The Coquitlam Express hosted the Merritt Centennials Wednesday night in what was their first home game of the 2021-22 preseason campaign. The home team came out on top with a decisive 5-1 victory over the visitors.
The Express are now up to a three-game winning streak in which they’ve scored a minimum of five goals. The offence has been very, very strong to start this preseason.
With that being said, this game was very tight-checking to start and saw no goals through 20 minutes of action. It wasn’t until the middle frame where things started to open up for the Express.
Tonight, Ryan Tattle was the story. The Port Moody native was absolutely flying tonight and showed why he’s one of the best players in the league. He finished the game with two beautiful breakaway goals and perhaps an even nicer assist for a three-point evening. His speed was unmatched and he seemed to be able to create open ice at will.
The Express had some major penalty issues this evening and saw themselves taking a double-minor and a five-minute misconduct, on top of a slew of minor penalties. Connor MacKenzie was forced to be sharp and he was, turning away 30 of 31 and improving to a 2-0 record in preseason action.
The Express are back in action on Friday! Here’s how the remainder of the schedule is looking:
- Sept. 24 vs Surrey – 7:00PM
- Sept. 29 vs Langley – 7:00PM
- Oct. 1 @ Chilliwack – 6:00PM
#AllAboard #WeAreAllExpress
