Next stop, Prince George.
The Coquitlam Express clinched third place in the BC Hockey League’s Mainland division with a 7-0 victory over the Surrey Eagles Friday at the South Surrey Arena.
That sets up a date with the second-place Prince George Spruce Kings in the first round of the playoffs beginning next Friday in Prince George.
The Spruce Kings will determine the structure of the best-of-seven series, whether the series will return to Coquitlam for games three and four and then alternating locations from there, or whether the Express will host their three home games in a row.
Friday, the Express played like a team hungry to get on with the post-season. They fired 53 shots at Eagles’ goalies Cayden Baily and Johnathan Holloway, an affiliate call-up.
Regan Kimens opened the scoring just 1:30 into the first period. It was his 20th goal of the season.
The Express scored three more in the second period and added another three in the final frame.
Former Eagle Ty Westgard had two goals and an assist and was named the game’s first star. Other goal scorers were Pito Walton, Alex DiPaolo, Chase Danol and Christian Sanda.
Clay Stevenson stopped 18 shots to register his second shutout of the season.
The Express finished the regular season with 62 points, 27 more than last season
Coquitlam won just two of the eight games they played against the Spruce Kings during the regular season.
