The All-Star break has come and gone, the players have had a chance to rest and recuperate, now the fun truly begins. It’s the eve of the final two months of the regular season and there is still plenty left to be decided in the standings. The Top-seeded Chilliwack Chiefs look to defend that mantle against a sixth place Express squad. Interestingly enough, only seven points separate the two, and only four points stand between Coquitlam and second place. Every game, every moment matters when you are battling for home ice advantage in the opening round. Time to see who truly wants it more.
This will be meeting #5 on the season between these mainland opponents. Coquitlam have gotten the better of the Chiefs in three of the previous four. What we have come to expect is fast-paced and aggressive hockey whenever these sides meet, and it has not disappointed this campaign. The players use that motivation to get out and fly every shift and that makes for a hockey game where the entire complexion can change in an eye-blink.
Some exciting new additions to the Express are expected to make their season debuts tonight. Nikita Sitnikov and Dane Pyatt were acquired just before the All-Star break and have had some time to acclimate to the Coquitlam system of play. Practice only gets you so far though so to see them translate their game onto the ice at the Train Station against a rival such as Chilliwack will be fun to watch. Sitnikov is a Kazakhstani international that represented his country at the World Juniors this past December. Pyatt is a local boy that started the season with the Spokane Chiefs in the WHL before coming home to the Lower Mainland.
The Chiefs have some new faces that will get their first taste of this rivalry as well. Two new netminders have been brought into the organization in Kevin Jones and Montreal Canadiens draft pick Quentin Miller. Sebastian Gatto is still around and working hard so it will be interesting to see who earns the start tonight. On the blueline there is the addition of Jaden Veney and then up front the Chiefs have added Connor Arseneault.
A huge key for Coquitlam tonight is to keep the offence rolling. The Express have scored 22 goals in their last four games. That is scorching hot and has come at a good time where the defence has had its struggles. Some guys who are particularly hot during that stretch into the new year are Mason Kesselring, James Shannon, Nate Crema and Carson McGinley. Kesselring and Crema both have two goals and four assists each, Shannon is on a four game points streak and Carson McGinley has been lights out. In four games since joining the Express, he has five goals and an assist. The Chiefs are a team that can really snowball when they get momentum, well there are few better ways to disrupt a team than scoring copious amounts of goals on them.
The battle between the pipes rages on for the Express as Eric Young and Andrew Ness seek to establish themselves as quite the formidable tendy tandem. Eric Young is coming off a weekend in Salmon Arm where he represented Team Coastal in the Top Prospects game. He had a stellar, highlight-reel glove save on a two-on-nothing to give his team a timely boost. Andrew Ness on the other hand started the last three-in-a-row for the Express heading into the All-Star break. During his three-game win streak he made 35+ saves each night and has been there to bail out the team when things go awry. As the season gets closer to its culmination, this duo could be nigh unstoppable.
Our friends from Vancouver FC join us tonight as we celebrate Minor Sports night. Be on the lookout for activities, giveaways and information from several wonderful local groups and organizations.
If you cannot be there in person, the FloHockey broadcast will have you covered as always. Tune in around 6:45PM PST for all the action.
– Ian Wilson
