EXPRESS AT VIPERS HIGHLIGHTS

Highlights of Vernon's 4-1 win over the Express Wednesday.

Highlights produced by Eddie Gregory. 

VIPERS @ EXPRESS HIGHLIGHTS

Highlights of the Express 4-1 win over Vernon Friday.

Highlights produced by Eddie Gregory. 

EXPRESS WEEKEND HIGHLIGHTS

Highlights from the Express 4-1 loss in Surrey Saturday.

Highlights produced by Eddie Gregory.

Highlights from the Express 2-1 win Sunday vs. Vernon.

Highlights produced by Eddie Gregory & Jorge Parra of Underdog Productions. 

EXPRESS @ VIPERS HIGHLIGHTS

Highlights from Wednesday's 3-2 OT win for the Express in Vernon.

LINELL OT HERO AS EXPRESS DROP BCHL'S TOP TEAM IN OT

Eric Linell took the first step to repeat as BCHL player of the week scoring the overtime winner as the Express defeated the BCHL's top team the Vernon Vipers 3-2 in overtime. Click here for boxscore

The win was the first road win for the Express in their 17th away game, and they posted consecutive victories for the first time this season. They're now 2-1-1 under Head Coach Jason Fortier.

The visitors looked a little sloppy in the opening minutes of the game. Then they settled into the game starting to generate their own chances.

Sam Kozlowski opened the scoring for the firing a wrist shot that deflected off the stick of a Vipers defenseman and past Anthony Yamnitski. That goal would be the first of a constant theme of the night of some slightly unconventional goals for both teams.

Injuries to the Express have seen them dress a few AP's in recent games. Nick Amsler dressed for his second straight game. Brayden Szabados meanwhile made his BCHL debut. They mostly played on a line with Jonathan Sheardown. When they were out there they gave the Express some valuable minutes.

Kozlowski struck again for the Express late in the second period. Again he caught a break. After taking a pass from John Sheardown, Kozlowski's shot from the slot bounced in off the stick of Vipers goaltender Yamnitski.

The lead for the Express held into the third period where things really got wild.

For the first 13 minutes of the period the Express were doing everything right to protect their lead. Then at 12:50 Vernon's Keyvan Mokhtari was called for cross checking. It was a great opportunity for the Express to put the game away.

Off the ensuing offensive zone draw the puck split the Express defense. That allowed Jesse Lansdell to pounce on the puck for a breakaway. He was given a slight hook then was awarded a penalty shot.

On the penalty shot Lansdell slid a backhand through the pads of Brock Hamm to get Vernon on the board with 7 minutes to go.

At the time the Express still had 1:50 of power play time remaining to at least re-store their two goal lead.

The Lansdell goal rattled the Express who never really set up on the power play. Then the puck was fired into the Express zone and Hamm was forced to race out of his net to clear the puck away from the oncoming Lansdell. The Vernon forward knocked down the clearing attempt and scored his second shorthanded goal of the night 1:20 after his penalty shot goal to tie the game at 2.

That goal capped off a period for Lansdell that saw him get shaken up earlier in the period on a pair of shot blocks.

At this time for an Express team that is still learning how to close out wins, let alone do it on the road against the league's top team this was their test.

In the final minute of the third period Josh Bruce was called for a check to the head penalty and was essentially done for the night with the minor penalty plus the automatic 10 minute misconduct.

The Express survived the final 15 seconds of regulation shorthanded. And the overtime intermission was a great time for the team to reset after blowing a two goal lead in dramatic fashion.

With 1:45 of power play time to open overtime at 4 on 3, the Vipers had no reason to rush to set up the perfect play to get the winner.

Vernon's patience may have actually played into the hands of the Express. Vernon worked the puck around, looking for the perfect chance and eventually the Express killed off the penalty.

Throughout the night Eric Linell just seemed to have the puck find his stick to create chances. They weren't going in for him in regulation. The puck found Linell's stick again in overtime. This time the BCHL's player of the week got a bounce only red hot players get as his shot went off the stick of a Vipers defenseman and past Yamnitsky giving the Express the 3-2 OT win.

For Linell it was his 7th goal in his last 5 games.

Brock Hamm turned aside 30 of the 32 shots sent his way to post his second consecutive win in the Express crease.

The Express return to action on Friday when they host the Chilliwack Chiefs. Then they will travel to Langley on Saturday night. 

EXPRESS IMMUNE TO VIPER VENOM

Charlie Barrlow - Photo courtesy of Garrett James

The Express completed a sweep of the two game regular season series with the Vernon Vipers with a 5-1 win Friday night. Coquitlam took the first meeting of the season 4-3 in overtime in Vernon in September. Click here for boxscore

Wednesday's game kicked off a very busy week for the Express with four games in five nights with plenty of travel in between.

Accumulating the points now will be key as the week drags on and travel begins to take it's toll.

Alex Ambrosio opened the scoring for the Express as he buried the rebound of his own shot just three minutes into the game. Ambrosio has goals in each of his last two games.

Erik Udahl leads a rush - Photo courtesy of Garrett James

Five minutes later the Express struck again. Austin McIlMurray converted a quick pass Colton Kerfoot pass from the corner for a 2-0 Express lead snapping a shot past Andrew Shortridge.

McIlMurray has goals in three of the last five games with all three of those goals coming in the first period.

Shortridge did his part to keep the Express up only just two after a breakaway save off Cam Bertsch and Charlie Barrow moments later with the Express shorthanded.

Tyger Howat made 15 saves for the Express in the first period. His best coming in the dying seconds of the first period on a Vernon power play.

This game really turned in favour of the Express in the first seven minutes of the second period.

One of Tyger Howat's 41 saves - Photo courtesy of Garrett James

Vernon got a 5 on 3 power play for 1:14. The Vipers best chance to get on the board didn't even count as a shot as Latrell Charleson wired a shot off the cross bar.

Then after killing off a Jack Surowiec penalty he was hit with a pass coming out of the penalty box by Jarell Pinchuk and Surowiec converted on the breakaway for a 3-0 Express lead.

Up three in the second period Tyger Howat rose to the occasion to keep the Vernon Vipers off the board. He finished the period with 13 saves.

Colton Kerfoot capped off the second period scoring a power play goal in the dying seconds frame. Austin McIlMurray drew one of the assists. He along with Kerfoot each finished with 1 goal and 1 assist.

Andrew Shortridge's night came to an end of the second period after allowing four goals on seventeen shots.

Colton Kerfoot had 1 goal and 1 assist Photo courtesy of Garrett James

Brendan Barry was welcomed to the game by a goal from Cam Bertsch who beat Barry with a shot that appeared to surprise him off a face-off.

The Express spread their offense around with three of the four lines chipping in with the five goals.

The only downside on what was an otherwise solid night for Tyger Howat was that he wasn't able to post his first BCHL shutout. Darren Rizzolo scored Vernon's only goal on a third period power play.

Howat finished with 41 saves for his 6th win of the season.

Thursday night the Express will continue their busy week with their final regular season visit to Prince George. 

VIPERS @ EXPRESS HIGHLIGHTS

Video highlights of the Express 5-4 win over the Vernon Vipers Friday night.

Highlights courtesy of Jorge Parra and Underdog Productions.

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.

EXPRESS LEAD 3-0 IN CUP FINAL THANKS TO ANOTHER COMEBACK AND OT DRAMATICS

The Coquitlam Express did it again, they fell behind for the third straight game and found a way to battle back. They defeated the Vernon Vipers 3-2 in overtime and have a 3-0 strangle hold on the BCHL Championship series.

Ryan Rosenthal who has been scoring timely goals all playoffs long, may have gotten his two biggest goals thus far in the playoffs. He tied it with 1:11 to go and was the overtime hero at 12:16.

As has been the story all series long the Express dug themselves into an early hole. Vernon came out strong for a third straight game in the series. They had a 6-1 advantage in shots when Dylan Chanter at the side of the Express net scored to open the scoring for Vernon for a third straight game in this series.

Vernon kept up the pressure looking to build on their lead but were turned aside by Defiel who only let Vernon get one in the opening 20 minutes. Defiel was peppered with 17 shots in that first period.

The Vipers built on their lead on a second period power play to open the frame when Liam Coughlin scored on a feed from Michael McNicholas at 1:14. Vernon led 3-0 in the first period of game 1. And have had 2-0 leads in both games 2 and 3.

Vernon kept their foot on the gas pedal in the second period as they looked to have a full 60 minute effort and not allow the Express to get back into the game. There were times in the first half of this game where the Vipers were in complete control of the contest.

Brendan Lamont midway through the second period scored his second of the playoffs for the Express as he buried the rebound of a Zach Hodder point shot that was kicked out by Austin Smith.

Another solid 20 from Vernon saw them with a 1 goal lead and a 28-12 advantage in shots.

But in case you didn't know, you can't allow this Express team to hang around in the third period.

The final frame has been the best for the Express in the playoffs. And the third saw the game start to turn in the Express favor. They didn't have an all out push and were dominating the period. But they were getting their shots and were hoping one would go in.

Well, one did and no surprise it was Ryan Rosenthal. He came down the right wing and snapped a shot from the boards and beat Austin Smith to the far side with just 1:11 remaining. And out of the blue the game was tied at 2.

That goal all of a sudden gave the Express an incredible boost of energy. They were all over Vernon in the final minute of regulation and had a number of great chances to win it before overtime. Rosenthal rang a shot off the post. Marc Biega and Adam Rockwood also had glorious chances before regulation expired.

In the post-season the Express have now outscored their opposition 27-12. And 6-2 so far in this series.

Regulation ended, and the Express momentum carried over from the third period with them.

They came out in overtime with good shifts in the Vipers zone throwing pucks at the net. Adam Rockwood came close to winning it for a second straight game as he was set up in front of the net but the puck found a way to go out of play.

Then came Rosenthal time, he scored on a set up from Corey Mackin getting it past the glove of Austin Smith for his second of the game to give the Express the dramatic 3-2 win and 3-0 lead in the Fred Page Cup final.

Gordie Defiel turned aside 35 of 37 Vernon shots in the Express crease. And like he's done in the playoffs, he's shut the door at key times the longer the games go on.

What started as a 28-12 advantage in shots for Vernon through two periods. It was reduced to just a 37-36 advantage by the time this one was said and done.

Entering game 4 tomorrow, the big question is how does Vernon respond? They've jumped out to great starts in each of the three games in this series and have nothing to show for it. They know no matter what happens in this series they will still have some hockey left as hosts of the RBC Cup in Vernon in May. A loss of that magnitude might have a real deflating effect. But the Express can't let those thoughts creep into their heads. They still have some work to do if they want to finish the job the right way.

Game 4 is Tuesday night with the Express looking to claim their second Fred Page Cup championship in franchise history.

BO PIEPER BCHL PLAYER OF THE WEEK

Coquitlam Express forward Bo Pieper has been named the BCHL Player of the Week for the week ending April 13, the league announced Monday.

Pieper exploded for four huge goals, including the game-winner, in Game 1 of the Fred Page Cup Finals. Pieper's offence helped the Express rally from a three-goal deficit to win the game 6-4.

The 5-foot-11, 180-pound native of Roseville, Minn. was named the game's 1st Star. He now has 10 goals and five assists for the Express in 17 playoff games.

Honourable mentions this week:

Coquitlam Express F Adam Rockwood: 2G, 1A, OT GWG, 1st Star

Coquitlam Express D Zach Hodder: 3A, 2nd Star

Vernon Vipers F Dexter Dancs: 2G, 1A, 2nd Star

EXPRESS UP 2-0 IN FRED PAGE CUP FINAL

The Coquitlam Express are coming home up 2-0 in the Fred Page Cup final after taking game two 4-3 in overtime.

The visitors for a second straight night got off to a slow start in the first period. Dexter Dancs and Brendan Persley scored 1:40 apart before the game was 7 minutes old to pace Vernon to a 2-0 lead.

But for a second straight night the Express didn't let the quick start by the opposition phase them.

46 seconds after the Persley goal the Express got on the board with a power play tally by Canon Pieper.

Dancs re-stored Vernon's two goal lead 8 minutes into the second period with his second of the night.

The deeper this Express team travels in the 2014 post-season, we're learning a lot about the heart of this years group of Express. Corey Mackin scored his third goal of the Fred Page cup final 46 seconds into the third period to pull the Express within one.

Then Adam Rockwood scored beating Adam Smith up high with 7:39 remaining to even things up. In addition to his goal in the offensive zone, Rockwood was also a key factor for the Express with some solid plays in his own end of the rink.

In the first two games of this series the Express have showed championship heart battling back from a 3-0 deficit in game 1. They followed it up in game two battling back from 2-0 and 3-1 deficits. It's not really a recipe for long term success, and i'm sure the players and coaches would like to reverse this trend, but it's encouraging to see the way they find a way to respond.

Gordie Defiel had another top notch performance for the Express between the pipes. Especially in the third period as he turned aside 22 Vernon shots to keep his team in a position to complete the comeback. Saves off Liam Coughlin, Michael McNicholas in the final minute of the third period, and another one with one second remaining in the third period sent this game to overtime.

It didn't take long for this one to be decided just over two minutes in Adam Rockwood scored off the rush for his second of the night to give the Express the 4-3 win and the 2-0 series lead.

The Express come home with a firm grasp  of the Fred Page cup final where the Express have 6-1 home ice record.

Game 3 is Monday night, with game 4 Tuesday in Coquitlam.

Monday's game will see the return to the lineup of forward Joey Santucci after serving a two game suspension. The Express have now won their last 4 games, all with either Cody Boyd or Santucci serving a suspension. 

BO & EXPRESS EXPLODE IN FINAL 40 TAKE GAME 1 OF CUP FINAL

It took 20 minutes for the Express to get rolling, but when they did they were tough handle, especially Bo Pieper who set an Express playoff franchise record scoring four times in a 6-4 win in game 1 of the Fred Page Cup final vs. the Vernon Vipers. The Express lead the championship series 1-0.

Probably some nerves of playing on the BCHL's biggest stage played a factor in the start for the Express. Vernon stormed out to a first period lead on goals by Brendan Persley, Brett Mulcahy and Deminco Hannoun. The first two strikes coming in the first 3:05 of the first period.

The visitors settled down and the tide definitely turned in the second period in the Express favor, and Bo Pieper began to take over. He scored his first two goals of the night at even strength and on the power play to pull the Express within one. Then late in the frame Corey Mackin on a shorthanded breakaway scored to tie the game at three with 1:03 left in the period. The Express now have 5 shorthanded goals in the playoffs. And 24 if you including the 19 they tallied in the regular season.

Vernon did restore their lead 3 minutes into the third when Mason Blacklock scored on a breakaway of his own.

Then came a key turning point, Gordie Defiel made a key stop, one of his 31 saves on the night as he came across to his left and stacking the pads to keep his team down just a goal. Moments later Bo Pieper capped off his hat-trick to even the game at 4.

Bo then set an Express playoff franchise record by scoring his 4th of the night to put the Express up for the first time Friday night. Corey Mackin then completed the Express run of 3 goals in a span of 5:02 in the third period with his second of the night. Zach Hodder finished with 3 assists from the backend.

Brendan Persley and Demico Hannoun each had a goal and an assist for Vernon. Austin Smith was tagged for 6 goals on 35 shots.

Game 2 goes Saturday night in Vernon. 

FRED PAGE CUP FINAL PREVIEW AUDIO

Coach Wolff and the boys come together as one before heading up to Vernon.

Wednesday the Express had their last practice in Coquitlam before heading off to Vernon for the start of the Fred Page Cup final vs. the Vipers. I spoke with a few members of the Express to get their thoughts on the playoffs to date. And to look ahead to the final.

One final practice in Coquitlam before heading up to Vernon.

EXPRESS AND VIPERS BY THE NUMBERS

OVERALL RECORDS
EXPRESS - 27-26-2-3, 3rd in Mainland division Playoff record - 10-5 Defeated Prince George 4-2 in 1st round Defeated Langley 4-2 in 2nd round Went 2-1 in round robin in BCHL semi final	VIPERS – 30-18-4-6, 3rd in Interior division Playoff record - 10-5 Defeated West Kelowna 4-2 in 1st round Defeated Penticton 4-3 in 2nd round. Went 2-0 in round robin BCHL semi final
HEAD TO HEAD REGULAR SEASON December 8 at Coquitlam – 4-2 Express January 11 at Vernon – 3-1 Vipers
2014 PLAYOFFS
EXPRESS Round 1 Mainland division semi finals vs. Prince George – Express win best of 7, 4-2 Gm. 1 Mar. 4 @ PG – 3-2 L Gm. 2 Mar. 5 @ PG – 3-2 W Gm. 3 Mar. 7 @ CQ – 2-0 W Gm. 4 Mar 8 @ CQ – 6-3 W Gm. 5 Mar. 10 @ PG – 3-2 2OTL Gm. 6 Mar. 11 @ CQ – 2-1 W Round 2 Mainland division final vs. Langley – Express win best of 7 4-2. Gm. 1 Mar. 14 @ LA – 4-2 W Gm. 2 Mar. 15 @ LA – 2-1 W Gm. 4 Mar. 17 @ CQ – 5-0 L Gm. 4 Mar. 18 @ CQ – 5-3 W Gm. 5 Mar. 20 @ LA – 5-2 L Gm. 5 Mar. 21 @ CQ – 5-3 W Round 3 BCHL Semi finals vs. Victoria and Vernon. Express advance to Fred Page Cup final with 2-1 round robin record. Gm. 1 Mar. 30 @ VER – 6-1 L Gm. 2 Apr. 1 vs. VIC – 6-3 W Gm. 3 – Apr. 3 @ VIC – 4-3 3OTW	VIPERS Round 1 Interior division semi final vs. West Kelowna – Vipers win best of 7, 4-2 Gm. 1 Mar. 4 @ WK – 5-1 L Gm. 2 Mar. 5 @ WK – 4-1 W Gm. 3 Mar. 7 @ VER – 6-4 W Gm. 4 Mar. 8 @ VER – 4-1 W Gm. 5 Mar. 10 @ WK – 4-1 L Gm. 6 Mar. 11 @ VER – 5-0 W Round 2 Interior division final vs. Penticton – Vipers win best of 7, 4-3 Gm. 1 Mar. 14 @ PEN – 4-3 W Gm. 2 Mar. 15 @ PEN – 5-3 L Gm. 3 Mar. 17 @ VER – 4-3 L Gm. 4 Mar. 18 @ VER – 5-2 W Gm. 5 Mar. 20 @ PEN – 3-2 W Gm. 6 Mar. 21 @ VER – 2-0 L Gm. 7 Mar. 22 @ PEN – 4-3OT W Round 3 BCHL Semi final vs. Victoria and Coquitlam. Vipers advance to Fred Page Cup final with 2-0 record. Gm. 1 Mar. 28 @ VIC 5-4 W Gm. 2 Mar. 30 vs. CQ 6-1 W
PLAYOFFS SPECIAL TEAMS
EXPRESS PP – 5/54 – 9.26% - 11th VIPERS PK – 48/62 – 77.42% - 9th *1SHG for.	VIPERS PP – 9/43 – 20.93% - 5th EXPRESS PK – 53/62 – 85.48% - 2nd *4 SHG's for.
TOP SCORERS PLAYOFFS
EXPRESS Ryan Rosenthal – 12G, 5A, 17PTS Adam Rockwood – 1G, 13A, 14PTS Bo Pieper – 6G, 5A, 11PTS Canon Pieper – 5G, 6A, 11PTS Marc Biega – 6G, 3A, 9PTS Corey Mackin – 2G, 7A, 9PTS	VIPERS Colton Sparrow – 7G, 11A, 18PTS Brett Mulcahy – 13G, 3A, 16PTS Brendan Pearsley – 7G, 8A, 15PTS Michael McNicholas – 5G, 10A, 15PTS Josh Bryan – 0G, 13A, 13PTS Liam Coughlin – 6G, 5A, 11PTS
EXPRESS GOALTENDING PLAYOFFS	VIPERS GOALTENDING PLAYOFFS
Gordie Defiel – 10-5, 2.65 GAA, .922 Sv.%, 1SO	Austin Smith - 2.67 GAA, .916 Sv.%, 1SO

FRED PAGE CUP FINAL PREVIEW

The 2014 Fred Page Cup final begins Friday in Vernon between the Express and the Vipers.

It's the second trip in franchise history for the Express to the BCHL final. Their first coming in 2006 when the franchise was located in Burnaby where they won in 6 games over Penticton en route to an RBC Cup national championship.

For Vernon they've won a BCHL best 12 BCHL championships in their long and storied history.

They're back in the final for the first time since 2011 when they capped off a run of 3 straight Fred Page Cup championships.

This series features two teams that finished third in their respective divisions during the regular season.

The Express advanced to the final with 6 games wins over Prince George and Langley. Then went 2-1 in the round robin semi final losing their first game to Vernon 6-1 in Vernon. Then taking both games vs. Victoria 6-3 and 4-3 in triple overtime last Thursday to advance to the Fred Page Cup final.

Victoria was eliminated after going 0-3 in the round robin losing both games to the Express and their first of the third round 5-4 to Vernon. The Vipers went 2-0 in the round robin with their wins over the Express and Grizzlies in a 3 day span.

In the first two rounds of the playoffs Vernon advanced by defeating West Kelowna in 6 games in the first round. Then needing a come back from a 3-1 third period deficit and an overtime goal from Michael McNicholas in Penticton in game 7 to advance.

Both teams have had a chance to rest after the Express played 12 games in 18 days in the first two rounds. Vernon played 13 games in 19 days in the first two rounds.

Then both teams had about a week off to prepare for round 3. Then Vernon played just two games in 3 days. The Express played 3 games in 5 nights in the third round.

Entering the final the Vipers will have played just 2 games in a span of nearly 3 weeks 19 days dating back to their series clinching win over Penticton. And they will have had 11 days off since their last game on March 30th vs. the Express.

The Express will have played 3 games since they eliminated Langley in 6 games on March 21st. And they will have had 7 full days off by the time the final gets going on Friday night.

Entering the final these teams can't truly say they're completely familiar with one another despite the one meeting between the clubs in the third round on March 30th in Vernon. That 6-1 Vipers victory was a much closer game than the final score showed at the end of the night.

It was a 2-1 Vernon lead one minute into the third period. The Express were on the wrong side of puck luck especially in the first two periods. Vernon cleared a puck off the goal line, and had the help of back to back posts in the first period. Ryan Rosenthal was a little unfortunate that he couldn't finish off a wrap around chance in the second period.

Vernon did add 3 goals in the final ten minutes of that contest. Including two in the final minute. And with a goals for and goals against being a possible tie breaker in the third round, they needed to get those key goals at the time which didn't have an impact in the final out come of round 3.

The shots in that game were even at 30 apiece.

For the Express Ryan Rosenthal has been a thoroughbred during the playoffs scoring timely goals and at times being unstoppable. He leads the Express in scoring with 12 goals and 17 points in 15 games.

All the production coming after going pointless in the first three games of the playoffs in the first round vs. Prince George. His line mates Corey Mackin and Adam Rockwood have come up with clutch performances at key times at various points during this playoff run. Rockwood's point production is similar to what we saw in the regular season where he led the team in scoring. He has 1 goal and 13 assists for 14 points in 15 playoff games second behind Rosenthal.

The Pieper brothers have provided timely scoring with various wingers at times in the post season.

The third line mostly consisted of Cody Boyd, Jace Hennig and Joey Santucci has provided very valuable minutes mostly going up against the opposition first line throughout the playoffs minimizing the damage inflicted by the opponents top players. But that line did play the entire third round without Cody Boyd who served a 3 game suspension for an accumulation of junior A supplement infractions. Joey Santucci will be suspended for the first two games of the final in Vernon after receiving a 2 game suspension for his 5 minute major and blow to the head penalty assessed in overtime of the deciding game in Victoria.

Gordie Defiel has been providing championship quality goaltending right from the start of the playoffs. He made 58 saves last Thursday in Victoria. Including 31 in overtime alone.

Zach Hodder and Marc Biega have continued their regular season form in the playoffs adding an offensive punch from the backend with 6 and 5 goals apiece. The rest of the blue line has provided very steady play all playoffs long.

Vernon's top line of Brendan Pearsley, Brett Muclahy and Colton Sparrow have been burning out red lights all playoffs long. They've also got support offensively from Michael McNicholas, TJ Dumonceaux and Liam Coughlin. Josh Bryan on the backend is tied with Adam Rockwood with 13 assists for the second best total in the playoffs to date.

Austin Smith has posted similar numbers to Gordie Defiel in the Vernon crease in the post season.

The Express have made it this far with just 5 goals in the playoffs. That lack off success hasn't hurt them in the playoffs considering they're still playing. I don't really like to make NHL references when writing about the BCHL. But I do remember in 2011 in the set up to the Stanley Cup final between Boston and Vancouver, plenty of the talk at the start of the series was about Boston's lackluster power play. Well we all know how that turned out. Vernon's penalty killing sits at 77.42% in the playoffs.

The Express penalty killing is still second best in the BCHL entering the final at 85.48%. It is the highest mark of all teams that advanced past the first round of the playoffs. Prince George killed off 21 of 22 shorthanded situations in their series with the Express.

On the surface there doesn't seem to be much that separates these two teams at this point. Two very worthy teams have earned their spot in the final and it should be a good series.

EXPRESS TO PLAY FOR FRED PAGE CUP

It took until the third overtime to decide it, but the Express are off to the Fred Page Cup final for the 2nd time in franchise history as they defeated the Victoria Grizzlies 4-3.

The win improved the Express to 2-1 in the round robin semi final. Victoria is eliminated as their record fell to 0-3 and will not be able to catch either the Express or the Vernon Vipers who are 2-0.

It will be the Express and the Vernon Vipers to decide who will be the BCHL champion in 2014. The series will start Friday April 11th in Vernon.

Marc Biega, Canon Pieper scored in the first two periods for the Express. Ryan Rosenthal scored with 1 minute remaining in the third period to send the game to overtime.

Daniel Lange was credited with the triple overtime winner tipping a Marc Biega shot.

The Fitzgerald triplets scored all three goals for Victoria on this night. Myles and Gerry scored in the first period. Leo scored in the third period. The three of them scored 5 of the 6 goals in the two games between the Express and Victoria in the round robin.

Canon Pieper had a chance to end it in the first overtime but was stopped on a penalty shot by Alec Dillion.

The Express also killed off a 5 minute major penalty assessed to Joey Santucci in the first overtime.

Gordie Defiel had another great night in the Express crease. He finished with 58 saves on the night. Including 31 in 46:51 of overtime.

This is the second visit to the Fred Page Cup final for the Express. They defeated the Penticton Vees in 6 games in 2006 when the franchise was located in Burnaby.

ROUND 3 SCHEDULE

The Express have a well earned week of rest after two six game series wins over the Prince George Spruce Kings and Langley Rivermen to win the 2014 Mainland division playoff championship.

They will use that much needed time off to heal any bumps and bruises that have accumulated over the course of 12 games in 18 days. Which also included the grind of a the 6 game series with Prince George that saw lengthy bus trips back and forth from Coquitlam to Prince George.

In the third round the Express will play the Island division champion Victoria Grizzlies who eliminated Powell River in 6 games. And the Interior division champion and RBC Cup hosts the Vernon Vipers who needed a 3-1 third period come back and an overtime goal from Michael McNicholas to keep their dream alive of coming through the front door of the tournament they're hosting in May.

Each team is scheduled to play each other once home and once away. The top two teams will advance to the Fred Page Cup to play for the BCHL championship.

Here's the full schedule for the third round. Express games are in bold.

March 28, 7:15pm	(2) Vernon @ (1) Victoria	Q-Centre
March 30, 7:00pm	(3) Coquitlam @ (2) Vernon	Kal Tire Place
April 1, 7:00pm	(1) Victoria @ (3) Coquitlam	Porier Sports and Leisure Centre
April, 3, 7:15pm	(3) Coquitlam @ (1) Victoria	Q-Centre
April, 5 7:00pm	(1) Victoria @ (2) Vernon	Kal Tire Centre
April 7, 7:00pm	(2) Vernon @ (3) Coquitlam *If Necessary	Poirier Sports and Leisure Centre
04/09/14	Tie-Breaker game if necessary	TBA