The Express needed to respond tonight. To say that’s what they accomplished is an understatement. Coquitlam came into Chilliwack with a purpose and completed the mission with full vengeance. There are few better feelings than winning a close game, save for when you win it with less than 15 seconds to go.
The first period went in Coquitlam’s favour as the road side held steady on the defensive end despite an invigorated Chilliwack early on. The Chiefs looked to get out and run and it came back to bite them on a few occasions. Counterattack pressure from the Express in transition led to some solid building blocks for the foundation of a victory. A chaotic sequence ended in the first goal of this contest as Coquitlam continued to pour it on in the back half of the period. A Jackson Krill shot snuck through Sebastian Gatto only to be cleared out of the crease by a diving Hudson Wiles. This teed up a howitzer of a shot from Sam Frandina that went over the net. James Shannon found the puck and fed it back to Frandina in the slot and the defender wouldn’t make the same mistake twice. Four minutes later the Express doubled their lead on the powerplay thanks to the Captain cashing in on a cross seam feed. Shannon recognized the Chiefs were anticipating the one timer at the faceoff circle so he found a gap in the coverage right down low near the goal where Sebastian Bradshaw threaded him the puck.
Taking the 2-0 lead into the second period, Coquitlam kept finding offensive flurries. The only issue was the same problem regarding finish from last night lurking in the shadows. Several chances in the middle period rolled off the stick or were denied by Gatto and you could tell it was only a matter of time before the Chiefs got a bounce to go their way. That shift in fortune came at the hands of Caleb Elfering, who scored his second goal of the weekend as he stuck with his own rebound after being stoned in tight by Eric Young and swept the puck home while falling down in the crease. With Chilliwack pressing, Coquitlam kept digging their heels in defensively but slipped up at a crucial moment to end the period. With the powerplay unit on the ice, the Express turned the puck over and Mateo Mrsic capitalized. The Chiefs’ captain took a rush directly to the house and beat Eric Young five-hole on a crease-crashing play. The stage was set for an incredible third period.
Chilliwack struck first in the penultimate frame as Connor Dick was left alone in the slot to wire home a one-timer. Brendyn Van Oene drew a couple Coquitlam players into the far corner before sneaking the pass through and the shot ripped past a sliding Jackson Krill and eventually the Express netminder. Now down by one, and having surrendered the lead via a three-goal run against, Coquitlam needed to dig deep. Cooper Wilson carried the puck down the right wing and whiffed on a shot, resulting in the puck being carried down low. The mis-trigger was a blessing in disguise as he worked to regain control of the puck against a physical defence and generated a centering feed. Ryan Staples was right on the front porch and a nifty backhand play elevated the puck over Gatto’s pad to tie the game.
Back and forth the pendulum swung with both sides having amazing opportunity to seal this game for their respective teams. This contest had a bit of everything, and then it gave us something nobody saw coming.
The final goal materialized off a faceoff in the Chilliwack zone with under 20 seconds to go. James Shannon tied up the centreman and the ensuing scramble saw the puck deflect off a Chilliwack skate and scoot over to the waiting Joseph Odyniec. The Washington, DC product rifled the puck on goal without hesitation and it beat Sebastian Gatto to put Coquitlam up for good.
This was an excellent early season test for the Express. Any time you drop a game against a rival and get to immediately run it back, business needs taking care of. Friday night it felt like Coquitlam got away from what makes them a good team and Saturday they went right back out and showed their identity. The forecheck and backcheck were feverish as ever and puck management was far more careful than during the 4-1 loss. Eric Young was solid as ever, stopping 28 of 31 as his own record improves to 5-1 alongside the team.
Cooper Wilson stopped by the broadcast booth post game and had a good discussion about how this team is coming together and supporting one another through this fantastic early season start. He spoke highly of his D-partner in Liam Loughery, the two are an absolutely fantastic shutdown pairing for the Express. Humorously, he razzed himself about missing the shot that eventually led up to his assist on Ryan Staples game tying goal.
The Express now prepare for another home and home next weekend, this time against the Langley Rivermen. They will be another solid challenge for Coquitlam as the defenders of the Lodge are 4-1-1 through their first six and are coming off an OT win in Powell River.
FORTIS BC ENERGY PLAYER – Tucker Shedd
MARINER BREWING THREE STARS
3rd – COQ – Sam Frandina – 1G
2nd – CHWK – Mateo Mrsic – 1 SHG
1st – COQ – Joseph Odyniec – Game Winning Goal
– Ian Wilson
