The Coquitlam Express will finish off a stretch of three games in consecutive nights when they play the Victoria Grizzlies Sunday afternoon. Victoria will also be looking to cap off a three game road trip when they come into the Poirier Sports and Leisure Complex.
This will be the first meeting between the two teams in over a year. Last September, Coquitlam played the Grizzlies three time, recording two wins. In each of the three games a year ago, only one goal separated the two teams. Jace Hennig and Marc Biega will be the only two returning players from the previous team Coquitlam dressed versus Victoria.
This season however, Coquitlam has brought in a whole new crop of talent. Corey Mackin has emerged as a goal scoring threat whenever he is out on the ice. He currently leads the team in goals with 14 and second in points with 26, only trailing Adam Rockwood who has 29 points. Rockwood, who joined the Express later last year, after suffering a broken jaw, has emerged to be a leader out on the ice, and currently lead the league in assists with 25. Captain Ryan Rosenthal is having very nice first season with Coquitlam scoring and assisting 13 times through 20 games. The Express have also displayed consistent secondary scoring coming from Bo Pieper, Cannon Pieper, and Joey Santucci who have 12, 12 , and 10 goals respectively.
Victoria will also ice a very talented team come Sunday afternoon. Many fans will get a chance to see Gerry and Myles Fitzgerald play for the first time. The Port Alberni brothers have been a force for the Grizzlies all season. Gerry sits third in the league in points with 31 points while Myles is not far behind with 27. The duo have committed to Bemidji State for the upcoming season. Toronto Native Jesse Schwartz who rounds out the top line for Victoria also sits at 27 points and has committed to Connecticut.
Coquitlam will take on Chilliwack Saturday night, while Victoria is in Langley to play the Rivermen. Both teams will then meet in Coquitlam to square off at 2:00 P.M at the PSLC.
