The road trip got underway Friday night with a visit to Powell River. Express fans will remember all too well how the Kings bounced our boys from last year’s playoffs in 6 games. Both teams entered the night in the middle of the pack of their respective divisions.
Philip Zielonka got off to a quick start on an impressive weekend when he put home a powerplay marker just 4:32 into the 1st period. Call-up Kolten Grieve tallied an assist on the play in one of his first shifts of the season for the Express. Powell River responded with 15 shots on goaltender Cole Huggins in the frame, but he was up for the task.
Coquitlam rookie, Luca Leone, would be the next player to capitalize, when he buried a feed from Adam Rockwood via Philip Zielonka, extending the Express lead to 2.
Fast forward to the 3rd and Cole Huggins exhibited his dominance, turning aside all 31 shots he faced. It was Huggins 3rd shutout of the season, and franchise leading 5th of his career. Express leading-scorer, John Seimer added an empty net goal, assisted by none other than Philip Zielonka.
In order, Huggins, Zielonka & Seimer swept the game’s 3 Stars.
Saturday night, the Express found themselves in Alberni Valley to take on the Bulldogs for the second time this season. The Express skated to a dominate 6-2 victory back in September.
Daniel Urbani got the nod in goal for Coquitlam. He was tested early and often. After an early goal by Alberni, Urbani would settle down and turn aside 16 of the 17 shots he faced in the 1st.
Fast forward to the last 3 minutes of the 2nd Period and the Express found themselves down by 2 goals. John Seimer potted his 8th of the year to bring the Express within 1 before the Bulldogs answered 31 seconds later to re-establish the 2 goal lead.
Alberni fans were in for a treat, as both teams put on a fireworks show in the 3rd. Philip Zielonka would bring the Express even in short order, putting home two goals in the first 2-minutes of the frame. Lars Hepso, would answer for the Bulldogs at the 6:48 mark and Manny Gialedakis would add the insurance marker with just over a minute to go, handing the Express their first road loss of the 2012/2013 season.
Urbani stood tall in net, turning aside 42 of 48 shots, while Seimer took home 2nd Star honours for his 3-point effort.
The last stop of the weekend was in Duncan, to visit the Cowichan Valley Capitals. The Caps were off to a slow start on the season, finding themselves as the basement dwellers in the Island Division.
For the third straight game, the Express would be badly outshot by their opponent, but fortunate for good goaltending, the team would be shepherd to a 4-3 victory.
Rockwood, Leone & captain, Mitch Nardi would put the Express up by a comfortable 3 goal leading heading into the 3rd. After an early powerplay goal by the Caps, the Express found themselves holding onto the most dangerous lead in sports, that of the 2 goal variety. This one would prove to be just that as the Caps struck for 2 more goals in just 6 seconds to draw even. It was very much back and forth down to the wire when John Seimer came down the right wing and fired a wrist shot over the Caps netminder to secure the regulation win.
