The Coquitlam Express return home for a midday game Wednesday looking to extend its franchise-record win streak to 12 games.
And they’ll try to do it against a familiar opponent, the Prince George Spruce Kings, whom the Express beat twice in Prince George on the weekend to eclipse its previous high-water mark for consecutive victories.
Saturday, Ethan O’Rourke and Cooper Connell each scored a pair of goals to lead Coquitlam over the Spruce Kings, 8-5.
Adam Trotman, Greg Lapointe, Connor Gregga and Joshua Wildauer added singles.
The Express, which was going for its second win in as many nights in Prince George after a 4-2 victory over the host team on Friday, trailed 3-2 after the first period but then outscored the Spruce Kings 6-2 in the final two frames.
Jack Watson stopped 16 of the 21 shots he faced in Coquitlam’s net.
Friday, the Express got goals from Lapointe, Drew Cooper, Steven Bellii and Will Margel, while Clay Stevenson made 20 saves.
The weekend wins give the Express 30 for the season, making the team one of only six in the BC Hockey League since 2003/’04 to achieve that mark before Christmas. The Penticton Vees have done it three times, while the Vernon Vipers had 33 wins in 2009/’10 and the Alberni Valley Bulldogs amassed 38 wins in 2005/’06.
Coquitlam is now seven points better than the Vees atop the BCHL’s overall standings, and the team is 18 points ahead of second-place Chilliwack in the Mainland Division.
Wednesday’s game agains the Spruce Kings starts at 12 noon at the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex.
• The Express should have Massimo Rizzo back in the lineup after he played for Team Canada West at the World Junior A Challenge tournament in Dawson Creek. Rizzo had a pair of assists in four games, but he also scored the shootout winner in the team’s 1-0 win over Russia on Dec. 11.
It turned out to be the only victory of the tournament for the representatives from Western Canada, while Russia went on to win gold, defeating Canada East, 2-1, in double overtime.
