The Coquitlam Express are parting ways with forward Daniell Lange, who is heading to the Kindersley Klippers of the Saskatchewan Junior A league in exchange for future considerations.
Head coach Barry Wolff told The Tri-City News on Wednesday that the decision to deal Lange, who was with the club during its Fred Page Cup run two years ago, will benefit both the player and the team.
“It is an opportunity for Langer to play a top-six role on a different team,” he said. “He wasn’t going to get that with us.”
Lange played 105 games with the Express over two seasons, racking up 19 goals and 15 assists during that time.
Coquitlam’s season got off to a good start on Saturday during the team’s opener against the Surrey Eagles.
Erik Udahl scored on one of his first shifts ever in an Express jersey, burying a pass from Michael Merulla to put the former Langley Rivermen’s new team up 1-0. A goal 10 minutes later from Cameron Bertsch had Coquitlam in the driver seat going into the first intermission.
Colton Kerfoot scored early in the third to make it 3-0 for the Express before a late goal from Surrey cut the lead down to two before the final buzzer sounded for Coquitlam’s first win of the season.
The Express defence was quite as stingy against the Chillwack Chiefs on Sunday. Neither team scored in the opening period before the Chiefs lit up the Express for three straight goals in the second.
They then made it 4-0 early in the third before the Express went on a three-goal run of their own to close the gap. But Coquitlam failed to find the equalizer and an empty-net goal late in the game sealed the match and handed the team its first loss of the season.
Wolff said the club is still finding its way and beginning to gel together.
“We are happy with where we are at right now,” Wolff said of his team. We are just plugging away. Hopefully we have the right mix here, but if not, we will find it.”
Coquitlam’s first home game will not take place at 7 p.m. on October 3 at the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex.
