The Express got the offence required to win this hockey game, unfortunately the defence didn’t hold up their end of the bargain. A slow start paved the way for a 2-0 Cowichan lead through twenty minutes and that momentum was tough to combat between the second and third.
Seven minutes into the opening period the Capitals struck first after a flurry of chances for both teams were trounced by the netminders. What appeared at first to be a shot from the blueline was a pass on the money to Darius Bachler who tipped the puck into the top corner to open the scoring. Ben Portner tacked the other tally on for Cowichan as the shots remained fairly even at 17-15 Capitals through 20 minutes.
The floodgates opened up for both teams in the second period with Coquitlam striking first. Thomas Zocco found a streaking Mason Kesselring with a pass to finish off a 2-on-1. The home side wasn’t about to let their momentum falter as Jordan Bax took a shot from the blueline that found its way home through traffic and Luca Primerano stole the puck away from Eric Young following a save and tucked it home on a wraparound. 4-1 Capitals at the 5:40 mark of the second period and they showed no signs of slowing down.
Kovacevic and Kesselring were the heroes Coquitlam needed to jumpstart their efforts as they put on an absolute snipe-show in the second half of the middle frame. Two goals from similar spots and both finding the slimmest of margins to beat the netminder. There are few ways to score prettier than a high glove-side bar-down beauty. The entire complexion of this game had changed with a 4-3 affair heading into the third period.
Coquitlam continued to press. However, Dylan Krick kept battling through the pressure and gave the Capitals a chance to win this game. That has been the crux of Cowichan’s issues for a while as they keep filling the net, but failing to support their goalies enough in their own end. Tonight the bounce they needed fell in their lap.
A point shot from Luke McCrady hit the sea of bodies in front of Eric Young and landed right on a silver platter for Jordan Bax to pounce on. The Parkhill, Ontario product was waiting at the back post as the puck ended up right in front of him with the Coquitlam netminder just barely unable to slide over in time.
With time winding down and opportunities running out, the Express finally broke through with the special teams. A powerplay goal at 14:37 was a thing of beauty as the passing play ended on the stick of Nate Crema parked right in front and he barely had to steer the puck home it was so well placed.
The ending of the game was a bit disappointing for Express faithful as a missed penalty call on a hit from behind and timekeeping errors resulted in a disruption in the flow of play. Cowichan capitalized and sent the puck down ice for Brayden Sinclair to put the exclamation point on a tough effort for the home side.
Assistant Coach Brett Sonne summed it up very well in the post game coach’s interview. This was a game where the Express failed to represent their identity as a hard working, blue collar, defence-first team. That is the version of themselves that wins hockey games and tonight they didn’t represent that. Scoring goals and making the highlight reel plays is nice, but the importance of defence cannot be understated. Take care of your own end and the rest will fall into place.
With the Grizzlies waiting down at the Q tomorrow night, there is no time like the present to rekindle that identity to its fullest potential.
FORTIS BC ENERGY PLAYER – Brayden Sinclair
MARINER BREWING THREE STARS
3rd – COW – Darius Bachler 1G 1A
2nd – COQ – Mason Kesselring – 2G 1A
1st – COW – Jordan Bax – 2G 1A (Game Winning Goal)
– Ian Wilson
