Game 54 is here and it should be nothing less than a barn burner as Victoria comes to town to try their hand at clinching the season series 3-1. The Grizzlies are coming off an overtime loss at the hands of Chilliwack last night and with a chance to gain even more favorable seeding for the playoffs, they won’t be short on motivation. Coquitlam bumped the slump yesterday, now they have a chance to make it two in a row as emotions will certainly run high with the 20’s being celebrated tonight.
Veteran leadership can make or break a team. If you have graduating players that embody playing hockey the right way, that commitment to excellence spreads like wildfire. Safe to say the Express are fortunate to have some of the best. James Shannon, Joe Odyniec, David Brandes, Sam Frandina, Andrej Kovacevic, Mason Kesselring, and Andrew Ness are all set to conclude their final regular season Junior games and while this will not be the end of their hockey journeys, tonight will absolutely be wrought with emotions. The impact these guys have left on the community is immeasurable and we are all so proud of what they have accomplished, and what they will go on to achieve.
The Grizzlies are a team much akin to their mascot, big and physical. They possess a ton of size and speed but that doesn’t come without scoring touch. Case in point they are tied for third in the Coastal with 202 goals scored this season while having given up around the same as Coquitlam at 187. Victoria had to repair their blueline quite significantly this season with some key pieces moving around including the departure of Drew Hockley to University midway through December. They also shored up the situation between the pipes with Kyle Kelsey joining the team and creating one of the best tandems in the league alongside Oliver Auyeung-Ashton. Kelsey is a product of Maple Ridge and has taken away more than a few goals from the Express with dazzling saves.
Coquitlam have their work cut out for them tonight. They cannot afford to back off the physicality and allow Victoria to establish their flow of play. Most important to that affect is defending the net front. Coquitlam have some big bodies of their own on the backend and they will certainly be tested. It won’t just be about getting to those second-chance pucks and clearing them away. It will also be a war of attrition for the shooting lanes. Boxing-out and ensuring the netminder has vision to the puck will be critical tonight as Victoria have caused havoc against Coquitlam this season when properly setting up the forest in front of the goal.
It’s Fan Appreciation Night which means we have a ton of special festivities planned to showcase our gratitude for the support you’ve shown us this season. One of the highlights is the guaranteed $2025 50/50 jackpot but that is just a small piece of the pie. Be sure to stick around after the contest as the annual player awards will be presented on the ice with all fans encouraged to cheer the boys on. We cannot wait to see you there!
– Ian Wilson
