EXPRESS EARN GUTSY WIN VS. BLUES

Photo courtesy of Todd Pederson.

The 2014 Fred Page Cup champions improved to 2-0 at the Crescent Point Energy Western Canada cup with a 2-1 win over the MJHL champion Winnipeg Blues.

Coquitlam started fast, then had to battle hard in the end to earn the victory.

The Express were flying in the opening 20 minutes getting plenty of pucks on Winnipeg goaltender Byron Spriggs. They were also able to create many second chance opportunities for themselves off rebounds.

One of the best chances for the Express early was a 2 on 1 for Ryan Rosenthal and Corey Mackin, the captain laid a pass across the crease to Mackin and some how the puck stayed out of the net.

The chances kept coming, Joey Santucci rang a shot off the post on a pass to the side of the net, Adam Rockwood also had a great chance off a rebound but neither opportunity was converted.

Ryan Rosenthal opened the scoring 14 minutes in as he came down the right wing with speed and fired a wrist shot that got through the arm and body of Spriggs for Rosenthal's 3rd goal of this Western Canada Cup.

The Express did convert one of the many rebound opportunities they had in the final minute when Brendan Lamont scored on the rebound of a Zach Hodder shot for a 2-0 Express lead.

Coquitlam outshot the Blues 15-6 in the first period.

Winnipeg pulled within one midway through the second period on the power play with Clay Tait setting up Warren Callis on a two on one down low at 10:16.

The third period saw the Express lock it down in an effort to protect their 1 goal lead.

Players were sacrificing their bodies blocking shots, and diving to get the puck out of the defensive zone to keep the Express in the lead the rest of the way.

Gordie Defiel who was named the Express player of the game continued his very strong play with a 32 save performance. And like he has especially since the start of the Fred Page Cup final he is at his best in the third period with the game on the line. Tonight vs. Winnipeg was a great example of that. He turned aside all 15 Blues shots in the final 20 minutes.

Coquitlam now sits atop of the standings at the Western Canada Cup at 2-0 with each team having played one game.

Winnipeg is now in a 3 way tie with Yorkton and Dauphin at 1-1. Spruce Grove is 0-2.

The Express don't play Tuesday and return to action Wednesday vs. the Yorkton Terriers (SJHL) at 5PM Pacific time.

EXPRESS OPEN WCC VICTORIOUS

Express and Saints line up following 3-1 Express win to open WCC.

The BCHL champion Coquitlam Express continued their winning ways as they opened up the Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup with a 3-1 win over the AJHL champion Spruce Grove Saints. Coquitlam has now won 7 straight games dating back to the third round of the BCHL playoffs.

Ryan Rosenthal soared a pair of goals and Canon Pieper added the insurance marker for the Express.

Gordie Defiel turned aside 31 of 32 Saints shots sent his way for the victory.

The Express captain got things rolling just under 7 minutes into the game as he fired a shot from the right circle that caught the inside of the post and just got past Saints goaltender Kenny Cameron.

The opening half of the second period saw the Express spend the majority of that time shorthanded with infractions called on Cody Boyd, Zach Hodder and a double minor high sticking penalty to Brendan Lamont. Coquitlam's penalty killers really do deserve praise for their efforts Sunday. They killed off all that time shorthanded at a key point in the game. In total the Express finished the game killing off 6 Saints man advantages.

The power play time did give Spruce Grove momentum to build on for the second half of the middle period. They continued their push when the game returned to even strength.

Isaac Farrah finally broke through for the Saints as his slap shot appeared to be tipped past a screened Gordie Defiel. That would be the only puck to get past him as he kept up his high level of play in the Western Canada Cup opener.

It was another game that had the Express right where they wanted entering the third period and that is hanging in the balance tied at one.

Early in the third period however there was a scare as Bo Pieper got tangled up with defenceman Gabe Bast and crashed heavily into the end boards with the collision only intensified by the fresh ice.

Pieper was shaken up and was down on the ice for a long period of time bringing a hush over the crowd in Dauphin. Bo eventually shook off the hit and got up and went down the tunnel but did return a few minutes later. And seeing him quickly post game he didn't look to be too worse for ware.

Ryan Rosenthal broke the deadlock with just over 6 minutes remaining in the third period as he had two cracks at the puck from the slot and snapped home his second of the game for a 2-1 Express lead.

Then late in the third period Bo quickly forgot about the collision with the end wall as from the same spot as the hit, he set up his brother Canon who scored with 1:17 remaining for a 3-1 Express lead.

The win sees the Express open up with a 1-0 record. Spruce Grove who had spent time late in the season as the number 1 nationally ranked team is in an early hole at 0-2.

No rest for the wicked as the Express are right back at it facing another 1-0 team Monday when they will take on the MJHL champion Winnipeg Blues at 5:00 PM Pacific time.

EXPRESS ARRIVE IN DAUPHIN

A full day of travel that started in Coquitlam at 7am has concluded with the Express arrival in Dauphin Manitoba for the start of the Crescent Point Western Canada Cup.

It was a 2 ½ hour flight from Vancouver to Winnipeg. Then a bus was waiting at the airport that took the Express to Portage La Prairie for a quick bite to eat then the team settled in for a 2 ½ bus ride the rest of the way to Dauphin.

Upon arrival in Dauphin, the 2014 BCHL Champions made a stop at the Credit Union Centre to drop of bags and equipment as the Express got their first look at the rink where two berths in the RBC cup in Vernon will be determined.

Quickly a few players gave their assessment of the rink and made some comparisons to similar rinks in the BCHL. It has a feel similar to the Q Centre in Victoria but only a little older. And a little like the big stick in Cowichan Valley. Volunteers were ready and waiting for the arrival of the Express to help them settle into the rink.

Then it was off to the quick jaunt to the motel nearby which is a one minute walk from the Credit Union Centre.

Shortly after the players got settled into the hotel most went for a walk around the streets to get familiar with their surroundings and get an idea of what is within walking distance.

Friday the work for the Express will resume as they will practice for the first time in Dauphin. And over the next couple of days the festivities will get rolling and then the Express will see game action for the first time Sunday afternoon at 12:00 PM Pacific time as they will take on the AJHL champion Spruce Grove Saints.

Click here for full Express WCC schedule

MORE EXPRESS TV COVERAGE

Captain Ryan Rosenthal and Express President Darcy Rota had an early wake up call Sunday to head down to the Global TV studios to talk about their Fred Page Cup win and look ahead to the Western Canada Cup.

WESTERN CANADA CUP BY THE NUMBERS

COQUITLAM EXPRESS (BCHL) 2014 FRED PAGE CUP BCHL CHAMPIONS

2^nd BCHL championship 2006, 2014.

14-5 Playoff record

Regular season - 27-26-2-3, 59 Points, 3^rd in Mainland division, 9^th overall in BCHL

BCHL PLAYOFFS

Mainland division semi final – Defeated Prince George 4-2

Mainland division final – Defeated Langley 4-2

BCHL Semi final vs. Vernon and Victoria – 2-1 advanced to Fred Page Cup final

Fred Page Cup Final – Defeated Vernon Vipers 4-0

TOP SCORERS PLAYOFFS

Ryan Rosenthal – 14G, 7A, 21PTS

Adam Rockwood – 4G, 14A, 18PTS

Bo Pieper – 11G, 8A, 17PTS

Canon Pieper – 7G, 8A, 15PTS

Corey Mackin – 5G, 10A, 15PTS

Clickhere for full Express playoff statistics

GOALTENDING

Gordie Defiel – 14-5, 2.69 GAA, .922 Sv.%, 1 SO

PLAYOFFS SPECIAL TEAMS

Express PP 7/69 – 10.14% - 10^th in BCHL playofffs

Express PK 66/76 – 86.84% - 2^nd in BCHL playoffs

Express 6 Shorthanded goals for

Express 1 Shorthanded goal allowed

TEAM STATS

Express goals for – 63, 3.31 GF Per game.

Express goals against – 55, 2.89 GA Per game.

REGULAR SEASON TOP SCORERS

Adam Rockwood - 13G, 61A, 74PTS

Canon Pieper – 33G, 33A, 66PTS

Ryan Rosenthal – 34G, 31A, 65PTS

Bo Pieper – 27G, 22A, 59PTS

Corey Mackin – 24G, 26A, 50PTS

Clickhere for full Express regular season statistics

GOALTENDING

Gordie Defiel – 20-21-1, 3.69 GAA, .877 Sv.%

Pierce Dushenko – 7-8-1, 3.88 GAA, .833 Sv.% 1 SO

REGULAR SEASON SPECIAL TEAMS

Express PP – 19.22% - 6^th in BCHL

Express PK – 83.63% - 5^th in BCHL

Express 19 shorthanded goals for. *Led BCHL, tied franchise record set in 06-07.

Express 9 shorthanded goals allowed.

TEAM STATS

Express goals for 226, 1^st in BCHL, 3.89 goals for per game *First time in franchise history leading the league in goals.

Express goals allowed 226, 13^th in BCHL, 3.89 goals allowed per game

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

Adam Rockwood 61 assists 1^st in BCHL, 74 Points 5^th in BCHL scoring

Ryan Rosenthal 34 goals 4^th in BCHL

Canon Pieper 33 goals 5^th in BCHL

Marc Biega 17 goals 1^st among BCHL defenceman. Set a new Franchise record previous held by Brad Hunt 07-08.

Canon Pieper 6 Shorthanded goals 1^st in BCHL

Ryan Rosenthal 5 Shorthanded goals 2^nd in BCHL

SPRUCE GROVE SAINTS (AJHL) 2014 GAS DRIVE CUP AJHL CHAMPIONS

3^rd AJHL championship, 2010, 2011

Playoff record 12-6 

Regular season 47-10-3, 97PTS 1^st in AJHL, 1^st in North division

AJHL PLAYOFFS

1^st round – Bye

North division semi final – Defeated Sherwood Park 4-3

North division final – Defeated Fort McMurray – 4-3

AJHL championship – Defeated Drumheller – 4-0

TOP SCORERS PLAYOFFS

Jarid Hauptman – 11G, 6A, 17PTS

Cameron Hughes – 1G, 16A, 17PTS

Dylan Hollman – 5G, 8A, 13PTS

Carson Samoridny – 8G, 3A, 11PTS

Parker Mackay – 7G, 4A, 11PTS

Clickhere for full Saints playoff statistics


GOALTENDING

Kenny Cameron – 10-4, 2.18 GAA, .913 Sv.%

Tanner McCorriston – 2-2, 2.84 GAA, .878 Sv.%

SPECIAL TEAMS

Saints PP – 22.09% - 4^th in AJHL Playoffs

Saints PK – 83.54% - 3^rd in AJHL Playoffs

Saints 3 Shorthanded goals for

Saints 1 Shorthanded goal allowed

PLAYOFF TEAM STATS

Saints goals for 63, 3.5 goals for per game

Saints goals allowed 44, 2.44 goals allowed per game

REGULAR SEASON TOP SCORERS

Peter Mackay - 21G, 37A, 58PTS

Cameron Hughes – 21G, 36A, 57PTS

Jarid Hauptman – 19G, 33A, 52PTS

Dylan Hollman – 27G, 15A, 42PTS

Nathan Smith – 16G, 24A, 40PTS

Clickhere for full Saints regular season statistics

GOALTENDING

Kenny Cameron – 34-7-3, 2.28 GAA, .910 Sv.%, 3 SO

Tanner McCorriston – 13-3, 2.14 GAA, .913 Sv.%

REGULAR SEASON SPECIAL TEAMS

Saints PP – 23.64% - 1^st in AJHL

Saints PK – 87.30% - 1st in AJHL

Saints 7 shorthanded goals for

Saints 6 shorthanded goals allowed

REGULAR SEASON TEAM STATS

Saints 235 goals for - 1^st in AJHL, 3.91 Goals for per game

Saints 135 goals allowed - 3^rd in AJHL, 2.25 Goals allowed per game

YORKTON TERRIERS (SJHL) 2014 CANALTA CUP SJHL CHAMPIONS
6^th SJHL championship 2014, 2013, 2006, 2005, 1991, 1983

Playoff record – 12-2

Regular season record – 37-12-2-5, 81PTS, 1^st in Viterra Division, 1^st in SJHL

SJHL PLAYOFFS

SJHL Quarter finals – Defeated Notre Dame Hounds 4-1

SJHL Semi finals – Defeated Humbolt Broncos 4-1

Canalta Cup final – Defeated Melville Millionaires 4-0

TOP SCORERS PLAYOFFS

Brett Boehm – 10G, 6A, 16PTS

Tyler Giebel – 5G, 11A, 16PTS

Chase Norrish 7G, 8A, 15PTS

Kailum Gervais – 5G, 6A, 11PTS

Taylor Thompson 2G, 8A, 10PTS

Clickhere for Terriers full playoff statistics


GOALTENDING

Kale Thomson – 12-2, 1.74 GAA, .936 Sv.% 1SO

PLAYOFFS SPECIAL TEAMS

Terriers PP – 17.2% - 1^st in SJHL

Terriers PK – 93.6% - 3^rd in SJHL

Terriers 2 shorthanded goals for

Terriers 1 shorthanded goal allowed

PLAYOFFS TEAM STATS

Terriers goals for 52, 3.71 Goals for per game

Terriers goals allowed 28, 2.33 Goals allowed per game

REGULAR SEASON TOP SCORERS

Brett Boehm – 31G, 35A, 66PTS

Taylor Thompson – 23G, 38A, 61PTS

Chase Norrish – 9G, 36A, 45PTS

Kailum Gervais – 12G, 20A, 32PTS

Brady Norrish – 9G, 21A, 30PTS

Clickhere for Terriers full regular season statistics

TERRIERS GOALTENDING

Kale Thomson - 31-11-3, 1.89 GAA, .934 Sv.%, 8 SO

Riley Medves – 6-3-2, 2.57 GAA, .908 Sv.%

REGLAR SEASON SPECIAL TEAMS

Terriers PP – 21.9% - 1^st in SJHL

Terriers PK – 84.2% - 4^th in SJHL

Terriers 8 Shorthanded goals for T-2nd

Terriers 1 Shorthanded goal allowed

REGULAR SEASON TEAM STATS

Terriers Goals for 186 - 1^st in SJHL, 3.32 Goals for per game

Terriers Goals allowed 125 - 1^st in SJHL, 2.23 goals allowed per game

WINNIPEG BLUES (MJHL) 2014 TURNBUL CUP CHAMPIONS
7^th MJHL Championship 2014, 2006, 1995, 1989, 1988, 1986, 1982

Playoff record 12-3

Regular season 31-23-6, 67PTS, 4^th in Addision division, 6^th in MJHL

MJHL PLAYOFFS

Addison Division semi final – Winnipeg defeated Selkirk 4-1

Addision Division final – Winnipeg defeated Steinbach 4-1

Turnbull Cup final – Winnipeg defeated Dauphin 4-1

TOP SCORERS PLAYOFFS

Liam Bilton – 8G, 9A, 17PTS

Clay Tait – 5G, 9A, 14PTS

Brett Brooks – 3G, 10A, 13PTS

Channing Brescianni – 2G, 11A, 13PTS

Warren Callis – 7G, 5A, 12PTS

Clickhere for Blues full playoff statistics

GOALTENDING

Byron Spriggs 14-3, 1.67 GAA, .936 Sv.%, 1 SO

PLAYOFFS SPECIAL TEAMS

Blues PP – 27.8% - 2nd in MJHL

Blues PK – 85.96% - 3^rd in MJHL

Blues 2 shorthanded goals for

Blues 1 shorthanded goal allowed

BLUES TEAM STATS

Blues goals for 63 – 3.70 Goals for per game

Blues goals allowed 29 – 1.70 goals allowed per game

REGULAR SEASON TOP SCORERS

Warren Callis – 22G, 37A, 59PTS

Jordan McCallum – 15G, 31A, 46PTS

Joel Schreyer – 20G, 21A, 41PTS

Kamerin Nault – 19G, 18A, 37PTS

Brett Brooks 17G, 20A, 37PTS

Clickhere for Blues regular season statistics

GOALTENDING

Byron Spriggs 19-19, 2.80 GAA, .908 Sv.% 3 SO

Scott Parsons 12-10, 2.68 GAA, .894 Sv.%, 3 SO

BLUES SPECIAL TEAMS

Blues PP – 17.83% - 6^th in MJHL

Blues PK – 82.16% - 5^th in MJHL

Blues 11 Shorthanded goals for *Led MJHL

Blues 3 Shorthanded goals allowed

REGULAR SEASON TEAM STATISTICS

Blues goals for 199 – 7^th in MJHL, 3.31 goals for per game

Blues goals against 175 – 5^th in MJHL, 2.91 goals allowed per game

DAUPHIN KINGS MJHL (HOST)
5 MJHL championshps since 1971 – 2010, 1993, 1983, 1977, 1972

Playoff record 9-4 Lost in MJHL final to Winnipeg Blues 9-4

Regular season record 40-17-3, 83PTS, 1^st in Sherwood division, 2^nd in MJHL

2014 PLAYOFFS

Sherwood division semi final – Defeated OCN Blizzard 4-0

Sherwood division final – Defeated Virden Oil Capitals 4-0

Turnbull Cup final – Lost to Winnipeg Blues 4-1

TOP SCORERS PLAYOFFS

Dylan Butler – 7G, 7A, 14PTS

Brent Wold – 5G, 7A, 12PTS

Dillian McCombie – 4G, 6A, 10PTS

Jared Morris – 4G, 6A, 10PTS

Chandler Irvin – 2G, 8A, 10PTS

Clickhere for Kings full playoff statistics


GOALTENDING

Michael Sitlliadis 8-3, 2.09 GAA, .909 Sv.%. 4 SO

Jordan Piccolino 1-1, 2.47 GAA, .889 Sv.%

PLAYOFFS SPECIAL TEAMS

Kings PP – 11.9% - 8^th in MJHL

Kings PK – 89.74% - 1^st in MJHL

Kings 1 shorthanded goal for

Kings 2 shorthanded goals against

KINGS TEAM STATISTICS

Kings goals for 44, 3.38 goals for per game

Kings goals againts 28, 2.15 goals allowed per game

REGULAR SEASON TOP SCORERS

Dylan Butler – 20G, 37A, 57PTS

Jesse Bernard – 18G, 35A, 53PTS

Justin Valentino – 9G, 40A, 49PTS

Brent Wold – 20G, 27A, 47PTS

Mitch Van Teeling – 23G, 23A, 46PTS

Clickhere for Kings full regular season statistics

GOALTENDING

Michael Stiliadis 21-5, 2.50 GAA, .907 Sv.% 1 SO

Jordan Piccolino 7-2, 2.28 GAA, .911 Sv.%

KINGS SPECIAL TEAMS

Kings PP – 18.99% - 2^nd in MJHL

Kings PK - 86.16% - 3^rd in MJHL

Kings 3 shorthanded goals for

Kings 5 shorthanded goals against

REGULAR SEASON TEAM STATISTICS

Kings goals for 227, 2^nd in MJHL, 3.78 goals for per game

Kings goals against 171, 4^th in MJHL, 2.85 goals allowed per game

ALUMNI TWEETS

A number of Express alumni went to twitter to send the 2014 BCHL champions congratulations.

Kyle Turrs 05-07.

"Coquitlam Express BCHL Fred Page Cup champs #roadtoRBC pic.twitter.com/sXTC85865s” Congrats guys, gooood luck in Dauphin! #greatmemories
— Kyle Turris (@kyleturris) April 16, 2014

Carlo Finucci - 05-08. 06 RBC Cup champ, 08 BCHL scoring champion.

@BCHLExpress congrats on winning the Freddy page #minenamesonthere good luck the rest of the way! #rbc
— Carlo Finucci (@nucci39) April 17, 2014

Alex Petan - 09-12 - 2012 Coastal Conference MVP.

ROCKYYY !!!! @adamrockwood wins it for the @BCHLExpress talk about clutch!! #champs #RollTrain #bownarrow #obv
— Alex Petan (@pettsy19) April 16, 2014

Dave Simoes - 05-06 - 2006 RBC Cup champ.

Huge congrats to the @BCHLExpress for winning the BCHL championship. Cheering them on to win a 2nd RBC. Go Express. Enjoy it. Not done yet
— David Simoes (@davidsimoes3) April 17, 2014

Brandon Morley - 2012-13 - University of Alaska

Best of luck to the @BCHLExpress winning the Fred Page Cup tonight! #RollTrain
— Brandon Morley (@bmorley89) April 15, 2014

Adam Rossignol - 2013 - Portland Winterhawks WHL

Congrats @BCHLExpress on the BCHL championship! First class organization. @adamrockwood the hero! #RightToBeCockyNow #RBCNext
— Adam Rossignol (@therozzdogg) April 16, 2014

EXPRESS WESTERN CANADA CUP SCHEDULE

Here's a quick glance of the schedule for the Express at the Western Canada Cup.

Sunday April 27 vs. Spruce Grove (AJHL) - 12:00 PM Pacific

Monday April 28 vs. Winnipeg (MJHL) - 5:00 PM Pacific

Wednesday April 30 vs. Yorkton (SJHL) - 5:00 PM Pacific

Thursday May 1 vs. Dauphin (Host) - 5:00 PM Pacfic