MACKIN AND SUPINSKI TAKE HOME BCHL HARDWARE

Corey Mackin and Brett Supinski were recognized for their fantastic regular seasons with the announcement of the BCHL award winners Monday afternoon. Click here to see all BCHL award winners

Corey Mackin was named the BCHL's Most valuable player and Brett Supinski was named the BCHL's rookie of the year. The awards were voted on by the coaches in the BCHL.

Philadelphia Pennsylvania native Mackin more than doubled his rookie season production of 50 points in his second season in the BCHL by becoming the first player since 2010 to score 50 goals and register more than 100 points. His 50 goals and 104 points earned him the BCHL scoring championship as well.

Photo Courtesy of Damon James Photography.

Mackin also lead the BCHL with 9 shorthanded goals which led the BCHL and was 6 more than his nearest competition from a group of players who had 3 including teammate Brett Supinski. The 9 shorthanded goals also set a new Express franchise record for most shorthanded goals in a season set by Kyle Turris who had 7 in the 05-06 season.

This is the fourth time in Express franchise history that an Express player has won the MVP award. The previous times were Alex Petan 2012, Carlo Finucci 2008 and Kyle Turris 2007. Mackin is also the 2nd player to win the BCHL scoring championship joining Carlo Finucci in 2008.

His 104 points is tied for the second most points in a season by a player tied equalling Tyler McNeely who racked up his total in 2007. Mackin's 50 goals makes him the third player in Express history to score 50 goals in a season joining Kyle Turris who had 66 in 2007 and Brodie Reid's 52 in 2008.

Next season Mackin will attend Ferris State University.

Collegeville Pennsylvania native Brett Supinski in his one and only season in the BCHL finished second in BCHL goals and points with 48 goals and 98 points trailing only teammate Corey Mackin. It was the first time since 1997 that two teammates finished 1-2 in BCHL scoring.

Photo Courtesy of Damon James Photography

The 9 game winning goals for Supinski led the BCHL in that category. He scored all 3 overtime winning goals for the Express this season including scoring OT winners on consecutive nights December 19th and 20th vs. Victoria and Prince George.

He also set new Express franchise marks for most goals and points in a season by an Express rookie breaking the marks set by Brett Hemingway in the Express first season in 2001-02.

It's the 5th time in 14 seasons, and 3rd time in the last 5 seasons that an Express player has won the top rookie award. Previous Express winners are Alexander Kerfoot 2012, Destry Straight 2011, Kyle Turris 2006 and Brett Hemingway 2002.

To put the statistical achievements of Mackin and Supinski in a little perspective, they put their numbers up in a 58 game schedule when the previous winners did it in 60 game schedules.

Next season Supinski will attend Union College.

Congratulations to Corey and Brett for their fantastic seasons that will be talked about for years to come. 

MACKIN, SUPINSKI, FRITZ SWEEP BCHL AWARD NOMNIEES FOR MAINLAND DIVISION

After a round of online polls done by the head coaches, the BCHL is announcing this season’s finalists for the league awards.

The coaches poll determined a finalist from each division. Another poll is currently underway which will determine the ultimate winner for each award.

Unlike past seasons when there was a winner from each conference for each award, there will be just one winner per award as the league is currently aligned into three divisions.

The trophy winners will be announced next week just ahead of the start of the playoffs.

Vern Dye Memorial Trophy (MVP):

Interior: Jake Lucchini – Forward – Trail Smoke Eaters

Mainland: Corey Mackin – Forward – Coquitlam Express

Island: Guillaume Decelles – Goaltender – Nanaimo Clippers

Bruce Allison Memorial Trophy (Rookie of the Year):

Interior: Liam Finlay – Forward – Vernon Vipers

Mainland: Brett Supinski – Forward – Coquitlam Express 

Island: Brett Gruber – Forward – Victoria Grizzlies

Top Defenceman Award:

Interior: Andrew Farny – Salmon Arm Silverbacks 

Mainland: Daniel Fritz – Coquitlam Express

Island: Kurt Gosselin – Alberni Valley Bulldogs

Bob Fenton Trophy (Most Sportsmanlike):

Interior: John Schiavo – Forward – Merritt Centennials

Mainland: Corey Mackin – Forward – Coquitlam Express 

Island: Sean Harrison – Forward – Cowichan Valley Capitals

Joe Tennant Memorial Trophy (Coach of the Year):

Interior: Fred Harbinson – Penticton Vees
Mainland: Jason Tatarnic – Chilliwack Chiefs Island:

Mike Vandekamp – Nanaimo Clippers

The league’s non-voting awards (Top Goaltender, Goalie Tandem and Top Scorer) will be included in the release next week with the voting awards.

EXPRESS SURVIVE VIPERS BITE

Brett Supinski had his second consecutive hat-trick and Chris Tai finished with 40 saves as the Express knocked off the Vernon Vipers 5-4 in the second meeting in a week between the two teams. Click here for boxscore

Vernon looked to pick up right where they left off when they knocked off the Express last Saturday when they fired 59 shots. The first period five minutes looked similar as they jumped on Coquitlam. Colton McCarthy scoring on a wrap around and Thomas Aldworth with a wrist shot from the left wing got the Vipers off on the right foot in the first five minutes.

As quickly as the Vipers started, the Express responded in kind. Brett Supinski started his big night by getting the Express on the board just 32 seconds after Aldworth's goal by snapping a quick shot through the legs of Danny Todosychuk. That was followed just over five minutes later on a goal by Brendan Lamont with a wrist shot over Todosychuk's glove.

 The top line of Corey Mackin, Brett Supinski and Brendan Lamont all had a hand in the first two Express goals.

Penalty killing had been taking it's lumps for the Express in recent outings. But it had a big impact on helping the Express get the two points. They killed off all 5 Vernon power plays. Their best work came in the first period on a 51 second Vernon 5 on 3. And two Vernon power plays in the third period with the Express protecting the lead.

As the second period began, Chris Tai's best work began to come to the forefront. The ice would become very heavily shifted towards the Express net in the final two periods but Tai rose to the challenge. He turned aside 20 of 21 Vernon shots in the middle period. The only goal to beat him in the second was Liam Finlay's first of two on the night.

Two goals for the Express in the final minutes of the second period gave them a 4-3 lead heading to the third period. Jackson Cressey finished off a couple of great passes by Brett Supinski and Corey Mackin for a power play goal to tie the game at three. Then in the final minute of the period Corey Mackin put the puck on a tee for Supinski who bombed away for his second of the night.  That goal gave BCHL scoring leader Corey Mackin 80 points on the season. He finished the night with a season high five assists which also ties an Express franchise record for assists in a game. Supinski hit the 70 point mark with his late second period goal. They now have 81 and 71 points respectively.

Supinski then completed his second consecutive hat-trick and third three goal game of the season with a shot through the legs of Todosychuk at 6:30 of the third period. Supinski finished with three goals and two assists.  He now has a seven game goal streak with twelve goals and five assists for seventeen points. He has points in 18 of his last 19 games.

Liam Finlay made things interesting with his second of the night with just over three to go, but they couldn't puck another puck past Chris Tai. The Express net minder turned aside 31 of 33 Vernon shots in the final two periods to earn the win.

 Up next the Express host the Trail Smoke Eaters Sunday afternoon.

DEJA VU ALL OVER AGAIN FOR SUPINSKI AND EXPRESS

It was deja vu all over again for Brett Supinski and the Express. Supinski scored the double overtime winner for a second straight night this time giving the Express a 5-4 win over the Prince George Spruce Kings. The only difference this time around for Supinski is he scored Saturday with plenty of time left on the clock as opposed to the buzzer beater goal Friday night vs. Victoria. Click here for box score



The win gave the Express a two game winning streak heading into the Christmas break.

Saturday the Express jumped on the Spruce Kings early.

Dustin Cave got things started by scoring his first Express goal on the powerplay beating Alex Brooks-Potts on a screen shot just shy of the 5 minute mark.

Just over five minutes later the Express added to their lead. Again it was a defenceman and it was Daniel Fritz scoring a beauty shorthanded as he rushed the puck up the ice and used his speed to attack the lone defender back and cut to the net and score his 8th of the season.

4:05 later it was a 3-0 Express lead in Corey Mackin's 31st of the season from Supinski and Brendan Lamont.

The goal chased Brooks-Potts after 3 goals on 9 shots.

Despite the three goal advantage, it wasn't a true reflection of Express dominance in play. Prince George was playing fairly well despite the early hole.

Late in the first period saw the Express get into penalty trouble with infractions called on Nic Coltura and Cole Bevan 20 seconds apart giving the visitors a 5 on 3 for 1:40.

Prince George would make it count with Chad Staley scoring with 48 seconds remaining in the first period.

Braiden Epp cut the Express lead to one 2:26 into the second period as he threw the puck towards the front of the net and it bounced off something in front and slid past Chris Tai.

The Prince George comeback was complete in the opening seconds of the third period when Jeremiah Luedtke beat Chris Tai with a wrist shot over the glove from the left circle.

Braiden Epp then added his second of the night as he re-directed home a Ryan Fritz pass for the fourth straight goal by Prince George giving them their first lead of the night.

Jesse Jenks who relived Brooks-Potts in the Spruce Kings crease in the first period had shut the door allowing his team to make the comeback.

The Express finally broke through on Jenks as Corey Mackin scored his second of the game and 32nd of the season with just over three minutes remaining in the third period to send the game to overtime tied at four.

Like Friday nothing was decided after 5 minutes of four on four.

The second overtime at 3 on 3 was pretty wild. Both teams were trading two on one breaks like they were going out of style.

Finally the Express buried one of the many quality chances both teams had. Brett Supinski buried the rebound of a Corey Mackin shot out of the air for his second straight overtime winner.

Chris Tai finished with 35 saves for his 9th win of the season in the Express season.

Now the Express are on a much deserved Christmas break. And will have a week and a half off before returning to action on New Years Eve when the Express head up the Coquihalla highway to take on the Merritt Centennials.

I would personally like to take the time to thank everyone for taking the time to check out the blog and have a safe and happy holiday season.

SUPINSKI BEATS THE BUZZER IN EXPRESS WIN OVER GRIZZ

Scoring twice on teddy bear toss night takes the pain away for Brendan Lamont - Photo courtesy of Damon James.

Brett Supinski scored with less than a second remaining in the second overtime to give the Express a dramatic 3-2 overtime win over the Victoria Grizzlies. Click here for box score

The fantastic finish capped off a very entertaining night of hockey that wasn't worthy of seeing the teams finish tied.

Coquitlam entered the game riding a three game losing streak and looked to begin their final two games before the Christmas break on a positive note.

Brayden Krogfoss got just his second start in nearly two months. He's quietly sat and watched the majority of action since the acquisition of Chris Tai. It was understandable that there was a little rust early, but he quickly shook it off and settled in to play what would turn out to be his best game of the season.

It was teddy bear toss night Friday and the local faithful got their chance to toss their stuffed animals late in the first period when Brendan Lamont scored his first of two goals on the night on a 5 on 3 powerplay as he banged home a loose puck at the side of the Victoria net.

The opening period saw the Express get three chances on the powerplay. Things would quickly be evened up in the second period as the Grizzlies got three powerplays of their own in the first 7 minutes of the period. The man advantages allowed the Grizzlies to test Krogfoss who really settled into the game in the second period.

15 minutes into the second period Brendan Lamont was awarded a penalty shot when he was slashed cutting to the net on a chance. On the free pass Lamont initially took his time then sped up crossing up Grizzlies netminder Michael Stiliadis and Lamont slid a backhand through the five hole for his second of the game and a 2-0 Express lead.

Victoria finally broke through in the final minute as Brett Gruber scored a powerplay goal in finishing off a two on one. The Grizzlies fired 19 shots on Krogfoss in the middle frame thanks in large part to nearly 10 minutes of powerplay time in the period.

Gruber added his second of the night again on the powerplay in the third period to erase a two goal Express lead.

Fast forward to the second overtime that had some memorable moments.

On a offensive zone faceoff Corey Mackin and Brett Supinski teamed up to go straight ahead on the draw then had a quick give and go 2 on 0 chance in front of the net and left everyone in disbelief when Supinski coudn't bury the chance on an open net.

At the other end Krogfoss put the final touches on a great 46 save performance with game saving stops off Kevin Massy and Cole Pickup in the final 90 seconds of the second over time.

Following the Pickup chance, there was an faceoff deep in the Express zone with 7 seconds left on the clock. The Express lined up defenceman Daniel Fritz to take the faceoff and on the drop of the puck he quickly fired the puck forward setting up a two on one with Mackin and Supinski with time left on the clock for a chance. And Supinski scored with less than a second remaining in the game burying a Corey Mackin rebound for the 3-2 Express victory.

It was overtime dramatics that had the feel of a playoff type victory.

There's one final game for the Express before the Christmas break Saturday night vs. the Prince George Spruce Kings.

EXPRESS WIN SHOOTOUT WITH RIVERMEN

1st star Corey Mackin had his 2nd hat-trick of the season vs. Langley plus 2 assists. Photo Courtesy of Damon James.

The seesaw got a work out Friday as the Express and Rivermen went back and forth all night with the Express prevailing 7-5 for their 4th win of the season. Click here for boxscore

The top line of Corey Mackin, Brent Supinski and Brendan Lamont paced the Express attack combining for 12 points with Mackin leading the way with his second hat-trick of the season vs. Langley and 5 points.

The seesaw was tested less than 4 minutes into the game with Marcus Vela opening the scoring at 3:15. But 35 seconds later it was tied at one on Mackin's first of the night.

Chris Tai posted his first Express victory by turning aside 42 of 47 Langley shots sent his way. His best work came in the first period when 21 pucks were sent his direction.

Kevan Killistoff re-stored Langley's power play beating Tai with a wrist shot at 16;16. 

The final two periods really saw the teams test the durability of the proverbial seesaw tonight.

The opening minute of the second period saw the Express tie the game on Brett Supinski's first of two on the night.

40 seconds later Langley took their second lead of Colton Kehler's first goal as a member of the Rivermen.

Brett Supinski scored the prettiest goal of the night with his second of the evening. The puck found Mackin in the slot who quickly chopped it over to Supinski who danced past a Langley defender then cut to the goal and put it past the outstretched leg of Langley goaltender Darren Martin.

Late in the second period the Express took their first lead on Cody Boyd's first goal of the season. He poked home the loose puck in the crease after Colton Kerfoot dropped the puck back for Jackson Cressey who wired a shot off the cross bar from the slot.

The third period saw the teams really see what the seesaw was made of with 5 goals.

Langley tied it at 4 on their second power play goal of the night off the stick of Matthew Graham. 2:12 later the Express went ahead again on Daniel Fritz's 5th of the season when he wired a shot home off the cross bar.

That was followed 24 seconds later on Kevan Killistoff's second of the night to even things again at 5.

1:45 after Killistoff's goal the Express went ahead again as Supinski and Mackin with a few quick passes to set up Corey Mackin for his second of the game.

The Express could finally exhale with over a minute remaining in the third period when Corey Mackin completed his hat-trick by hitting the empty net after stealing the puck at the Rivermen blue line.

Mackin's line mates saw Brett Supinski score two goals and an assist. Brendan Lamont was in a giving mood with 4 helpers.

The teams will have a re-match Saturday night at the Langley Events Centre.

3RD PERIOD RALLY LEADS TO EXPRESS SECOND WIN

Third period goals by Nic Rasovic and the second and third goals of the afternoon by Brett Supinski lead a enormous rally for a 4-3 win over Nanaimo for just the second victory of the season for the Express. Click here for boxscore

There aren't many times when just the second victory of the season can be an emotional one, but that certainly can be said for the Express on this occasion.

Nanaimo entered the game riding a four game winning streak and took their first two games of their Mainland road swing with wins over Surrey and Langley. They got off on the right foot on a goal by Nicolas Carrier scoring on a deflection that slid through the legs of Brayden Krogfross.

In each of the previous two outings for the Express the opposition would get an extended 5 on 3 power play and would score on it to eventually come away victorious. Sunday it was the Express' turn for a extended 1st period 5 on 3. Brett Supinski scored his first of the game on the advantage to even the score for the Express at 17:31 of the first period.

As the Express continue their work to try and improve and turn the ship in the right direction there were positive signs throughout the course of Sunday's game. They consistently were able to establish a cycle in the offensive zone that hasn't been a element of the Express game earlier this season. That is part of the reason why the Express finished the first period with 18 shots on goal.

Jake Wozney playing in his first BCHL game gave Nanaimo a 2-1 lead in the second period banging home the rebound following a won face-off in the Express end of the rink.

San Jose Sharks draft pick Jacob Jackson gave Nanaimo a 3-1 lead when his shot beat Krogfross over the glove from the left wing.

In order for the Express to get back in the win column it was about finding ways to do the little things well incrementally over the course of the game. That included improvement in the discipline department and penalty killing. They certainly ticked that box off on Sunday.

The biggest penalty kill of the game came midway through the third period with Nic Rasovic in the box for elbowing. That capped off a a perfect 3 for 3 game for the Express while a man down. In order to have a strong night while a man down you need a big save from your goaltender. Brayden Krogfross came up with his biggest making a save on Jackson from the slot to keep the Express down just a pair. Krogfoss finished with 36 saves to pick up his second win.

Following the conclusion of the Rasovic penalty he picked up a Jivan Sidhu clearing attempt coming out of the box and scored his first of the season on the backhand.

That goal gave the Express the boost they needed for their big finish. They re-established their cycle and began to press for the equalizer. It came with just over two minutes remaining in the third period as Supinski found himself with the puck on his stick and eye to eye with Guillime Decelles and the Union committed forward scored top shelf for his second of the game.

Then in the final minute Brendan Lamont like a bull in a china shop diligently worked the puck in the Clipper zone deep and eventually got the puck to the net leading to a scramble and Supinski capped off his first BCHL hat-trick to give the Express their lone lead of the night with just 32 seconds to play.

The Express battled hard for the full 60 minutes and were rewarded for their effort. They finished with a season high 43 shots on goal.

Next weekend the Express will hit the road for it's first real road trip of the season with visits on the way to Alberni Valley, Cowichan Valley and Powell River.