OCTOBER TO REVEAL TRUE EXPRESS COLORS

With the calendar turning to October shortly, and like the leaves falling to the ground right now, we will see the real colors of the Burnaby Express this month.

Sure the month of September couldn't have gone much better for this team with a record of 5-0-0-1 in the seasons opening month. The Express have taken advantage of a softer schedule to begin this season. The combined records of the teams the Express were victorious over in the month of September is 8-15-0-4. Things get much tougher for the Express in October.

First we will begin with the overall schedule, the Express will play a total of 14 games in October. That's more games than some NHL teams will play in a month let alone a Junior A team.

October doesn't begin easy for the Express, they have visits to Salmon Arm and a Sunday afternoon date with the defending RBC Cup champion Vernon Vipers who are a perfect 6-0 at the time of this writing. Sandwiched between Friday's game in Salmon Arm and Sunday in Vernon is a date with the Trail Smoke Eaters who have just one win in their first 7 games.

The next weekend the Express hit the road to the Island with stops in Nanaimo, Victoria, and Powell River who have handed the Express their only blemish this season an 4-3 defeat in the Express home opener.

There is also a date at the end of the month in Penticton. But the Express may catch a break when they roll into The South Okanagan Events Centre who could have up to 4 players out of their lineup at the time as Beau Bennett, Garrett Milan, Sean Bonar and Joey Laleggia may all be representing their country at the World Junior A Challenge. Even if those players aren't in Penticton's lineup, they will still have the league's leading scorer Denver Manderson unless he suffers an injury.

The Express also play their first two games of the season vs. rival Langley and a game with the improved Alberni Valley Bulldogs who are 4-1 this young season.

Overall the Express will play 9 of the 14 games in October vs. teams who have .500 records or better.

If this Express team is for real, the next 14 games will prove it. We will know by Halloween whether this Express team is a trick or a treat.