There's no place like home.
That's at least what the Coquitlam Express are hoping as they return to the Poirier Sports and Recreation Centre this weekend after a road trip that saw them lose three straight games.
The team probably would have had an easier time navigating Oz's yellow-brick road than they did the ice at the South Okanagan Events Centre on Saturday night, where the Express were dismantled by the Penticton Vees in an 11-0 drubbing.
Coquitlam goalie Cole Huggins was relieved halfway through the game in favour of backup Daniel Urbani, but the Vees continued to fill the net with pucks.
The BCHL's top team seemed to score at will, and were 50% on the power play with four goals on the man advantage.
Penticton's Wade Murphy, who had two goals and three assists, was named first star of the game, while Vee's forward Troy Stecher's three point performance earned him second star honours.
The road trip got off to a promising start on Friday, when the Express came out of the gates with two power play goals against the Vernon Vipers to make it 2-1 going into the third period.
Both goals came on the power play off the stick of Coquitlam forward Ben Israel, who was named second star of the game for his effort.
A goal from Zachary Pryzbek allowed Coquitlam to build a bit of a buffer between them and their opponents, but the lead was squandered when the Express allowed three unanswered goals in the final frame to lose the game 4-3.
A battered Coquitlam club capped the weekend with a 7-1 loss to the Langley Rivermen, with only Express forward Adam Rossignol managing a goal for his team.
Coquitlam now prepares for a visit from the Surrey Eagles at the Poirier Sports and Leisure Centre on Saturday at 7 p.m. before taking on Chilliwack on Monday at 2 p.m.
For more information go to www.coquitlamexpress.ca.
