The historic rivalry between the Pacific International Junior Hockey League's Abbotsford Pilots and Ridge Meadows Flames has officially been turned up a notch.

Earlier last week, Pilots newly acquired defenceman Daniel Amesbury offered some honest, and perhaps harsh, criticisms towards the coaching philosophies of the Flames, the same team that traded the soon-to-be 20-year-old tough guy to Abbotsford in June.

"I like the coaching [in Abbotsford], it seems like they take things a lot more seriously around here and they actually want to win," Amesbury said last week.

"It was a lot easier. I liked the coaches, they were your friends. But normally your coaches shouldn't necessarily always be your friends. They should have to lay it down every once in a while and they weren't there to kick you in the ass when you needed it," he said of his old team.

It didn't take long for Tavis Eaton, head coach of the Flames, to respond - although his reaction was a little more diplomatic.

"[Amesbury] is entitled to his opinion and if that's how he feels then he's allowed to feel that way," Eaton told the Maple Ridge Times.

"I guess if he feels we're too nice, well I guess maybe too nice means you finish first and last time I checked we finished first last year.

"That's not how I operate my program. I operate mine by being honest with the guys and being upfront. Everybody operates theirs different and I believe in that so that's the way I operate."

The Flames finished atop the Harold Brittain Conference last year while the Pilots finished third.

The Pilots and Flames face off for the first time this season on Sept. 17 at MSA Arena. Puck drop is 7:30 p.m.

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