A shootout goal by Evan Brown proved to be the difference as the Coquitlam Express defeated the Chilliwack Chiefs 3-2 Wednesday at the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex.
The result leaves the Express in fifth place in the BC Hockey League’s Coastal division standings. But they’re just one point behind the third place Chiefs who’ve played two more games.
Goals by Cameron Moger in the first period and Mirko Buttazzoni in the second period gave Coquitlam a 2-0 lead heading into the final frame.
But the visitors battled back with a pair of power play goals just over three minutes apart.
Neither team scored in the overtime period.
The win was Coquitlam’s fifth in their eight meetings this season with the Chiefs, who had ousted the Express in the first round of last year’s playoffs in a tough seven game series.
Adam Manji stopped 31 of the 33 shots he face, including all three in the shootout.
The Express now hit the road for games that will take them from Penticton to Wenatchee, Victoria and the Cowichan Valley before returning to Victoria again. The team’s next home game isn’t until Feb. 24 when it faces the Langley Rivermen, 7 p.m., at Poirier.
