EXPRESS MIXLR BROADCAST

Tuesday, August 30, 2011

TAYLOR'S LOVE IN CARRIES EXPRESS TO VICTORY

The Express improved to 3-1 in the pre-season with a 4-2 win over the Chlliwack Chiefs at the Burnaby Winter Club.

It was the second meeting between the two teams this pre-season with Chilliwack prevailing 5-4 on Saturday.

The Chiefs got off to a fast start by taking full advantage of a 5 on 3 by scoring twice on goals by Derek Huisman and Brad Parker 28 seconds apart with veterans Matt Hutchinson and Cole Gelley seated in the box.

The two goals would be the only ones the Chiefs would be able to muster on Billy McGladrey. The Express netminder shut them down the rest of the night finishing with 24 saves for his second consecutive win in the pre-season. McGladrey played the full 60 minutes in the Express crease.

The Express got one goal back before the period was done with a powerplay goal of their own from John Siemer set up by Alex Kerfoot and Cole Gelley.

Mitch Nardi pulled the Express even in the opening minute of the second period on a feed from behind the net by Taylor Love.

Love then scored a pair of goals of his own. His first was a pass intended for an Express winger streaking to the net. The pass hit a Chiefs stick and got past starter Adam Harris.

Love's second goal came off a won faceoff and he blasted a slap shot by Bryton Udy.

The Express defenceman finished with 2 goals and 1 assist for 3 points.

Coquitlam outshot Langley 35-26. And the Express went 1 for 9 on the powerplay while Chilliwack went 2 for 5.

The Express next pre-season game is Friday in Coquitlam vs. SFU.

Express alum Kyle Turris also made an appearance at the game catching up with some old faces.

Sunday, August 28, 2011

MCGLADREY SHINES IN WIN OVER EAGLES

The Coquitlam Express picked up their second win of the pre-season with a 4-2 decision over the Surrey Eagles.

It was the second meeting in three days between the two clubs. The Express took the first meeting 5-1 Friday night in Coquitlam.

Surrey opened the scoring in the first period on the powerplay when DJ Jones' point shot got past a screened Khaleed Devji.

Just over a minute later the Express pulled even when John Siemer tried to hit Taylor Love with a backdoor pass, en route the puck hit an Eagles player and got past veteran Andrew Hunt.

Surrey dressed a roster that closely resembled what they will have on opening night, and it showed in the second period as they started to take control of the game.

Beau Orser restored Surrey's lead when he got a point shot through a screen and past Khaleed Devji.

Both teams split their goaltending duties equally with Connor Barrie coming off the bench for the Eagles and Billy McGladrey finishing the game for the Express.

The Express pulled even with another powerplay goal before the second period was done. John Siemer scored his second goal of the game and left those watching in awe when he roofed a wrist shot from the goal line up over Barrie.

It was the Billy McGladrey show in the third period. The Express got themselves into penalty trouble early in the frame and the Eagles enjoyed some extended 5 on 3 time. McGladrey was peppered with all kinds of rubber but he turned it all away to keep the game tied at two.

Alex Petan rewarded the strong play of McGladrey by breaking the tie banging home a rebound for the third Express powerplay goal of the game with just 2:49 to go. The goal came following a shot from Alex Kerfoot. The first year Express forward had 3 assists in the win.

Mitch Nardi gave the Express some insurance when he cleaned up his own garbage following a breakaway.

The Express have McGladrey to thank for the this win for not allowing a goal in his half of the game. And that included turning aside 21 Eagle shots in the third period alone. Final shots in the game were 45-29 in favour of the Eagles.

Coquitlam now has a 2-1 record this pre-season. Their next game is Tuesday night at the Burnaby Winter Club vs. the Chilliwack Chiefs.

CHIEFS KNOCK OFF EXPRESS IN PRE-SEASON GAME 2

(Courtesy of Chilliwack Cheifs website)

The Chilliwack Chiefs got a win in their return to the BCHL, edging the Coquitlam Express 5-4 in a preseason game Saturday night.

U-S import Trevor Hills had the third period winner in a seesaw affair that saw three lead changes and 66 combined shots on goal.

The first goal for the Chiefs came off the stick of Garret Forester, formerly of the B.C. Major Midget Hockey League's Greater Vancouver Canadians. Ridge Meadows product Ryan Stewart earned the assist, picking the pocket of Coquitlam D-man Dana Tenenabaum in the left faceoff circle. Stewart feathered a pass to Forester as he chugged through the slot, and Forester picked the top right corner, beating the glove of Express netminder Phoenix Logan Hill.

Forester's tally with less than 10 seconds remaining in period one sent the Chiefs to the first intermission with a 1-0 lead, despite being out-shot 16-6.

The goals came fast and furious in the early minutes of period two. Ex-Quesnel Millionaire Chris Albee gave Chilliwack a two goal lead, slipping a five-hole shot through Logan Hill. Less than a minute later, Coquitlam's Ben Murphy cut the lead in half when his centering pass banked off a Chiefs defender and past goaltender Mitch Gilliam.

A Ryan Stewart tally briefly restored the two goal cushion, but Coquitlam drew even on back to back goals by Alex Petan.

His first was one Gilliam would want back, a shot from the very high slot that hit the top of his glove before falling across the line.

Gilliam's busy night ended there, with ex-Fraser Valley Bruin (MMHL) netminder Josh Halpenny taking over in goal.

Petan's second came moments later on a Coquitlam power play, with the 19-year-old splitting two Chilliwack defenders before chipping the puck past Halpenny.

The Express? finally forged ahead with 1:46 remaining in the second period. Austin Caroll did the damage with a sharp-angle shot that found its way through the leg pads of Halpenny.

Shots on goal through 40 minutes favoured Coquitlam 35-18.

The Chiefs saved their best for last, playing an excellent third period to escape with the win.

Albee drew Chilliwack even early in period three, roofing a slick backhander over the left shoulder of Express goaltender Jared Rathjen.

The decisive tally came off the stick of Trevor Hills. Camped at the edge of the blue paint, the 18-year-old New England Prep School product stuffed a two foot backhander through the legs of Rathjen at 9:45.

The Chiefs had to snuff out a late Coquitlam power play to preserve victory. Chilliwack native Ryan Bechtel was sent to the box with 2:15 remaining (slashing), but the PK held on, with defenceman Chad Roorda turning in a painful looking shot block.

The next home preseason game is Sept. 10 at 7 p.m. versus the Surrey Eagles.


Chilliwack 5 Coquitlam 4
Saturday August 27, 2011
Prospera Centre Chilliwack

1st Period Summary

1 – Chilliwack – Garret Forester (Ryan Stewart) 19:51

2nd Period Summary

2 – Chilliwack – Chris Albee (Quinn Buckellew, Mike Berry) 5:15
3 – Coquitlam – Ben Murphy (unassisted) 5:34
4 – Chilliwack – Ryan Stewart (Brandon Fermosa, Mathieu Tibbett) 7:24
5 – Coquitlam – Alex Petan (unassisted) 8:06
6 – Coquitlam – Josh Finkelstien (Dana Tenenabaum, John Siemer) 11:50 PP
7 – Coquitlam – Austin Carroll (Ryan McNeely, Ben Murphy) 18:14

3rd Period Summary

8 – Chilliwack – Chris Albee (Keenan Grant) 5:41
9 – Chilliwack – Trevor Hills (Brandon Fermosa, Mathieu Tibbett) 10:15


Shots on Goal

CC: 6-12-8 = 26
CE: 16-19-7 = 42

Power Plays
Chilliwack: 0/5
Coquitlam: 1/5

Goalies

Coquitlam

Phoenix Logan Hill 7/10
Jared Rathjen 14/16

Chilliwack

Mitch Gillam 24/26
Josh Halpenny 14/16

Friday, August 26, 2011

ENGBAR'S HAT-TRICK LEADS EXPRESS TO WIN

The Express opened up the pre-season with a convincing 5-1 win over the Surrey Eagles at the Coquitlam Sports Centre Friday night.

Coda Engbar had a great debut for the Express scoring a hat-trick. He was helped out by linemates Justin Georgeson and Mitch Nardi. Between the three of them, they combined for 8 points with 3 goals and 5 assists.

Click to here to listen to Express Forward Coda Engbar.

Alex Kerfoot and Josh Finkelstien scored the other two Express goals. The powerplay had a strong night for the Express finding the back of the net 3 times on 8 opportunites.

Veteran Robert Lindores scored the Eagles lone goal in the second period on the powerplay.

Jared Rathjen and Phoenix Logan Hill split the duties in the Express crease. While Wade Moyts and Glenn Ferguson did the same for the Eagles.

The pre-season for the Express continues Saturday in Chilliwack. The Eagles will look to get a measure of revenge on the Express when the teams meet again Sunday afternoon at the South Surrey Arena.

Thursday, August 25, 2011

INTERSQUAD GAME HIGHLIGHTS DAY 3 OF CAMP

On the final day of training camp before the pre-season begins, a full intersquad game for the Express was the highlight of the schedule Thursday. Head Coach Jon Calvano has cut the number of players nearly in half from nearly 60 players to about 30.

The smaller group allows the Express to work with a group more manageable consisting of players that will get a good look with the hopes of dressing opening night September 23rd vs. the Penticton Vees.

Click to here to listen to Express Forward Justin Georgeson.

A number of returning veterans are showing signs of taking their games to the next level for this season. The speed and size of some members of the defence are showing that the Express are looking to have a strong push from the backend this season.


Click to here to listen to Express Defenceman Matt Hutchinson.

Today's intersquad game saw a little frustration of battling with the same bodies over and over again over the last 3 days start to boil over. There were a pair of fights in the final 3 minutes of the game. Little Malcom Mckinney dropped the mitts in the first tilt. Moments later it was Austin Carroll dusting things up.

I'm sure every player still in camp will tell you the same thing, and that is they're looking forward to hitting someone in a Eagles, Rivermen or a Chiefs jersey opposed to someone wearing another Express sweater.

And with that in mind, the players will have plenty of chances to do just that starting tomorrow when the Express will play their first exhibition game vs. the Surrey Eagles at the Coquitlam Sports Centre at 7pm.

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

EXPRESS OPEN TRAINING CAMP

The Express opened up their 11th training camp Tuesday at the Coquitlam Sports Centre.

This will be the second training camp for Express Head Coach Jon Calvano. His first season behind the bench saw the team return to the playoffs with a record of 22-28-1-9 after missing in each of the previous two seasons.

A year ago, as Calvano was embarking on his first full season behind the bench, he did so behind the 8 ball of other teams in the BCHL in terms of recruiting. Things are different this year as the Express bench boss had an opportunity to full prepare for his off-season recruiting while the regular season was underway last year.

Click to here to listen to Express Head Coach Jon Calvano.

With the BCHL shrinking the teams eligible in each conference for a post season position from 7 teams to 4, Calvano knows the importance of how camp can set the tone for building a team that will look to be very competitive this season if it will make a return visit to the playoffs this season. He will have an additional two weeks to prepare for the season this year with the BCHL pushing back the start of the regular season to September 23rd when the Express will play host to the Penticton Vees.

In addition to fewer teams making the playoffs this year, this season will feature 52 of the 60 games on the schedule vs. Coastal Conference rivals. So almost every single night this year the two points that are up for grabs are that much more important.

The Express hockey operations department has been very hard at work during the off season to best deal with the changes in the BCHL this season. They hope their hard work in the off-season and now into training camp and eventually the regular season will pay off with a second consecutive playoff spot.

Some player personnel decisions have already been made involving players who finished the season with the Express last year as Jake Charles, Cameron Lawson, Tyler Griffith and Cody Castro have been released.

Camp continues daily at the Coquitlam Sports Centre. The exhibition season begins Friday with a visit from the Surrey Eagles to the Coquitlam Sports centre. Saturday the Express will travel to Chilliwack, Sunday they're in Surrey for an afternoon affair. Chilliwack and the Express will meet again Tuesday at the Burnaby Winter Club. For the third straight year the Express will face SFU in the pre-season on September 2nd in Coquitlam. And the Penticton Vees will play a rare home and home with the Express September 9th and 17th.


Friday, August 5, 2011

EXPRESS PREP CONTINUES AS CAMP DRAWS NEAR

Here's a little more information about what the Express are up to as training camp is no longer months away opposed to weeks...

Story courtesy of Coquitlam Now:

In just over two weeks from now, puck meets ice.

At that point, the Coquitlam Express will get an early jump on the 2011-12 B.C. Hockey League season.

Re-tooling and addressing areas of need have kept head coach Jon Calvano busy the past few months.

Upon returning from an elite hockey program tournament trip to Boston - where his 13-14 year olds won the Beantown tourney - Calvano announced two more acquisitions for the Express.

The B.C. Hockey League squad, ramping up for the 2011-12 season and a heated chase for one of just four conference playoff berths, added 18-year-old defenceman Jason Bird and 20-year-old centre Ben Murphy.

"We're pretty excited about the camp and the players who we've brought in," said Calvano. "There's going to be a lot of new faces. We've brought in a number of highly recruited players, but there will be plenty of opportunities for position battles and spots."

Bird, a six-foot-one, 191-pound blueliner, was acquired from the Ontario junior league's Vaughan Vipers, where he posted two goals and eight assists in 42 games.

"Jason has that junior experience, he's a stay-at-home type who moves the puck well and has a strong shot," Calvano said of the Etobicoke, Ont. native.

Murphy's rights were purchased after he made a favourable impression during Coquitlam's May camp for import players. Last year the six-foot-one forward played 42 games for the U.S.-based Eastern Junior Hockey League, racking up a team-high 18 goals and 14 assists.

"Last year when we were playing the likes of Surrey and Langley we found that down the middle, while we had the skill in Massimo (Lamacchia) and Destry (Straight), we were lacking a bigger presence to line up against their big guys," noted Calvano. "Murphy's a guy who we can match against those larger players who can counteract their size."

The Express' main camp opens Aug. 23, a full month before they launch the regular season with a home date against Penticton. The club has already committed to a handful of new forwards who will take on the task of replacing top scorers Lamacchia, Straight, Jason Grecica, Mike Krgovich and captain Garrick Perry.

There are five positions open on the blueline, with only Cole Gelley and Matt Hutchinson slated to return.

To help all their players prepare for the grind of a 60-game season, the Express hired Adam Nugent-Hopkins, older brother of the Edmonton Oilers No. 1-overall draft

pick Ryan Nugent-Hopkins, as their new strength and conditioning coach.

The team has scheduled eight exhibition games, including Sept. 2 at the Sports Centre against Simon Fraser University. . The team is now taking registration for its midget and bantam hockey academies out of the Poirier Sports Centre.

The two programs are geared for young minor players who wish to raise their level of play through an expanded, junior hockey-like training session every week.

The midget academy, in its fourth year, is for players born in 1994-96, while the secondyear bantam academy is for those born in 1997-98.

The camps will feature regular appearances by Express coaches and players. Last year's program also featured a variety of guest speakers, including U.S. college scouts, junior coaches and the Vancouver Canucks' Mason Raymond.

Express general manager/ president Darcy Rota said this year's program will continue on the same successful path, which has helped a number of players prepare for the junior level.

"It's the fourth year we've done this and it's been a real success," he said. "It's a unique opportunity for young players to learn and practice with our Express players, to see what the next level is all about, and we have some terrific guest speakers lined up for the players and parents."

Thursday, August 4, 2011

EXPRESS/VEES TRADE

As per the BCHL site, the Express traded the rights to goaltender Jamie Tucker (91) to the Penticton Vees for future considerations.

Penticton then flipped Tucker to Victoria in exchange for the top goaltender in the BCHL in the 2010-11 season Michael Garteig (91). Last season Garteig led the BCHL in wins and tied the BCHL record for most shutouts in a season with 7 with the Regular season champion Powell River Kings.