The Coquitlam Express sandwiched a pair of home-ice wins around a 4-1 loss at South Surrey Arena on Saturday to the Surrey Eagles.
The result could yet serve up the Express a spot in the BC Hockey League playoffs.
A 2-1 win over the Vernon Vipers on Sunday, and a 6-3 victory over Nanaimo on Friday put the Express six points ahead of the Cowichan Valley Capitals for the BCHL’s last playoff position as a cross-over team into the Interior division. If those playoffs started today, the Express would be that division’s last seed and they would play the top-ranked Pentictions Vees in the best-of-seven opening round.
But the Vees are neck-and-neck for the top placing with the Vipers, who’ve played three more games than their Okanagan rival.
One of those games was Sunday’s loss to the Express.
After spotting the visitors a quick 1-0 lead when the Vipers’ Jesse Lansdell beat Coquitlam goalie Brock Hamm 1:06 into the game, the Express got two straight power play goals by William Lawrence and Troy Robillard to take a 2-1 advantage to the first intermission.
It turns out that would be all the scoring they needed, as Hamm stopped 30 of the 31 shots he faced and was named the game’s first star. In his last 11 games, Hamm has recorded eight wins, one loss and two ties.
The third straight home ice win was a nice bounce back from their 4-1 setback to the Eagles on Saturday in Surrey.
The Eagles, who’d lost their previous two meetings to Coquitlam, including an 8-1 shellacking on Jan. 17, were determined not to make it an ignominious three-peat and scored three unanswered goals in the first period.
Jackson Ross opened the barrage just 32 seconds after the opening faceoff and Ty Westgard made it 2-0 before the game was two minutes old. John Wesley added the third.
Westgard’s second goal of the game midway through the second period made it 4-0 for the home team before Eric Linell was able to get one of those back 9:25 into the third period while Surrey’s Wesley was in the penalty box serving a minor for roughing.
Against Nanaimo on Friday, the Express again spotted the visitors the game’s first goal when Cal Babych scored his ninth of the season just 4:26 into the game.
But the Express tied it less than six minutes later on a goal by Jack MacNab, who used to play for the Clippers, and they then took the lead on Colby Pederson’s power play marker at 18:19.
After a scoreless second period Linell, with his 23rd goal of the season, increased Coquitlam’s cushion to 3-1 early in the third. Parker Colley got the Clippers back to within a goal with a shorthanded effort.
But the Express wrested control with goals by Jake Toor and Josh Wildauer 34 seconds apart. Less than three minutes after that flurry, Christian Sanda made it 6-2 for the home team with a shorthanded goal of his own.
Nanaimo’s Brad Belisle rounded out the scoring.
Hamm stopped 33 of the 36 shots he faced for the Express, while his mates managed only 21 shots at Nanaimo goalie Noah FeatherStonhaugh Gowe.
The Express have a chance to further solidify their hold on a playoff spot when they play West Kelowna at Royal LePage Place on tonight (Tuesday). They return home to play Prince George on Saturday, 7 p.m. at the Poirier Sports and Leisure Complex.
