Coquitlam saved their best for last on Wednesday night as they tie the best of seven at two games a piece. This one had a little bit of everything and certainly lived up to what playoff intensity aspires to be. A good old fashioned low scoring affair sent the home fans happy and sets the stage for a best of three, winner take all.
Game 4 was scoreless for the first 37:18 as Alberni and the Express traded blows both literally and in the flow of play. This was without a doubt the chippiest game of the series so far as frustration showed on both sides on numerous occasions. Naturally after a game so emotionally charged the night ended with fisticuffs after the final whistle initiated by a crosscheck from Caden Tremblay.
The first period saw defensive acumen on display for both sides as both Callum Tung and Adam Manji made 10 stops each. Manji’s most impressive save of the night was early in this one as he stopped a long shot but the rebound went to a waiting Bulldog to his left. One great push of his leg later and the Burnaby Brick Wall slid over and threw the glove out to deny the opener for Alberni. Tung also had a few key saves of his own, helping to fend off not one, but two Express 5-on-3 powerplays. Full credit to the Bulldogs for digging in and killing off what could have been an early momentum grab for Coquitlam.
The defence and goaltending expo continued deep into the second period where the Express powerplay was the tool for the job to finally break through. Drew Garzone snapped a pass to the back post and Cole Melady went down on one knee to get his stick in the perfect position to steer it past the sliding Callum Tung. The Seaforth Ontario product now has his first postseason goal in an Express jersey. Oddly enough the last time he tallied in a playoff game was in 2021-2022 when he played for the Bulldogs.
Enter the third period and the Express have a 1-0 lead and everything to lose. If the Bulldogs came from behind it would be a backbreaker and a 3-1 series heading back to Hockey Valley. Jake Manfre would have none of it. The Chef got cooking for the second game in a row as he scored a minute and a half into the third in Game 3, and then tonight tipped a puck home from the high slot two minutes into the final frame.
Alberni would make things interesting at the 9:05 mark as Hayden Stavroff slid a puck towards the front of the goal and Adam Manji moved laterally to try and turn it aside but it ended up banking off the Coquitlam netminder and into the net. The Express kept their foot on the gas and despite the best efforts of the Bulldogs’ goalkeeper, eventually broke through again.
Jacob Bonkowski, a local boy from Richmond, in his 20-year-old season added another big goal to his growing list. Right place right time was the key takeaway as Cole Melady fired a one timer right in front of the Alberni goal and Callum Tung made a fantastic save. However, the puck squeaked through enough to rest on the goal line and Bonkowski was there to slide it the rest of the way. You already know the Train Station is Bonkers for Bonkowski.
That was all she wrote for Game 4 as the Bulldogs pulled the goalie around the 1:45 mark of the third but failed to beat Adam Manji a second time tonight.
The Express played with determination and heart to bounce back in a massive way and control the momentum again heading back to the Dawg Pound. If this series has had one consistency, it’s that momentum has meant little. The back and forth kept up for the Coquitlam side of the two-game home sets and what remains is a best-of-3.
Coquitlam were solid in front of Adam Manji tonight and the Burnaby Brick Wall made a tidy 25 saves on 26 shots overall. Perhaps the biggest adjustment was the confidence on the breakout and the ways they were executing their up-ice movements cleanly. Alberni controlled the neutral zone in Game 3 and Coquitlam soundly took that frontier back this evening.
Game 5 goes Friday night at the Alberni Valley Multiplex with a 7pm PST opening faceoff. Be sure to tune in for the broadcast on FloHockey with yours truly on the away call once again.
FORTIS BC ENERGY PLAYER – Sam Frandina
MARINER BREWING 3 STARS
3rd – AVB – Callum Tung – 39 Saves on 42 Shots
2nd – COQ – Jacob Bonkowski – Insurance Goal
1st – COQ – Cole Melady – 1 Goal and 1 Assist
– Ian Wilson
