Coquitlam ran out of gas last night as this busy week showed how the BCHL season at its heart has always been a marathon. During the post game coaches interview it was apparent that their was disappointment in the overall effort and quality of play presented by this Express team. However, it is just one game in the schedule, the real tell tale moment of this weekend will be Sunday. Coquitlam proved they are legitimate against the Brooks Bandits Thursday but they must now take the lessons learned from Friday night and get back to their usual ways against a tough Langley team at home.
The real highlight of the night was the cheque presentation to KidSport Tri-cities. Prior to the opening faceoff, Coquitlam had GM and COO, Tali Campbell, Owner and Governer, Fayaz Manji, and Executive Director of KidSport Tri-Cities, Chris Wilson take part in an unveiling where the Express donated $41,227.54. This brought the lifetime total of funds raised by our annual Charity Golf Tournament to over $108,000. A huge thank you is due to all the wonderful people that make the event possible, from the staff and volunteers, to the sponsors and golfers. We can achieve incredible things when we come together.
In the first period the Express got a bad bounce in their defensive zone as David Brandes tried to clear a centering feed that went immediately back to an Oiler. A quick snap pass caught everyone off guard and Jamie Hikida, a local Richmond, BC product, scored the opener. Thomas Zocco responded with a fantastic effort, taking the puck from the right corner of the offensive end, behind the net, out to the point, then curled down the slot splitting the defence, and capping it off with a wrist shot to beat Ciarlo clean.
Period two didn’t take long to present its first ripples of the twine as Coquitlam and Okotoks traded goals within the first three minutes. An odd man rush materialized for the Oilers off the hustle from Michael Kowalski who turned a 2-on-2 into a 3-on-2 and blasted home a one-timer. The Express answered 30 seconds later as Ryan Staples found Sebastian Bradshaw slipping behind the defence to beat Ciarlo for his first of the season. The Oilers would have the last laugh of the frame with the game continuing to bounce back and forth. Okotoks drove the puck down below the goal line and a then centered the puck. Mitchell Pearce tried to knock the pass away with his stick and ended up deflecting it to Otto Hanson who chopped it home for his fourth of the season.
The wheels finished falling off the bus in the third as the Oilers tacked on two more and put the icing on the cake with an empty netter. Overall there were definitely some goals tonight that the young Express netminder would have liked back but Coquitlam did not defend well in front of him. Too many odd man rushes spelled defeat for a team that really had a Jekyll and Hyde moment between yesterday and today. Kudos to the Oilers who came to play at the Poirier. They had their own demons to banish with a 4-0 loss to Langley on Thursday. Their fourth line was simply sensational as combined they had four points and dictated the flow of play whenever they were on the ice. Olivier Ciarlo was also fantastic, stopping 29 of 31 and making several timely stops including one in the first period where he swept a rolling puck off the goal line following an odd deflection off his own defenders skate.
The Rivermen will make their way to the Train Station on Sunday in what will be another huge test of the will this Express team has. They have not yet put forth two bad efforts in a row this season and will need to find their poise with Langley likely hungry following their 8-0 defeat at the hands of the Bandits on home ice.
FORTIS BC ENERGY PLAYER – Thomas Zocco
MARINER BREWING THREE STARS
3rd – OKT – Michael Kowalski – 1G 1A
2nd – OKT – Joseph Meredith – 1G 1A
1st – OKT – Olivier Ciarlo – 29 Saves on 31 Shots
– Ian Wilson
