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Coquitlam clinch their third in a row with dominant showing on Autism Acceptance Night

There may have been no goal horn today but the fans certainly brought the energy to the Train Station. Lucky for the goal horn because the Express would have given it quite the workout this afternoon.

Coquitlam were fantastic today in their second win against Langley this weekend. They took the momentum of the 5-4 OT win Friday night and rolled over the Riv on home ice to the tune of 6-1. The offence stayed hot but the defence was not about to be outshone. Sprinkle in some dynamite goaltending from Andrew Ness and boy did the fireworks shine bright as the Express cruised to victory.

The boys took the bull by the horns as they got out to a quick start thanks to a lucky bounce off the goaltender. A Sam Frandina shot deflected off the blocker of Brayden Burrows and landed right in front of Thomas Zocco at the back post. The rest was academic. Then came a masterpiece painted by Jack Sullivan. The former Blackfalds Bulldog took a pass in the neutral zone and attacked the defence with speed. Up the middle he went and a nasty drag-move later he was all alone with Burrows. That puck would be labelled for the top of the goal. As far as first career BCHL goals go, this one was quite spectacular.

Play opened up in the second period with the Express striking first off the stick of James Shannon. Captain Coquitlam snuck down low behind coverage on the powerplay and kept his stick down on the ice. Mason Kesselring hit him with a crisp pass from the right circle and the tap-in was silky smooth. Under a minute later the Rivermen finally broke the goose egg as Ilya Rogovsky capitalized on Cooper Wilson’s stick exploding at the blueline. He made good on the resulting breakaway, sneaking the puck over the shoulder of Andrew Ness. Up next was Carson McGinley as his goal streak increased to four games. Nate Crema found him at the back post for a nice tap-in similar to the Kesselring-Shannon connection. The highlight of the period however, was definitely the work of Andrew Ness. Before any of these goals happened, there was a save of the year candidate from the pride of Winnipeg. Coquitlam went down to a 5-on-3 penalty kill after a pair of unsportsmanlike conduct penalties were assessed to Mitch Kneidel and Head Coach Jeff Wagner. Their ire was due to Ryan Staples being injured on a hit into the boards that resulted in no call from the officials. Langley used the two-man-advantage to whip the puck around and hem the Express deep into their zone before finally unleashing a one timer from the bottom of the right faceoff circle. Much to their chagrin, Andrew Ness was there. He lunged out with the glove and made a fantastic save to keep the game 2-0 at the time.

The third period saw Coquitlam stomp the gas pedal through the floor as they outshot and outpaced the Rivermen. They also kept their composure despite the game getting testy as the proceedings went ahead. Jack Sullivan was the first to find a dagger as he snuck down main street before Carson McGinley sauced him a beautiful pass from below the goal line. Since Sullivan got his first tonight, why not his second? Then McGinley nabbed his fourth point of the night and second goal of the game as Thomas Zocco sent him through the defence with a great pass. The Phoenix, AZ product finished on a wonderful backhand past the pads of Charlie Tritt.

The Express ticked off all the boxes tonight and looked like a team poised to make a whole lot of noise as the season heads closer to the playoffs. It will be very interesting to see how the incoming signings of Dane Pyatt and Nikita Sitnikov factor into it all. If this commitment level to defence and overall work ethic we have seen through the three-game win streak continues, this is a very dangerous Coquitlam side.

Every team in the BCHL has the week off as we barrel towards the All-Star weekend. Salmon Arm is the place to be as the All-Stars and Top Prospects from around the league gather for a weekend filled with festivities and frantic action. Sam Frandina will be in the All-Star Game while Thomas Zocco, Eric Young and Jack Bakker will partake in the Top Prospects Game. Be sure to head up and cheer them on or tune in on FloHockey as the league coverage will be continuous throughout the event.

FORTIS BC ENERGY PLAYER – Thomas Zocco

MARINER BREWING THREE STARS

3rd – COQ – Jack Sullivan – 2G

2nd – COQ – Andrew Ness – 35 Saves on 36 Shots – 1 Assist

1st – COQ – Carson McGinley – 2G 2A

BOXSCORE

– Ian Wilson