Merritt kept their scoring touch rolling in this one, but Coquitlam managed to turn the heat up on theirs just a little bit hotter as they outlast the Centennials in overtime. A come from behind win that served as a real gut check following the 8-1 loss to Vernon, you could tell the boys were hungry to turn over a new leaf.
The first period was relatively quiet, with former Chilliwack Chief Michael Stenberg netting his first as a Centennial. The temperature started to rise in the second as Merritt outshot Coquitlam 10-7 enroute to building a 3-1 lead. The Cents recently re-signed Jaxson Murray who quickly reintroduced himself, scoring his first of the season. Kasper Walther-Sneve was the lone marker for the Express as he ripped it home situated in the slot after a nice feed from down low by Logan Morrell.
This set the stage for the aforementioned gut check. Luke Vardy broke through for his first of the season less than 2 minutes into the third, with Nate Crema continuing to assist on big goals. Crema would later score his 2nd of the season, and his efforts earned him the Rick O’Brien Memorial Challenge Coin. The coin was awarded to the team by the RCMP following their tribute to O’Brien after his tragic passing in September. Dylan Lariviere broke the deadlock with 5 and a half left to go in the game but then he handed the Express the circumstances they needed to battle back once again. A holding penalty by Lariviere at 16:39 was supplemented by Simcoe going to the bench for a 6-on-4 powerplay and the Express converted, with Oslo’s favorite son getting his second of the game. Fast forward to overtime and Gavin Giesbrecht wasted little time. He put the afterburners on, taking the puck himself with a burst of speed down the left wing to burn the defender and slot it home past Ballantyne, sending Coquitlam back north of the border with the win.
Resilience is a commodity teams need to exemplify to go far in this league, and the Express had it in droves completing this comeback following the less than stellar previous performance. The defence and forwards supported one another with the physical play keeping things dialed in. Ethan Simcoe stays perfect in his young BCHL career, picking up his third win in three games, stopping 18 of 22.
Up next for the Express is a road game on Sunday at the South Surrey Arena. This will be a great test of that resolve, with the Surrey Eagles going a perfect 10-0 to start the campaign.
No stars were listed on the official scoresheet so I’ll take the liberty of picking out some!
1st – Coq – Gavin Giesbrecht (Assisted tying goal, scored GWG)
2nd – Coq – Nate Crema (1G, 1A)
3rd – Mer – Jaxson Murray (1G, 1A)
– Ian
