After being on the winning side of a BCHL finals bet last spring, Penticton Mayor Julius Bloomfield found himself on the opposite end of things in 2024.

It鈥檚 not what he was initially hoping to put on, but Bloomfield was seen wearing a Surrey Eagles jersey at Penicton council鈥檚 meeting on June 4.

His choice of attire was a result of losing a bet to Surrey Mayor Brenda Locke. The two politicians made a friendly wager ahead of the 2024 Fred Page Cup Finals, with the losing mayor having to wear the opposing team鈥檚 jersey.

Surrey downed Penticton on May 26, in Game 6 of the fourth-round series, to clinch its first BCHL title in 11 years.

鈥淏efore we get going here, you鈥檒l notice I鈥檓 wearing a very strange jersey,鈥� Bloomfield said with a smile at the beginning of council鈥檚 meeting. 鈥淚鈥檓 wearing the jersey as a tribute to a team that鈥檚 done what very few teams have done recently and that鈥檚 beat the Penticton Vees in a series of seven.鈥�

The Vees were looking to become the first team in 13 years to three straight BCHL titles.

Bloomfield won a similar bet last year after the Vees defeated the Alberni Valley Bulldogs in the Fred Page Cup Finals.

In 2022, then-mayor John Vassilaki also won a BCHL finals bet, as Nanaimo Mayor Leonard Krog sent Nanaimo bars to Penticton and later wore a Vees jersey at one of his council meetings.

Bloomfield shared a message from Locke before Penticton council got underway on June 4:

鈥淧lease thank the entire Vees organization for their sportsmanship, it was truly the best in junior hockey,鈥� Locke wrote in her message. 鈥淵ou should be proud of your team, as we are our Surrey Eagles. I hope we can do this again next year.鈥�