A 2-1 shootout victory over the Trail Smoke Eaters Friday means the Coquitlam Express have equalled the number of wins they amassed in the BC Hockey League all of last season.
The team’s 15th win came in only its 22nd game.
But it wasn’t easy. Even though the host Smoke Eaters have 10 fewer points in the BCHL standings.
Joshua Wildauer opened the scoring late in the first period with his 10th goal of the season while the Express were on a power play.
Mack Byers tied it six minutes into the second period, also on a power play.
Both goalies, Kolby Matthews and Trail’s Adam Marcoux, were impenetrable through the rest of regulation time and the overtime period. Matthews earned the game’s second star, while Marcoux was rewarded with the Fortis BC energy player of the game.
In the shootout, Chase Daniel and Hunter Alden were able to score for the Express, while only Port Moody’s Kent Johnson was able to get the puck past Matthews.
The win lifted the Express back into a tie with the Prince George Spruce Kings for second place in the league’s Mainland Division. Each team has 31 points, three behind the league-leading Chilliwack Chiefs.
Coquitlam is in Wenatchee, Wash., for a game against the Wild on Saturday.
