It was not a great night on the ice for the Coquitlam Express as the Vernon Vipers asserted themselves to kickstart their three game road trip.
On the ice, the product may not have been what the club was hoping for, but the aura surrounding a Spirit Night in partnership with Centennial Secondary and the Gamar Foundation was unmatched.
A pregame BBQ at Centennial and subsequent jubilations at the Train Station made for a fun night for all and we cannot wait to keep seeing the students around the rink all season.
As for the contest itself, the Vipers battled to an early 2-0 lead through 20 minutes and never looked back. Jakub Galnor and Keeaghan Dunn scored 32 seconds apart and it was a backbreaker for the Express.
More of the same continued in period two as the Vipers kept pouring it on. Galnor, Pastro, Schumacher, and Bibby found the back of the goal. The common theme for the Vipers was creating on the rush. Coquitlam were terrible at defending against odd man opportunities but Vernon also shot exceptionally well. Andrew Ness was in the right place for a bunch of the odd man rush shots, the puck was just perfectly placed to beat the netminder. The sheer amount of chances the Express gave up though was not a good sign for a team entering a slide in the standings. The effort that was there on Saturday night despite the loss to the Grizzlies was nowhere to be found on Wednesday, save for one player.
Tyler Magdalinski made his BCHL debut and got energy player of the game honours due to his work ethic and impact on the flow of play. Originally starting on the fourth line, he was elevated to several different combinations throughout the night. He was able to generate off the rush and enable his teammates and nearly turned the tide with a goal of his own. Jari Kykkanen made a nifty glove save to turn the chance aside.
Thomas Zocco netted the lone goal for Coquitlam as he got a perfect shot to go, bar-down off the rush. It was too little too late as the Vipers had a firm grasp on the game, and would eventually restore their six-goal lead with their seventh of the night.
The words that come to mind for the Express between now and Friday’s game are accountability and soul-searching. Coquitlam need a bounce back in every sense of the term on Friday evening against Prince George.
To quote the great Rocky Balboa: “It Ain’t How Hard You Hit…It’s How Hard You Can Get Hit and Keep Moving Forward. It’s About How Much You Can Take And Keep Moving Forward!”
FORTIS BC ENERGY PLAYER – Tyler Magdalinski
MARINER BREWING THREE STARS
3rd – VER – Luke Bibby – 1G 1A
2nd – VER – Jakub Galnor – 2G
1st – VER – Erik Pastro – 1G 2A
– Ian Wilson
