With their backs against the wall on the weekend and an eye still on the playoffs, the Coquitlam Express amazingly found a sudden nose for the net. And a whole bunch of backsides were in the seats to witness it.
The B.C. Hockey League squad grabbed the seventh and final Coastal Conference playoff spot Friday by thumping the Surrey Eagles 7-4 before a season-high crowd of 1,418 at the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex. The news became official when the Cowichan Valley Capitals -- the team the Express were tussling with for the final post-season berth --were tripped 6-5 in OT that same night by the league-leading Kings in Powell River.
On Sunday, the Express crushed the visiting Salmon Arm Silverbacks 10-5 before 1,121 spectators to wrap up regular-season play with a 22-28-1-9 record.
The seventh-seeded Express now tangle in a best-of-seven series with the No. 2 Eagles starting Friday in Surrey, with Game 2 there Saturday. Games 3 and 4 are slated for next Monday and Tuesday in Coquitlam.
"The coffee never tasted better this morning," Express general manager Darcy Rota gushed early Monday. "We knew it was going to take some time when we started the season with only three returning players. The goal was to make the playoffs and we accomplished that. I'm very proud of the players, the coaching staff, the trainers... everyone in our organization."
On Friday, seven different players struck net for the Express who led 2-1 and 5-3 at the intermissions. Express goal-getters included Coquitlam product Riley McIntosh, Alex Petan, Jared Eng, Jacob Charles, Jason Grecia, Matthew Hutchinson and Massimo Lamacchia, who added three assists.
The six-foot-five defenceman McIntosh set the tone early for the Express when he rifled home a shot a mere 58 ticks into the contest.
"There's nothing more deflating to a team than to go out and get scored on the first shift," McIntosh said. "We know that ourselves from experience.
"It feels great [to make the playoffs]. It's such a relief. For us 20-year-old guys, it's nice because we can leave a bit of a legacy our final year."
The scoring storm continued Sunday for the Express, who were led by Lamacchia's three-goal effort. Other Coquitlam marksmen were Destry Straight and Port Moody product Mitchell Deacon, with a pair apiece, along with Malcolm McKinney, Cody Castro and Austin Carroll. Grecia contributed four assists.
ICING: Despite their gaping 19-points differential in the standings, the Express and Eagles actually split their season series with five wins in regulation time apiece, with Surrey also having won two more in OT... Lamacchia was named BCHL Player of the Week on Monday.
