Alberni Valley came away the victors Saturday night and managed to redeem themselves after a lackluster showing the night prior. The Express on the other hand head home from the Island with only one of four points and are once again on the outside looking in at home ice advantage in the playoffs.
The Bulldogs capitalized on a fantastic first period start that would be later supplemented by bounces only the hockey gods could ordain. Cole Bishop walked in on a partial breakaway and fired one past Andrew Ness to open the scoring. Then Wyatt Blace found himself in the right place at the right time as a centring feed ended up in the crease in front of Ness but he didn’t see it before Blace poked it home. The hot start cooled off and Coqutilam started finding their offence but the damage had been done.
In the second period the Express caught fire and rallied with a three-goal run in under two minutes to take a 3-2 lead. Connor Seeley tipped home a point shot on a drive to the goal while Trip Pendy banked home a shot from an impossible angle below the goal line. The coup de gras was Cale Colwell sniping a shot crossbar and in to end the night of Alberni netminder Ryder Shea. Colin Winn stepped into the game and bounced back after his Friday night showing, making key saves down the stretch. The Bulldogs then got the tying goal on the first of two terrible bounces for Coquitlam on the evening. Caden Tremblay ripped a shot from the left wing and it hit Mitch Kneidel in front of the goal, deflecting past Andrew Ness.
A tie game into the third period brought the energy back into the Dawg Pound and the players on the ice felt it. Both sides exchanged good chances but the tiebreaker would belong to the Dawg Pound itself. Weyerhaeuser Arena has seen some wild bounces in it’s time but last night might be up there as one of the most fortuitous for the home side. Wyatt Davis shot the puck off the glass intending to have it rim around the boards for a dump and chase, only to have it deflect at a 90 degree angle right into the middle of the express zone. Andrew Ness had left the crease to play the puck assuming it went behind the goal but could not recover in time as Teague McAllister found the deflected puck first and buried it. Try as they might the Express couldn’t get any more offence on the board and Alberni would add an empty netter.
Bad bounces are one thing, but the Express’ lack of offence in the second half of the game is another. It’s hard to win a hockey game when the biscuit isn’t making it to the goal. Coquitlam only mustered five total shots on goal for the remainder of the night after Ryder Shea was chased halfway through the second period. Credit is due to the Bulldogs defense in this regard as there were some great deflections and blocked shots along the way.
The good news is that this game was competitive and within reach all night long despite how depleted the Express are at present. The injury bug hitting early is both a blessing and a curse because the potential seeding will likely be impacted but if guys can get healthy it bodes well for a deep postseason run. In the meantime, it is up to the guys on the ice to show up and show out.
Coquitlam remain on the mainland to finish the regular season. Up first is a homestand next weekend against Prince George and Nanaimo followed by a road game against Langley and then regular season finale versus Victoria at the Train Station.
FORTIS BC ENERGY PLAYER – Kenyon McIsaac
MARINER BREWING THREE STARS
3rd – AVB – Brady McIsacc – 2A
2nd – AVB – Caden Tremblay – 1G 1A
1st – Teague McAllister – Game Winning Goal
– Ian Wilson
