The hunt for the Fred Page Cup is officially underway with opening day of the Rogers BCHL Playoffs.
For those that were hoping for round 3 of Coquitlam vs Chilliwack, sorry to disappoint. If it’s any consolation, it came down to the final day of the season.
Alberni Valley. The Bulldogs. A perennial top seed in the Coastal Conference all season long, rarely dropping out of the top 4 if at all. Two teams gave them a significant amount of trouble this campaign, the Langley Rivermen and the Coquitlam Express.
In four meetings this season, the two sides split down the middle 2-2. Opening day of the schedule was against the Bulldogs and Coquitlam went down 5-1. The Express answered the next two games convincingly by scores of 6-4 and 7-1 before dropping the final game of the head-to-head 5-3 with an empty netter.
One thing you can confidently say about each matchup these teams played is they were exciting. Both groups love to compete with speed and physicality and have the grit and tenacity to not back away from the challenges the defence sends their way.
A huge takeaway for the Express from last weekend during the final tune-up for the postseason was how well they fought during the heated board battles in the offensive and defensive zones. The win percentage for Coquitlam was impressive, especially against a team with the stature and size of Victoria. The Bulldogs also have a decent sized roster so the Express will need that level of commitment to grinding in the corners again.
Coquitlam get some reinforcements back into the lineup this evening in the form of two players that have been out with injury for quite some time. For them to show the hard work and dedication to return for the postseason says something about their character. Mathew Frost and Noah Dziver slot in this evening and their playstyles are a welcome addition. Dziver hails from Winnipeg, Manitoba and notched eight points in his first 18 BCHL games including five goals. Frost is a Boston College commit out of Moose Jaw that while only had five points in his 15 games of BCHL experience, drove play in such a spectacular way. You need guys like these two out on the ice to create and help make their linemates better.
Another key matchup to kick off the series is Callum Tung vs Adam Manji. Goaltending battles are always exciting to watch, but even more so when the history between the two runs deep. Manji and Tung played minor hockey together before separating and playing against each other on different teams, Tung for Port Moody and Manji for Burnaby Winter Club. The two 20-year-olds are sure to leave their mark on this opening round contest in their final BCHL seasons.
Obviously the big news out of this past week was the coaching staff changes with the team. Patrick Sexton is no longer the Head Coach of the Coquitlam Express and into his shoes for the interim is Associate Coach Jeff Wagner. Sexton led the Express to a 49-48-11 record over two seasons, both finishing with the Express losing to the Chiefs in the opening round of the playoffs. Wagner has one more year of experience in the Coquitlam organization with his hiring as an Associate Coach in 2021-2022 under Brandon Shaw.
Speaking of Brandon Shaw, the former Head Coach of the Express has spent the last few seasons as an assistant coach with of the Niagara Ice Dogs in the OHL. Where will he be this weekend?
In Alberni Valley, on the Coquitlam Express bench.
Yes, that’s correct, the man to help Jeff Wagner and Brandon Cox out for the playoffs is the former veteran of the BCHL. He spent two seasons with the Merritt Centennials and then moved to Alberni Valley alongside the Head Coach and GM of the Bulldogs Joe Martin. Then after another two campaigns he was hired to the Express and spent one season at the Train Station.
The playoffs are a time of storylines and spectacle, and this series will be no different. Expect great things on the ice as the Express look to surpass the conference champions from a season ago.
Have a look at some more of the head-to-head from this past season:
If you’re looking to make the trip to the Dawg Pound it will likely be a capacity crowd, so be on the lookout to grab your tickets early. Evan Hammond has the call on FloHockey for the 7pm Puck drop.
– Ian Wilson
