The Coquitlam Express hosted the Langley Rivermen at the Train Station on Wednesday night as they hunted for their third consecutive victory!
First Period
As they’ve done so well lately, the Express opened the scoring in this one. Ryan Tattle went end-to-end before feeding a streaking Tyler Kopff who made no mistake and put it past Langley’s outstretched netminder.
Another trend that the Express continued in this opening frame is their powerplay lethality – Mirko Buttazzoni ripped a wrist-shot bar down over the shoulder of Langley’s goalie that bounced along the goal line before Jaeger Murdock banged it home.
Second Period
The Rivermen were certainly the better team in the middle frame as they scored three times and controlled the majority of the play, despite being outshot by the Express.
They got within one just 2:12 into the second and then kept pushing as the period progressed.
The Express managed to protect the lead for the majority of the period, but with just 75 seconds remaining, the Rivermen managed to find the equalizer. Then, 53 seconds later, the Rivermen buried one to take a 3-2 lead with 22 seconds remaining.
Third Period
For the first half of the third period, the Rivermen lived up to expectations and locked down the neutral zone with a textbook trap. However, the Express managed to find a chink in the armour and tie this one up 9:44 into the frame with Ray Hamlin’s 18th goal of the season.
Understandably, it was fairly tentative hockey from that point on as both these teams surely remember their previous two clashes well – both games went the distance to shootouts and a total of 22 goals were collectively scored.
With 2:50 remaining in regulation and overtime looming, the Rivermen were called for high-sticking and sent to their fourth penalty kill of the night. The Express went to work and it was the aforementioned Buttazoni who would eventually tip a Kahlil Fontana point shot home with just 63 seconds remaining to secure the victory.
Notables
The Express went 2/4 on the powerplay and held the Rivermen scoreless on their lone powerplay opportunity.
Buttazzoni had a breakthrough game as he was a notable strength amongst the Express’ forwards ranks. His goal and assist tonight both showcased what made him such an appealing asset to Express management when they traded for him. With three points in his last four, and his elevated engagement, one should expect an uptick in his point production.
Ian Devlin was very impactful from the blue line with three assists to his name and some big minutes against the Rivermen’s top players. Much like his surrounding cast, Devlin has taken a step in his development as of late and has further bolstered the Express’ depth on defence.
Once again, the captain showcased a complete effort and led his team by example. With another pair of assists in this game, Tattle is now up to five goals and six assists in his last four games. There was one shift in this game that he didn’t find the scoresheet but perhaps made the biggest impact. It was during a penalty kill as he pinned the puck in the Rivermen’s end for what seemed like a minute and then when they finally got the puck and started going up the ice, Tattle hounded them from behind, stripped the puck, and sent it back behind Langley’s net before heading to change. Leadership like this goes a long way, especially in a room that’s hunting for a playoff spot.
Adam Manji found his second consecutive win and showcased a further-polished goaltending effort. He’s starting to learn how to use his size and he’s doing a much better job of managing his crease.
The Express have now won three straight games, including two against the top-two teams in the Coastal Conference – the (now) leading Alberni Valley Bulldogs, and of course, the Rivermen. In their last six, the Express have posted a record of 4-1-1.
#AllAboard | #WeAreAllExpress
