Coquitlam are looking to keep momentum moving forward tonight as the Cowichan Capitals come to town. It is the Third Annual Pride Night at the Poirier, an initiative the Express are honoured to host for another season.
The Capitals are already a tough opponent to solve with their high offensive output, but that notion just kicked up to another gear last night. Cowichan are coming off a wild 7-6 overtime victory where they scored six unanswered to erase a 5-0 deficit.
If you are the Coquitlam Express your first order of business is to put forth the best defensive game you have played all season. With how hot the Capitals’ sticks are, they will likely look to keep that momentum flowing into this game. Expect early pressure as the road side tries to establish their run-and-gun style of hockey at the Poirier.
The good news is, the Express have faced a team with a similar play-style very recently. And that game went extremely well. Sherwood Park love to move the puck up ice quickly, often with reckless abandon, and Coquitlam were ready to capitalize on any mistakes they made with unsure passes or puck carrying. Should that same level of defensive coverage and tenacity in the neutral zone be established, the Express are going to feast tonight.
The Capitals will need to be weary of what the Express can accomplish when motivated. The win on Thursday against Prince George puts Coquitlam that much closer to catching the Caps in the standings, so motivation is aplenty for the home team. They won’t need a reminder either of the exploits Coquitlam managed against the Crusaders last weekend because that will have been top of the list when studying video for their defensive tendencies heading into this one. If there is one thing that the Capitals have showcased in recent memory, it’s an ability to adapt to the circumstances within a game. Don’t be surprised to see the gameplan shift as required if Coquitlam come out with the perfect counter early on.
Looking at the lineup sheet, the Express haven’t made many changes since their big win on Thursday night. One big omission from the starting unit is Joseph Odyniec who will be out of action with injury. As such, Coquitlam will field 11 forwards and 7 defence as they reserves are riddled with injuries as well. It may serve Cowichan well to shift from the run and gun style to a more zone-control type of game tonight. If they can grind the Express down in the attacking zone, opportunities will start to open up.
If you can’t make it out then be sure to tune in to the FloHockey brodcast as always. Pregame show will start around 15 minutes prior to puck drop.
– Ian Wilson
