Surge, Stingers Renew Battle of Alberta for 2025 West Play-In

(Preview: Western Conference Play-In)

One of the biggest rivalries in the CEBL gets set to pen its latest chapter on Thursday when the Calgary Surge host the Edmonton Stingers for the Western Conference’s Play-In game.

The Battle of Alberta matchup will tip off at 9:30 p.m. ET / 7:30 p.m. local at the WinSport Event Centre, with live broadcast coverage available on TSN, CEBL+, TSN+ and NLSE.

And to raise the stakes even further, Calgary and Edmonton enter the contest as two of the hottest teams in the league. The Surge capped off their regular season with a four-game win streak, while the Stingers weren’t far behind as they won their last three contests.

Unsurprisingly, Calgary’s success came on the back of its impressive defence, entering Thursday allowing the fewest points per game (87.2) of any team this season. All the while, the Surge stepped up even further on that end during their win streak, limiting opponents to just 83.8 points while winning by an average margin of 18.8 points during that span.

What is a bit unexpected, however, is that the Stingers seem to have found their defensive form of late, as well. Despite giving up the second-most points per game (91.0) on the year, Edmonton held opponents to 84.0 points during its three consecutive wins.

It's the kind of effort the Stingers will need to replicate to upset a Surge team that ranked second in scoring (95.3), boasts a 9-3 home record, and holds a 2-0 all-time playoff advantage over the Stingers. For what it's worth, it wouldn’t be the first time Edmonton has overcome those odds — the Stingers are 3-3 all-time in Calgary and 7-3 on the road against the franchise (formerly Guelph).

Season series

If the 2025 campaign was any indication, expect a tightly contested affair on Thursday. The provincial rivals split their first two matchups, as the pair of contests were decided by a combined five points.

Despite that, Edmonton does hold a slight edge entering the Play-In, owning a 2-1 season series lead courtesy of a 23-point win against Calgary in early July.

It is worth noting, however, that the Surge were without Jameer Nelson Jr. — the 10th-ranked scorer (19.4) in the CEBL this year — for that 113-90 loss. Meanwhile, Nelson has enjoyed matching up against Edmonton, averaging 22.5 points, 4.0 assists and 3.0 steals in his two appearances.

Yet despite the Surge missing Nelson’s dynamism offensively, it was their typically stout defence that ultimately cost them against the Stingers in the final regular-season matchup between the two.

Calgary head coach Caleb Canales made that point abundantly clear after the loss, explaining that the Surge “didn’t play our brand of defence or our brand of basketball.”

Edmonton not only converted at percentages of 50/36/90 from the field, distance and free throw line, but did so while stampeding through Calgary’s interior. The Stingers finished their season-best scoring performance, shooting an impressive 57 per cent from two-point range as they put up 60 points in the paint for a plus-28 edge in that regard.

Meanwhile, the Surge’s lone win against the Stingers this season came back in May, eking out a two-point victory largely thanks to their late-game execution. Calgary entered the fourth quarter down by eight, but outscored Edmonton 28-18 in the final frame to secure a season-opening win.

Players to watch

Nelson will undoubtedly be vital for the Surge’s success on Thursday. The import has been a pillar for Calgary on both ends of the floor, second on the team in scoring, while his 57 steals set a new all-time single-season CEBL record.

Beyond that, the guard’s ability to lift his game in big moments will likely be called upon should the game come down to the wire. In the Surge’s lone win against the Stingers this year, it was Nelson who led the way as he scored the final seven points for his team in Target Score Time.

On the other side, it’s no secret that much of the attention will be on Sean East II, who set the CEBL’s scoring record with 546 points this season. But with much of the defensive attention focused on the import, it should leave room for Scottie Lindsey to operate against a Surge team he’s found success against.

The guard enters Thursday averaging 24.7 points per game against Calgary in 2025, including two of his three best scoring performances. In the Stingers’ latest victory over the Surge, Lindsey scored 29 points, three shy of his season-high, while shooting a torrid 7-of-11 from beyond the arc.

2025 CEBL Playoff Schedule

Eastern Conference Play-In – Thursday, Aug. 14 – MTL at SSS – 7 p.m. ET – Toronto Pan Am Sports Centre (TSN, RDS, CEBL+, TSN+, NLSE)

Western Conference Play-In – Thursday, Aug. 14 – EDM at CGY – 7:30 p.m. MT / 9:30 p.m. ET – WinSport Event Centre (TSN, CEBL+, TSN+, NLSE)

Eastern Conference Semifinal – Saturday, Aug. 16 – TBD at OTT – 1 p.m. ET – Centre Slush Puppie – Gatineau, QC (TSN, CEBL+, TSN+, NLSE)

Western Conference Semifinal – Saturday, Aug. 16 – TBD at VAN – 12:30 p.m. PT / 3:30 p.m. ET – Langley Events Centre (TSN, CEBL+, TSN+, NLSE)

CW25 – Eastern Conference Final – Friday, Aug. 22 – TBD at NRL – 5 p.m. CDT / 6 p.m. ET – Canada Life Centre – Winnipeg, MB (TSN, RDS, CEBL+, TSN+, NLSE)

CW25 – Western Conference Final – Friday, Aug. 22 – WPG at TBD – 7:30 p.m. CDT / 8:30 p.m. ET – Canada Life Centre – Winnipeg, MB (TSN, RDS, CEBL+, TSN+, NLSE)

CW25 – CEBL Championship Final – Sunday, Aug. 24 – TBD at TBD – 6 p.m. CDT / 7 p.m. ET – Canada Life Centre – Winnipeg, MB (TSN, RDS, CEBL+, TSN+, NLSE)

For the full 2025 CEBL schedule, please visit cebl.ca/games.