The BCHL season is a grind that can get the better of any team. With most of your matchups throughout the season being back to backs, there isn’t a lot of time to recover. Even more apparent then is the impact of an illness striking your team like Coquitlam has dealt with this week. Only five of their regular defenders were available for tonight’s game and no extra forwards either as they resorted to an AP call-up and got to work.
This hockey game had all the makings to be another Coquitlam – Alberni classic. Even chances through the opening 20 minutes accompanied by two sides buying in to their respective identities and digging their heels in defensively. It was a fast paced, high intensity start to a game many had been waiting for.
The Bulldogs struck first, but it didn’t come until the second period. A turnover at the offensive end resulted in an Alberni counterattack via Juan Copeland and Jesse Allecia. Copeland made a nice drag move around a sliding Coquitlam defender before taking a shot that rebounded off Eric Young. Allecia was there to bang home the rebound for their second of the season. Then less than two minutes later, Alberni got an absolutely fortuitous bounce where a shot deflected off bodies in front and then hit Andrej Kovacevic’s skate and deflected again perfectly past Eric Young.
The momentum was too much for the Express to overcome as the Bulldogs tacked on two more in the third with Cole Bishop and Jacob Wingfield lighting the red lamp.
Coquitlam did get one back as Trip Pendy made a nice play and centred the puck to Ryan Staples for a wicked one timer that finally beat Colin Winn.
The Bulldogs played a solid 60 minute game on home ice, making life extremely frustrating for the Express all night. They were dangerous in the neutral zone and generated a myriad of chances off the aggressive counterattack as soon as any mistakes were made. Colin Winn earned third star honours, stopping 21 of 22 and there were a long list of those saves that were of the high calibre variety. Coquitlam had plenty of quality opportunities to score tonight but Winn was a massive difference maker. After the Express finally got on the board they almost made it 4-2 less than a minute later but the Alberni netminder made their biggest save of the game, denying Joseph Odyniec point blank.
Overall the Express did not have the jump required to battle back in this game. Whether it was the injuries accrued throughout the night or just a general feeling of defeat after going down 4-0, they were searching for something and just couldn’t quite find it.
A bright spot tonight for Coquitlam was Nathan Hillmann’s BCHL debut. There wasn’t anything flashy out of the defender but he played a solid game without any mistakes, fitting in where he needed to on the backend. Jeff Wagner was complimentary of his game and how he rose to the occasion despite the short notice on being added to this game.
It’s back to the drawing board heading into Wednesday’s tilt against the Surrey Eagles in front of a sold out home crowd.
FORTIS BC ENERGY PLAYER – Calle Sandstrom
MARINER BREWING THREE STARS
3rd – AVB – Colin Winn – 21 Saves on 22 Shots
2nd – AVB – Caden Tremblay – 2A
1st – AVB – Jesse Allecia – 1G 1A
– Ian Wilson
