It’s a whirlwind weekend for Coquitlam as the Express head to the interior to visit Vernon. Only one other time have the Express and Vipers squared off this season. That contest went 8-1 for Vernon down in Seattle at the BCHL showcase. Keep in mind that game was all the way back in October, and both teams are vastly different since then.
At the time of their first meeting, the Vipers were one of the early season contenders out east. The interior conference was shaking at some of the performances the Vernon squad were stringing together. They have since fallen off a bit, coming back down to earth to sit fourth in the interior at 19-12-1. To put that positioning in perspective relative to the coastal conference, they would be tied for third with Victoria.
Vernon has achieved their success this season under a balanced attack. Case in point the last time the two teams went to battle, of the eight goals scored against the Express, they were scored by six different players. Furthermore, the Vipers sport the fifth highest goals for this season across all teams, but their leading goal getter Isaac Tremblay only has 15. The contributions they get from up and down the lineup contribute to a great team success.
Some players to watch for the Vipers include Owen Kim and Erik Pastro. Kim is a former Langley Rivermen who has seen his game take a leap to new heights since joining the Vipers. He sports two seasons of experience in the coastal conference where he certainly saw a lot of Coquitlam. Pastro is a local product of Vernon, playing for his hometown team and finding huge success in doing so. Sitting second in team scoring for the Vipers, the former Okanagan Rocket (BCEHL) will be looking to make more memories at Kal Tire Place.
The Express will also be faced by a solid goaltending tandem in Ethan David and Colin Reay. Together they sport a 0.913 save percentage and 2.71 GAA. It’s not to the level they faced in Ajeet Gundarah the night before, but the challenge will still be present.
Coquitlam will need contributions from all sources this evening with an all hands on deck approach being penultimate. Cole Melady got the monkey off his back in the Surrey game last night, literally tossing it into the stands as a celebration, ending a 12-game scoring drought. He was still getting into the assist column along the way but there’s a different feeling when you put the puck across the line yourself.
The Express as an entire unit have been waiting to get the monkey off their back lately with their last five games being a 1-4 record. Plenty of new additions are still finding their way into the rotation with success coming in various forms. Finding the win column tonight will go a long way to increasing the confidence level heading into the All-Star break.
– Ian Wilson
