The Express look to bounce back in a big way tonight as the Penticton Vees head to the Train Station to complete their lower mainland tour this weekend.
Coquitlam dropped a 5-2 decision to the Nanaimo Clippers last night that saw a tight 3-2 game heading into the final minutes before Nanaimo could add a few empty netters. The 6-on-5 magic for the Express hit a bump in the road but with how exceptional they’ve been with the extra attacker in the past, you can’t blame them for keeping the belief right to the very last whistle.
The Vees come into tonight’s game with a one-point lead on the Surrey Eagles for first in the BCHL. They also sport the best goal differential in the league via allowing the fewest goals against and having a surplus of offence to boot. Penticton has had solid goaltending this season and that is exemplified through Will Ingemann setting a new BCHL record for consecutive shutout hockey. Over 260 minutes elapsed before he allowed a goal during this recent stretch of play.
To take a trip down memory lane is a must before this one as the Express’ Head Coach Patrick Sexton is very familiar with the Vees organization. He spent two seasons with the Vees as a player and Captained them to a Fred Page Cup in his senior season. Widely considered the best defender in the league, the rugged blueliner didn’t tally many goals but had perhaps his most memorable in a Game 7 against Vernon as the game winner to go to the league final.
If Coquitlam can bring the compete level they garnered against West Kelowna last weekend this will be an exceptionally exciting contest. In the post game article last night the opening line mentioned the pendulum. This team has been a tale of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde in recent weeks. The Express have played some of their best hockey of the season against premier competition only to follow up their finest games with some they would like to forget. Finding a way to keep the boogeyman at bay will be crucial to this team’s success heading down the stretch.
Penticton comes into tonight’s matchup in great form through the first two months of 2024. 12-3 through January and February with their most recent loss coming at the hands of the Silverbacks on Feb 19th. Historically speaking over the last five years they haven’t had a great deal of success against Coquitlam however. 2-1 is where the series sits in favour of the Express with last season’s juggernaut Vees being that lone win at the South Okanagan Events Centre in a tight game.
The Express continue to tinker with the top 6 with Matthew Frost out of action this weekend. Last night saw some great lineup combinations with perhaps the best being the unit of Garzone, Odyniec and Bonkowski. That line wasn’t just able to generate scoring chances, they worked hard in the defensive end and generated energy the rest of the team fed off through the game. Although with the final score from yesterday, expect there to be a few more adjustments made.
Tonight is also the Express’ Diabetes Awareness game. Last season one of Coquitlam’s players, Matteo Dixon, lived with diabetes but that certainly didn’t slow him down. The BCHL All-Star was the fastest skater in the league and proved every game he played that despite the ailment, people can do incredible things. It’s fantastic to keep this initiative up and help raise money for a great cause.
Grab your tickets and join us at the Train Station or tune in for the FloHockey broadcast with myself and the Starlide Productions crew. 7pm PST opening faceoff!
– Ian Wilson
