The Coquitlam Express are heading into tonight riding a perfect preseason record of four wins and zero losses. They will look to remain blemish-free as they host the Langley Rivermen in what will be these two team’s second meeting of the preseason! Puck drop is at 7:00pm.
The Express doubled up on the Rivermen in their last meeting back on the 21st with a 6-3 victory. It was the visiting Express squad that jumped out to an unanswered and massive four-goal lead in the first frame. The Rivermen were forced to play catchup from that point on and made a respectable effort in clawing back, outscoring the Express 3-2 in the final 40 minutes of play. This Rivermen squad has not tasted victory in the preseason yet, so you have to expect some hunger on their end.
For the Express, their roster has been trimmed down since their last outing and they still have more cuts to go. We will be seeing a different-looking lineup tonight for the Express, as many of their veterans will be sitting out the contest. With the exception of Ryan Tattle, every player in tonight’s lineup was born in 2002 or later. One of these young guys is the hometown kid, 2005-born Brody Juck, who was recently signed by the team. GM Tali Campbell is excited about the addition,
“To be honest he really wasn’t on our radar but as soon as we saw him we knew he had a lot of potential and someone who is going to play in our league in the future – we just weren’t sure when… The way he handles the puck, his size and his confidence are all big things that make him a solid defenseman, someone who has continued to get better and during Main Camp he proved to us he needs be in our league now.”
Juck has contributed a couple of points so far in the preseason and he’s just one of many pieces on this Express’ back end that can contribute offensively, as well as defensively. Also in the lineup tonight, cut from that same cloth, are Matthew Campbell and Harry Meirowitz, who have both shown their puck-moving abilities and knack for generating offensively. In fact, Campbell is second in team scoring thus far with three goals and a helper in just two games.
Adam Manji is back between the pipes for the Express – the rookie is 1-0 on the preseason and will look to keep a spotless record as the preseason winds down.
The Express will have one last preseason contest following tonight’s outing. It looks like this:
- Oct. 1 @ Chilliwack – 6:00PM
#AllAboard #WeAreAllExpress
