Coquitlam Express fans could be forgiven for getting their playoff hopes up after the first period of Sunday's game against the Salmon Arm SilverBacks.
The visitors at the Poirier Sports and Recreation Complex were reeling after Coquitlam pumped three straight goals past SilverBacks net minder Adam Clark -markers from Coquitlam's Justin Georgeson, Marc Biega and Brandon Morley - and appeared to be in the driver's seat of the must-win contest.
"We came out strong," said Express bench boss Jon Calvano. "We got out early."
But cracks in the club's defence became apparent in the remaining periods, with the SilverBacks scratching and clawing their way back into the game, scoring the winning goal with 30 seconds left in the third period to take the game 5-4.
With Coquitlam's loss, hopes for a trip to the post-season were dashed for the 773 people who attended the arena on Sunday. Now the team will play out the last two remaining games of the regular season and watch the Langley Rivermen take the fourth and final playoff berth in the Mainland Division.
The loss against Salmon Arm was all the more devastating when compared to how well the team played on Friday, when the club defeated the Cowichan Valley Capitals 7-2.
Coquitlam forward Malcolm McKinney carried the team on his back during the match, scoring four goals and tallying one assist to earn first-star honours before the night was over.
Adam Rockwood and Adam Rossignol also had strong games for the Express, with each player registering three assists.
The process of identifying what needs to be improved for next year has already begun, and Calvano has a few ideas about what went wrong this season.
Injuries were factor, with the club missing six of its forwards, including key scorer Alexander Kerfoot, who has been out since December with a shoulder injury.
"He was our engine, so our engine blew up," Calvano said after the game.
Coquitlam will play its final home game of the season on Friday against the Surrey Eagles, with an awards ceremony taking place prior to the 7 p.m. puck drop. The final game of the season will take place the next night against the Eagle at the South Surrey Arena at 7 p.m.
-with files from Maria Spitale-Leisk
