The Coquitlam Express notched another win Wednesday night, routing the visiting Vernon Vipers 5-1 at the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex.
Alex Ambrosio opened the scoring for the home team with an unassisted marker two minutes into the game, before Austin McIllmurray made it 2-0 after burying a pass from Colton Kerfoot.
Coquitlam scored two more in the second, this time with Jack Surowiece and Kerfoot both hitting twine on the power play to take a 4-0 lead after 40 minutes. Cameron Bertsch potted one for the Express early in the third but Vernon managed to spoil Coquitlam goalie Tyger Howat’s shutout with a marker from Darren Rizzolo on the power play. Howat stood tall in net for most of the game, turning away 41 of the 42 shots he faced, an effort that earned him second star honours.
The win was a nice bounce back after Saturday’s 6-3 road loss to the Chilliwack Chiefs at Prospera Centre.
Chilliwack blew the doors off the Express in the first period, scoring four unanswered goals before the first intermission.
Coquitlam’s Ambrosio and Jackson Cressey appeared to turn things around for the Express when they both scored in the second period to make it 4-2.
But Chilliwack re-established control of the game in the third with two goals, including an empty-netter, off the stick of Jesse Lansdell.
Lansdell had three points on the night as the Chiefs, who are currently at the top of the Mainland Division standings, outshot the visitors 54-23.
The Express had a stronger showing when the Prince George Spruce Kings visited the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex 24 hours earlier.
Coquitlam quickly established the lead in the first with goals from Cressey and Noah Turanski, but Prince George pushed back and managed to tie things up in the second.
That set the stage for an exciting final period, which saw the Spruce Kings briefly hold the lead before Erik Udahl, Cressey, Bertsch and Cressey again pumped in goals to win the game 6-3.
The Express are currently in fourth place in the Mainland Division with 28 points, behind the Langley Rivermen with 28 points.
