressed for the River Lions in the loss to Montreal scored at least two points. 

While Niagara hasn’t played since May 26, tonight’s game will be Calgary’s third in four nights to begin the CEBL regular season. 

Full broadcast schedule of CEBL Games of the Week on TSN can be found here. All games will also be streamed live internationally on the CEBL’s OTT platform, CEBL+, and on the CEBL Mobile app for iOS and Android devices. 

A league created by Canadians for Canadians with a mission to develop Canadian players, coaches, sports executives, and referees, the CEBL boasts the highest percentage of Canadian players of any pro league in the country with 71 percent of its 2022 rosters being Canadian. Players bring experience from the NBA, NBA G League, top international pro leagues, the Canadian National team program, and top NCAA programs as well as U SPORTS. Nine players have moved from the CEBL into the NBA following a CEBL season, and 28 CEBL players attended NBA G League training camps during October. The CEBL season runs from May through August. More information about the CEBL is available at CEBL.ca and @cebleague on Instagram, Twitter, TikTok, LinkedIn, Facebook & YouTube.