Alberni Valley scored on two of its three shots in the shootout while the Coquitlam Express couldn’t beat Bulldogs goalie Hobie Hedquist to give the visitors at Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex a 5-4 win on Friday (Feb. 3).
The win was Alberni Valley’s ninth in a row while Coquitlam lost for the first time in its last three games.
The Bulldogs are now just one point behind the Express in the battle for third place in the BC Hockey League’s (BCHL) Coastal conference, but Coquitlam has a game in hand.
The Express appeared headed for a third straight victory after Tyler Kopff scored his 17th of the season 5:54 into the third period to give the home team a 4-3 lead, but the Bulldogs tied it with 47 seconds left in regulation time on a goal by Brandon Buhr.
Neither team was able to score in the five-minute overtime period.
Coquitlam lead 2-1 after the first period of the freewheeling, wide-open game in which the two teams totalled 83 shots.
Alberni Valley then reversed the order in the second period, outscoring the hosts 2-1.
Liam Tanner scored twice and added an assist to lead the Express, while Kopff added an assist to his goal.
Adam Manji made 32 saves in Coquitlam’s net.
The Express play the Surrey Eagles on Sunday (Feb. 5) at the South Surrey Arena while the Bulldogs go on to play the Langley Rivermen on Saturday (Feb. 4) and the Chilliwack Chiefs on Sunday.
