The Express may have finally lit a blaze that the Grizzlies cannot douse. Sorry Smokey, but perhaps even you cannot prevent this impending forest fire. Five goals plus an empty netter in Game 3 paves the way for a pivotal fourth meeting at the Train Station.
Victoria got away from their style of play yesterday when the avalanche started in the middle frame. The frustration was evident as players were quite visibly irritated and took that out during post-whistle scrums and prolonged discussions with the officials. They settled back down to begin the third period but that was short-lived courtesy of the Cam Russo and Nate Crema 2-on-1. Mental toughness and overall discipline will be their most important asset this evening as they look to shrug off the licks they took yesterday. Overall defensively they left Kyle Kelsey out to dry on multiple of the Express goals including the Mason Kesselring breakaway, Nate Crema-Cam Russo 2-on-1 and the Carson McGinley backhand rebound where he was unchecked in front. The blueline for Victoria need to dial in or else whomever is minding the crease will be in for a long night.
For the Express the almighty notion heading into Game 4 is, “If it ain’t broke…”. You know the rest! Other than the first period being a write-off, Coquitlam competed and earned that comeback yesterday. Not only were all things going well on the offensive end but the defense and goaltending remained strong. They did not surrender another goal for the final 40 minutes. Then there’s the fact the four-goal run was tallied by all guys that were on the list of call-outs ahead of Game 3. It makes the Train horn going off that much more vindicating. Even before the goals started to pile up, that fire and desperation we witnessed by the snake-bitten top scorers in the first two games continued last night and it finally paid off. If you play the game the right way, the Hockey Gods have a way of rewarding you.
If there is one adjustment to be made for the Express tonight it is to take a page out of Jimmy Dodig’s book and play with that hint of mean streak. The Black Ace from Minnesota was a thorn in the side of the Grizzlies all night in the defensive end and did what he could to get under the skin of the opponent. Obviously it is a fine line to walk, and you cannot afford to give the Grizzlies powerplay chances in abundance, but every bit you can contribute to rattling the enemy, is a shot worth taking.
Andrew Ness will be between the pipes after he put together another workhorse performance last night. There are still conflicting reports of his save total so perhaps I was a fool to leave him off the Stars of the game selection. Something tells me the reigning team-voted Most Dedicated Player cares little about stars when there are yet games to be won. On the other side, the question mark looms over who will get the nod between the pipes. Kyle Kesley showed some rare cracks in the armor last night but was exceptional in Game 2. Oliver Auyeung-Ashton missed the last two games with illness but should he be available he is the likely candidate to try and give Victoria the chance to advance on home ice Friday.
There are still tickets to be had for tonight’s game at the Poirier so don’t hesitate! Secure yours now and bring all your energy and gusto with you. The Coquitlam faithful can smell a 2-2 series on the horizon, now all that is left is to seize it.
– Ian Wilson
