EXPRESS SWEEP RIVERMEN

The Express have punched their ticket to the second round of the playoffs with a 5-4 win over the Langley Rivermen to complete a four game sweep of the Mainland division semi final. Click here for boxscore

Game 4 was similar to the previous night with the teams devoting one period to trade goals back and forth. That would come in the second period.

The opening frame saw the Express push the pace early on looking to get the early jump on the Rivermen. They broke through late in the period when Connor Gregga opened the scoring for a second straight night jamming home a loose puck in the goal crease for a 1-0 Express lead.

The second period saw the Express ramp up their effort level looking to expand their lead. Despite a 5-1 advantage in shots to open the period, it was the Rivermen who got a break to pull even. To open an Express powerplay the Rivermen won the face-off and quickly sent the puck down the ice where Sean Bunting hustled to the puck and then cut to the net and beat Jack Watson with a backhand to pull the Rivermen even.

88 seconds later the Express took their second lead of the night as Massimo Rizzo from the top of the right circle snapping home his first of the night to put the Express into a temporary 2-1 lead.

Ryan Helliwell's point shot 1:11 later eluded Watson to pull Langley even at two on the powerplay.

Earlier in the period Ethan O'Rourke just missed a tap in on an Express powerplay. He didn't miss his second tap in opportunity converting a Will Margel pass for the third Express lead of the night.

Langley's answer to that goal came just less than four minutes later with Tanner Versus burying a rebound of a Ryley Wallack shot to tie the game at 3.

The Express counter punch to that goal came just 26 seconds later with Steven Bellini jumping into the rush and taking a Will Margel pass and snapping a quick shot past the glove of Jonathan Mor to give the Express a 4-3 lead heading to the third period. Will Margel had three assists in game 4 and 2 goals and 5 assists in the series.

Insurance came for the Express midway through the third as Rizzo burst out on a two on one break and decided to keep the puck and beat Jonathan Mor on the stick side to open a 5-3 Express lead. Rizzo had four goals and three assist in this series.

A two goal deficit wasn't going to deter Langley's hopes of keeping the series alive. The Express meanwhile dug in to do the little things right to preserve the lead. Josh Wildauer made two good plays on a penalty kill by getting in the way of Rivermen shots.

Then unfortunately for Wildauer a third shot block attempt of a Ryan Helliwell test deflected off Wildauer's stick from the high slot and it eluded Jack Watson to cut the Express lead to 5-4 with 7:22 to play.

That would be as close as the Rivermen would come. Jack Watson shut the door the rest of the way to finish with 27 saves to post his fourth win of the series.

The Express advance to the second round of the playoffs for the first time since their championship season in 2014. It's the third all time sweep of a series for the Express. They swept the Langley Hornets in the first round in 2006. Then in 2014 they swept the Vernon Vipers in the Fred Page Cup Final.

Now the Express will get some rest before they will open the second round against either the Chilliwack Chiefs or Surrey Eagles. That series is tied at two games apiece. 

EXPRESS VICTORIOUS IN FIESTY GAME 1 WITH RIVERMEN

It was a heated opener of the Express and Rivermen Mainland division semi final. At the end of the night the BCHL's top team prevailed by a 5-1 score to take a 1-0 series lead. Click here for boxscore

Seemingly more often than not when the Express and Rivermen meet the tempers flare up. But Friday went to another level.

The Express went with a new look with Ethan O'Rourke centering Massimo Rizzo and Ryan Tattle. That line gave the Express a good mix of speed and sandpaper. For the most part it was Tattle on that line bringing the sandpaper and he was trying to hit everything he possibly could.

The energy translated to a quick start for the Express. Late in the first period that line had a notable shift of pushing the pace in the Rivermen zone. Massimo Rizzo brought the sandpaper by laying out Brendan Budy with a big hit along the boards. Tattle meanwhile fed the puck back to Joey Berkopec who opened the scoring with a wrist shot over the glove of Jonathan Mor. That capped off an opening period that saw the Express outshoot Langley 15-4.

The waters began to simmer between the teams in the second period. Massimo Rizzo was whistled for a double minor for high sticking. With the second penalty to Rizzo in effect, a Tanner Versluis tripping penalty took Langley off the poweprlay. That would become a consistent theme on this night.

One theme that carried over from the regular season into game 1 is the Express making Langley pay for undisciplined penalties. With Colten Kovich in the box for roughing after the whistle, Rizzo found the scoresheet in the manner he's known for. He ripped a wrist shot past a screened Mor for a 2-0 Express lead.

Langley took themselves off the powerplay for a second time in the middle frame on a Sean Bunting cross checking penalty. On the ensuing Express powerplay Will Margel tapped home a Danny Pearson pass at the edge of the crease for a 3-0 Express lead after two periods.

Things really got wild as the third period went on in game 1. There were too many scrums and roughing situations to all list in this space.

Christian MacDougall made his return to the lineup in game 1. He was right in the middle of a lot of things on this night. His agitating style had Langley players barking at him all night. And the gritty Express forward was eating it all up. Ryan Tattle was also in the mix of a lot of things on this night in addition to using his speed playing alongside Rizzo and O'Rourke.

There was only one fight on this night that saw Tyler Schleppe and Ryan Helliwell drop the gloves with just over 8 minutes to play.

Nick Carabin burying the rebound of his own wraparound just as an Express powerplay came to an end made it 4-0 Express. His goal snapped a 43 game goalless drought for Carabin. His last goal came all the way back on October 23rd vs. Langley.

Massimo Rizzo buried his second powerplay goal and picked up his 4th point of the night midway through the period to open a 5-0 Express lead. Rizzo's two powerplay goals surpasses his regular season total of one with the extra man this season. The Express finished 3 for 9 on the powerplay.

As the third period ticked down while the tempers kept on being riled up, Jack Watson was hoping his playoff debut would result in a shutout. Unfortunately he was denied it when Sean Bunting scored with 55 seconds to play. But that would be the lone blemish on Watson who opened the playoffs with 23 saves.

These teams will have a day off between games 1 and 2 to cool down before the series resumes Sunday night in Coquitlam. 

EXPRESS WIN 40TH GAME AS CLAY STEVENSON SETS EXPRESS FRANCHISE SHUTOUT RECORD

Graphic by Jacob Lazare.

Clay Stevenson made 29 saves for his 4th shutout of the season and his 6th in his regular season career as the Express blanked Langley 5-0. Click here for boxscore

For Stevenson, his 6th career regular season shutout passes Cole Huggins for the most all time in Express history. His 4th shutout this season ties Matthew Gordon for most in a single season. It was also his 29th win of the season which tied Kevin Jebson for most wins in a season by a goaltender in Express history.

Langley came out hitting trying to set an early tone. Most notably Massimo Rizzo was on the receiving end of a double team hit in the neutral zone. But it would be long until Langley wasn't able to keep up with the Carolina Hurricanes pick.

Joey Berkopec opened the scoring for the Express just past the 5 minute mark snapping a shot over the glove of Braedon Fleming. For Berkopec it was his first goal in an Express uniform since being acquired from Merritt.

Massimo Rizzo had been very dangerous in the last few games for the Express. But he wasn't getting the pay off by finding the back of the net with the hard work he was putting in to generate chances.

Tonight he broke through. Just past the 11 minute mark he converted a Greg Lapointe pass tipping home his first of the night. The goal chased Fleming after just two goals on four shots.

Greg Lapointe and Danny Pearson both returned to the lineup after missing time with injuries. Lapointe's impact was immediate as he had a number of good chances in the first period.

Jonathan Mor came in the Langley net following the 2-0 goal. Late in the period he had no chance handing a wicked Rizzo wrist shot for a 3-0 Express lead after one.

Danny Pearson had his share of chances during the night in his return to the lineup. He picked up an assist in his return with a shot that wound up in the feet of Mor and was tucked home in the goal crease by Brad Ong. It was the third goal in the last two games for Ong.

Stevenson only had to make 6 saves in the second period. But he got some help in the period to keep Langley off the board when a loose puck in the crease that Stevenson couldn't find right away was cleared just as Stevenson found the puck and was in the process of covering it.

In the third, not only did Stevenson had to fight off Langley shooters. He had to endure a few collisions in the crease. The second one he had Sean Bunting hit on top of the Express goaltender as Noah De La Durantaye hustled back to get into the play and levelled the Langley forward.

The contact didn't deter the Express goaltender in his pursuit of his 4th shutout of the season.

Rizzo meanwhile had his share of chances in the second period to get his 3rd of the night. Then when he was not trying to finish off the hat-trick he was able to cap it off. On a two on one with Nick Carabin, Rizzo's pass for the Express defenceman ended up going in off a Langley defenceman for Rizzo's second hat-trick of the season.

Friday's game was loaded with penalties. The Express were 0 for 9 on the powerplay. But they were a perfect 8 for 8 on the penalty kill. Friday's effort will move the Express back into the top spot in the overall BCHL penalty killing rankings.

Saturday will see the Express hit the road for their lone visit of the season to Wenatchee. 

EXPRESS AT CHIEFS HIGHLIGHTS

Highlights from Saturday's 5-4 Express shootout win in Chilliwack to match a franchise record with their 13th straight win.



Highlights produced by Eddie Gregory. 

RIZZO'S FIRST BCHL HAT-TRICK PACES 6-1 EXPRESS WIN OVER SURREY

Massimo Rizzo mixed in his first BCHL hat-trick as the Express scored six unanswered goals to defeat the Eagles 6-1. Click here for boxscore

The win was the 15th straight home win dating back to last season's playoffs. 

Surrey did something Friday that no team has done all year in Coquitlam and that is score first. Christophe Tellier poked home a loose puck for a powerplay goal to open the scoring. That would be the only puck to get past Jack Watson who made 23 saves for his 4th win of the season. 

That goal woke the Express up who ramped up their energy and didn't take long to tie it on a goal by Ethan O'Rourke who buried his own rebound for his 4th of the season. 

The second period saw the Express pace ramp up even further and the Eagles had trouble keeping up with the hosts. 

It didn't take long for the offence to follow. A nice pass by Will Margel rink wide to Connor Gregga sprung a two on one with Massimo Rizzo, Gregga laid a perfect pass to Rizzo who showed great patience before finishing on the backhand for his first of the night. 

In the dying moments of an Express powerplay Greg Lapointe walked in a ripped a shot short side over the shoulder of Tommy Scarfone for his team leading 16th of the season.

Then Rizzo showed Lapointe 45 seconds later he has a great shot as well ripping one over the shoulder of Scarfone for his second of the night and a 3-1 Express lead after two periods. 

The third period had some similarities to Wednesday night vs. Penticton with a number of players dropping the gloves.

First it was Kabir Gill and Adamo Santia having a go. There was more of that to come as the period went along. 

Josh Wildauer at the side of the Eagles net potted home a loose puck to open a 5-1 Express lead. 

Then there was more fisticuffs. Brandon Santa Juana and Christian MacDougall went at it. That was followed just over a minute later by Steven Bellini and Christophe Tellier settling things while the Express were on the penalty kill. 

The only question that remained was if Rizzo was going to get his first BCHL hat-trick. That was answered in the dying minutes of the game when Josh Wildauer dumped in the puck, Tommy Scarfone came out to play it but he had puck bounce off his stick right in front of the open net to Rizzo who pounced on the gift for his 3rd of the night. Rizzo is the first Express player this season to register a hat-trick. 

The teams will get together again on Sunday afternoon in Coquitlam. 

EXPRESS VICTORIOUS IN HEAVY WEIGHT TILT VS. VEES

Top spot in the BCHL standings was on the line between the Express and the Penticton Vees. When it was said and done, the Express were victorious on the ice and in the alley coming away with a 7-2 result. Click here for boxscore

The win kept the Express perfect at home 13-0. And it was their 14th straight win on home ice dating back to the game 4 victory last season vs. Prince George in the playoffs. The 14 straight home ice wins matches the 14 in a row which is a team record set back in the 06-07 season.

Clay Stevenson won his 9th straight decision with 25 saves. He had to weather a early Penticton powerplay and made a nice stop on a deflection with his right leg early on to keep the game scoreless.

Christian MacDougall was in the box for the penalty after what appeared to be a good honest hit on the forecheck in the Penticton zone. That hit helped get MacDougall going to who was definitely involved all night.

Greg Lapointe opened the scoring by finding a loose puck in front of the net and burying the rebound of a Drew Cooper point shot. It was the 23rd time in 27 games this season that the Express have scored first.

Then before the second period got started the sparks began to fly. As the teams awaited for the start of the period the teams were lining up at centre ice. Connor Gregga was bumped by Conner Hutchison and the two had a few words. More on that later.

Lapointe struck again early in the second period from the side of the Vees net bouncing in a puck off Penticton goaltender Yaniv Perets. Lapointe leads the Express with 15 goals on the season.

Just shy of the 4 minute mark Penticton defenceman Conner Hutchison was whistled for a double minor for high sticking. And before the first penalty expired the Vees were fishing the puck out of their net after former Penticton captain Massimo Rizzo's shot was stopped but Connor Gregga on the other side buried the rebound for a 3-0 Express lead. Wednesday's game also marked the first meeting between the teams since their marquee off season trade that saw Rizzo come to Coquitlam and Alex DiPaolo head to the South Okanagan.

Midway through the second period Noah De La Durantaye was tabbed for a double minor high sticking penalty. This time around the league's top penalty killing in the Express stood tall to preserve the Express 3 goal lead. That was the highlight of the 18th perfect night on the penalty kill for the Express. The Vees finished 0 for 4 on the powerplay.

David Silye got the visitors on the board before the second period was done jamming in a loose puck at the side of the Express net for a 3-1 score through two periods.

Entering the third period the game featuring the top two teams in the BCHL had lived up to the hype with not much separating either team. This is when the sparks would really start to fly.

Connor Gregga was hit along the boards in the Penticton zone that resulted in a check to the head penalty for Colton Kalezic and a two man advantage for the Express. During the stoppage Hutchison and Gregga came together again and this time Gregga the gritty Markham Ontario, native dropped the gloves after having enough of the chirping and the Express forward ended up on top of the pile when it was said and done.

Then with Gregga in the room he would hear Brad Ong scoring on the two man advantage tipping home a set up from Will Margel for a 4-1 Express lead.

18 seconds later Ethan O'Rourke scored on the 5 on 4 burying the rebound of a Greg Lapointe shot to open a 5-1 Express lead. That goal chased Yanniv Perets after 5 goals on 23 shots.

Off the ensuing face-off at centre ice more fireworks saw Cooper Connell drop the gloves with Danny Weight and the Express forward left Weight down on the ice in the centre ice circle all the while getting the Express bench fired up as Connell was sent off.

Brad Ong capped off three Express goals in a 1:58 span tipping home his second of the night past Carl Stankowski and a 6-1 Express lead.

The chippiness didn't settle down in the final minutes of the third period. Noah De La Durantaye was on the receiving end of a hit by Jack Barnes that saw the Vees forward ejected with a 5 minute major for checking from behind. Thankfully for the Express De La Durantaye stayed in the game.

An Ethan O'Rourke penalty interrupted the 5 minute major powerplay for the Express. Just as O'Rourke's penalty expired Tyler Ho scored off the rush for a shorthanded goal to cut the lead to 6-2.

Christian MacDougall never let up his gritty style after his first period penalty. He got rewarded late in the game sliding home his first BCHL goal with just over a minute to play in the third period to put the Express up 7-2.

The win improves the Express to 22-5 on the season with 44 points and moving one point up on Penticton for top spot in the BCHL overall standings.

The 8 game homestand for the Express continues Friday night for the first of two visits this weekend from the Surrey Eagles.

EXPRESS BLANK WARRIORS

Clay Stevenson made 24 saves for his second shutout of the season and 4th career regular season goose egg as the Express remained perfect at home with a 4-0 win over the West Kelowna Warriors. Click here for boxscore

The Dartmouth committed goaltender made his best save of the night early on to turn away a Ryan Upson breakaway which proved to be a sign of things to come for the Warriors.

At the other end the Express took advantage of sub-par goaltending from Brock Baier to open the scoring on a wrist shot from the right wing by Josh Wildauer that eluded the glove of Baier.

West Kelowna finished the first period outshooting the Express 11-10. But it was the home team that was the quicker squad and in combination with their heavy style it created havoc for the Warriors in their own zone during the opening 20 minutes.

A run of Warriors penalties in the second period paved the way for the Express to expand their lead on a one timer goal from the left circle by Tyler Schleppe for a 2-0 lead on a two man advantage. Schleppe's goal was his 10th of the season which tied him with Greg Lapointe for the lead in that category.

The Express poured on the gas in the third period. Noah De La Durantaye blasted home his 4th goal of the season (all on the powerplay) from the left circle to extend the Express lead to 3-0.

The lines were juggled a little to help spark the finishing touch for a few guys. Danny Pearson was moved along side Connor Gregga and Massimo Rizzo. Pearson played a role by helping get the puck to Connor Gregga who set up Rizzo to open a 4-0 Express lead.

The goal for Rizzo was his first in 8 games. Pearson didn't find the back of the net, but he didn't look out of place on that line as he searches for his first goal since late September.

A lockdown third period for the Express saw them limit the Warriors to just 5 shots in the period allowing Clay Stevenson to cruise to his 4th career regular season shutout. He is now tied with Matthew Gordon for second most shutouts in Express history. Cole Huggins holds the Express shutout record with 5 in his career.

The Express hit the road Sunday afternoon to visit the Chilliwack Chiefs.

EXPRESS AT EAGLES HIGHLIGHTS

Highlights of the Express 2-1 win in Surrey Friday.



Highlights produced by Eddie Gregory. 

EXPRESS GRIT OUT WIN OVER EAGLES

In a chippy affair the Express prevailed for a 9th time in 11 games this season with a 2-1 win over the Surrey Eagles. Click here for boxscore

The Express came out flying in the first period and it didn't take long to get on the board. Connor Gregga intercepted a pass in the neutral zone then attacked the Eagles defence on his own and found some ice in the slot and snapped his 3rd goal in as many games to open the scoring. That goal would be the start of a prominent night for the Express forward.

The visitors responded by opening a 12-1 first period advantage in shots by the 13 minute mark of the period. And were a little unfortunate they weren't able to extend their lead with some the quality chances they created.

Surrey tested Clay Stevenson in the latter half of the period thanks in part to a 42 second two man advantage, but Stevenson was perfect in the opening frame with 7 first period saves.

The emotions began to flare in the second period. It started when Christian MacDougall was hit from behind into the end boards by Cody Schiavon. The Express rookie didn't return to the game. The hit went unpenalized which didn't sit well with the Express.

More on that later. Meanwhile Connor Gregga picked up a loose puck after a Massimo Rizzo chance and Gregga then set up Rizzo who buried his second Express goal for a 2-0 lead at 14:17.

With Addison Macey in the box for the Express, Surrey got on the board on the powerplay when Sean Ramsay took a cross ice pass and slid his second of the season past Clay Stevenson to cut the Express lead to 2-1.

As the second period wound down the tempers drew short and it resulted in the Express coming out of it shorthanded. But the penalty killers rose to the occasion each time to help preserve the lead heading into the third period.

The third period saw the Express pick up their pace looking to extend their lead. But were unable to get the insurance marker past Tommy Scarfone who finished with 30 saves.

During the second period Connor Gregga was assessed a 10 minute misconduct. Unfortunately while sitting in the box serving his penalty he had to endure with some fans who were throwing trash at him  during the third period.

Then when he came out of the box, he came to the defence of Christian MacDougall who was hit earlier in the game by dropping the gloves with Cody Schiavon. The fight and automatic ejection for Gregga did come with the Express on the powerplay. But the main thing was Gregga showing that he wasn't going to let Schiavon not be held accountable for the hit.

Surrey's best opportunity for the equalizer in the third came with Clay Stevenson getting whistled for a tripping penalty after a Eagles player went through the goaltender's crease. Stevenson got help from his best friend while shorthanded as a Holden Katzalay shot rang off the crossbar to keep the Express in the lead. Stevenson would finish with 22 saves to improve to 7-1 on the season.

Saturday night will see the Express face a surging Langley Rivermen team that has rattled off four straight wins. 

CHIEFS RALLY IN 3RD TO SNAP EXPRESS STREAK

The Coquitlam Express winning streak was snapped at five games thanks to a third period rally by the Chilliwack Chiefs to defeat the Express by a 4-1 score. The Chiefs scored all their goals in the 3rd period for the come from behind win. Click here for boxscore

The Express stormed Chilliwack in the opening minutes peppering Mathieu Caron with the first five shots of the game. Christian MacDougall had the best chance early on taking a pass and finding himself alone in front of the net only to lift his shot too high and out of play.

Tyler Schleppe then was set up in the slot only to be denied by a quick glove save from Caron. Then Caron made his best save of the night coming to his left to rob Brad Ong on a two on one break with a pad save.

At the other end Tyler Schleppe made a great play defensively diving to get a stick on a cross ice pass to break up a Chiefs two on one break.

Thursday's game saw the return to the lineup of forward Josh Wildauer and Massimo Rizzo made his Express debut. They joined Connor Gregga on a line. And the addition of Rizzo down the middle moved Connor Gregga to the wing.

Rizzo's impact was immediately felt on the first goal of the night. He took a pass with speed on the powerplay from Steven Bellini. Rizzo then slid the puck into Connor Gregga's wheelhouse where he ripped home his first of the season to open the scoring. That goal capped off a strong opening 20 minutes that saw the Express outshoot Chilliwack 13-5.

Chilliwack was determined in the second period to send more rubber the way of Clay Stevenson. That was highlighted by Stevenson quickly shutting the five hole on a chance for Brett Willits.

As the second period wound down the Express created more top notch chances. Connor Gregga came close to adding his second of the night but had his stick checked at the last minute as he tired to tuck it in past Caron. Then Massimo Rizzo dished a cross ice pass to Ryan Tattle who had to adjust his angle to receive the pass but still got a decent shot away and put it wide of the net.

Brett Willits got Chilliwack on the board in the 3rd period finishing a give and go with Peter Reynolds to tie the game at 1 at 4:25.

8 minutes into the third Cooper Connell was whistled for a tripping penalty on Cooper Moore deep in the offensive zone. The Express penalty killers did a good job on the penalty kill by disrupting the Chiefs break out with strong up ice pressure most notably by Ryan Tattle.

But just as the penalty came to an end and before Connell could get back in the play the puck was snapped to the side of the Express net where Joey Larson scored to give Chilliwack a 2-1 lead.

Then in a blink of an eye Chilliwack scored again as Kyle Penny snapped a shot through the pads of Clay Stevenson for a 3-1 Chiefs lead with the goal coming just 16 seconds after the goal by Larson.

Caron shut the door in the third period finishing with 9 saves in the final frame. That capped off a 27 save performance.

Ethan Bowen capped the game off for Chilliwack by hitting the empty net with 5 seconds to play to round out the scoring.

The Express saw their record fall to 7-2 on the season. Chilliwack's win was their 4th straight and they pulled within two points of the Express for first place in the Mainland division.

Saturday will see the Express in Penticton for their second game of the showcase bright and early at 10 in the morning vs. the Salmon Arm Silverbacks. 

EXPRESS 2019-20 SCHEDULE RELEASED

2019-20 captain Drew Cooper (Graphic by Jacob Lazare)

The BCHL released the schedule for the upcoming 2019-20 season. 56 of the 58 games have been announced so far. The two showcase games will be revealed Wednesday. Click here for full schedule

The season will start for the Express on Saturday September 7th in Langley. That's all part of the first three games the Express will play on the road, with a visit in Surrey on Friday the 13th and one week later back in Langley on September 20th.

The next night the Express will have their home opener on Saturday September 21st vs. Chilliwack. The home opener kicks off a 5 game home stand for the Express which includes the first meeting between the Express and Spruce Kings since last season's playoffs on Sunday September 22nd at 3:00.

The Express will travel to Langley four times this season. And they will be done with the George Preston Recreation centre before October is done after visits on back to back weekends October 12th and 18th. All told, the two teams will face each other 6 times in the first two months of the season. Considering the competitive nature that comes out of Express and Langley meetings, the two teams will certainly be sick of seeing each other by the time those six games are done. The final two meetings with Langley will be in Coquitlam in January.

All told the Express will play 8 games each vs. Mainland division rivals Surrey, Chilliwack, Langley and Prince George. The Express will have one home and one road game vs. the teams in the Island and Interior divisions.

Of those games that caught my attention, the Express will play 3 straight games vs. Prince George December 13th and 14th in Prince George. Then the Express will host the defending BCHL and Doyle Cup champions for their final game before the Christmas break on Wednesday the 18th at 12 noon. They will also play the Spruce Kings at noon on Wednesday January 22nd.

Then following a 10 day break, the Express get back in action with a home and home with Chilliwack on December 28th in Chilliwack and the next night in Coquitlam.

Surrey will make two visits to Coquitlam in one weekend Friday November 22nd and Sunday the 24th. That is all part of the longest home game of the season for the Express with 8 games from November 16th to December 8th.

They will start the new year with a 3 game in 3 night Interior division road trip with stops in West Kelowna, Vernon and Salmon Arm January 3-5. They will finish January with 6 of 7 games on home ice with a visit to Chilliwack sandwiched in between.

By February the Express will have played most of their home games with only two more games remaining on Poirier during the regular season. They will play 6 of their last 8 on the road. That includes Massimo Rizzo's return to Penticton on Valentines day. What better day for the Vees faithful to show love for their former captain?

The final regular season home game is Wednesday February 19th vs. Surrey before concluding the season with a pair of games in Prince George Friday the 21st and Saturday the 22nd.

Other dates of note include Wednesday November 20th when Alex DiPaolo returns to Coquitlam with the Penticton Vees. Sunday December 8th, Dallas Farrell returns to Coquitlam with the Wenatchee Wild at 7:15pm. Eight times this season the Express will have 7:15 starts for home games.

Last season after playing 3 games in 3 nights only once, in 2019-20 they will do it a total of four times.

The weather may be nice now, but soon it will turn and it will be time to head back into the rink.