MILAN LUCIC BEST WISHES

During the Western Canada Cup Express alumni and current Boston Bruin Milan Lucic recorded a special message for the Coquitlam Express. It was played for the boys in the dressing room just prior to the boys hitting the ice vs. the Spruce Grove Saints Saturday.

EXPRESS SEASON COMES TO AN END VS. SAINTS

All photos courtesy of Todd Pederson:

Like the tournament for the Express, Saturday's do or die game vs. Spruce Grove started well, but ended in disappointment.

The Express got things rolling just a minute in when Zach Hodder scored on a power play goal to open the scoring.

The train kept rolling along at 4:15 with Cody Boyd scoring on a backhand beating Kenny Cameron.

At the other end it was about the close calls for the Saints as they rang three shots off the post and crossbar. The best chance of them all was a wide open for net for Jarid Hauptman who had Gordie Defiel at his mercy in the final minute of the first period.

The game started turning in the Saints favor in the second period as they got going on a breakaway goal by Tristen Sieben.

That was followed by a power play goal by Cameron Hughes beating Gordie Defiel up high. 2:26 later it was 3-2 Saints when Dylan Hollman scored on the rebound of a Hauptman shot.

Spruce Grove's rally carried into the third as they capped off a run of 5 unanswered goals on strikes by Jake Mykituk and Carson Samoridny.

Canon Pieper scored what would turn out to be the final goal of the Express season tipping a Marc Biega shot on the power play.

Spruce Grove outshot the Express 38-25. They will play the loser of tonight's championship game for the 2nd berth in the RBC Cup.

The Express finished the Western Canada Cup by losing their final 3 games after opening the event with a pair of wins vs. Spruce Grove and Winnipeg.

This edition of the Express created a lot of happy memories with their Fred Page Cup run and a berth in the Western Canada Cup. Congrats to all the players and coaches who put in a lot of hours from the summer to today and all their sacrifice to get this team to this point. We all cherished watching this team this year and being witness to something special.

Once the sting of the season coming to an end starts to wear off, the players will soon realize what a special season that this was when they reflect on the 2013-14 edition of the Coquitlam Express.

Thank you to everyone in the Express organization for making be a small part of it. And I can't express my gratitude enough for the team bringing me to Dauphin with the team. I have enjoyed every second of my time here. To the folks of Dauphin, you have given us all first class treatment making sure our every need was taken care of.

KINGS TAKE TOP SPOT WITH WIN OVER EXPRESS

All photos courtesy of Todd Pederson Photography:

In the battle for first place in the Western Canada Cup standings, the Dauphin Kings knocked off the Express 5-3 and advanced to the championship game vs. the Yorkton Terriers. Dauphin and Yorkton will now have 2 chances to advance to the RBC cup.

The loss even the Express record at 2-2 to complete the round robin and they fell to third place where they will play the Spruce Grove Saints in the 3 versus 4 game Saturday afternoon at 2PM CT/12PM PT. The Express took the round robin meeting between the teams 3-1 on Sunday.

The winner of the Express and Spruce Grove game will play the loser of the Yorkton vs. Dauphin game for the second berth in the RBC cup.

Thursday night the host Kings came out flying and scored in the opening minute of the game when Brett Hope blasted a shot from the point past Gordie Defiel.

Hope would add his second of the night with 1:28 remaining in the first period as he scored on a 2 on 1 rush.

The Express were hoping to re-group and try turn the tables in the second period, but Brent Wold scored just 30 seconds into the period for a 3-0 lead.

Wold then added his second of the night finishing off a set up from Justin Valentino.

Zach Hodder finally got the Express on the board in the final minute of the 2nd period when his wrist shot beat Jordan Piccolino on a wrist shot.

Mark Whiteley made things interesting in the opening minute of the third period as he scored his first goal of the post season surprising Piccolino with a shot from the point.

The Express power play finished 0 for 5 and didn't score a goal in the round robin going 0 for 15 through the first 4 games.

The final minute saw the teams trade goals with Mitch Vanteeling scoring into an empty net for Dauphin shorthanded. Jace Hennig rounded out the scoring with 15 seconds remaining in the game.

Friday is a off day at the Western Canada Cup with the awards banquet the only thing on the schedule.

Now the Express can reflect on the week that was Friday, assess what has gone right and wrong as they now try and prepare for a 2 game set to try and earn a berth in the RBC cup in the weekend.

TERRIERS TOP DOGS VS EXPRESS

Photo courtesy of Todd Pederson:

The Yorkton Terriers in a must win situation gritted out a 4-1 win over the Express handing the 2014 Fred Page Cup champions their first loss of the Crescent Point Energy Western Canada Cup.

The Express now sit at 2-1 but the loss cost the Express their first opportunity to earn a berth in Saturday's championship game. Yorkton finished the round robin at 2-2.

It was a scoreless first period thanks in large part to Gordie Defiel. He made a number of grade A stops to keep his team in the game.

Yorkton broke through 4 minutes into the second in a wild sequence that saw Gordie Defiel make a spectacular save, then his stick found it's way two feet inside the blue line, seconds later the puck found the back of the net on a re-direction in front by Taylor Thomson over the glove of a sprawled out Express net minder.

The Express got it back less than a minute later when Joey Santucci playing in the spot of Ryan Rosenthal who didn't dress fired a wrist shot from the right boards that got past a surprised Kale Thomson.

Yorkton quickly went back on the attack only to be thwarted by more great saves by Defiel on breakaways and two on one breaks.

The Terriers power play on a set play re-stored their lead for good when they won a draw in the Express zone, quickly went D to D with Brady Norrish sending the puck across to twin brother Chase who zipped a pass back through the seam to Brett Boehm who scored his 5th of the tournament.

Dylan Johnson gave Yorkton some insurance 8 minutes into the third period when he beat Gordie Defiel with a wrist shot from the left wing. Then Chase Norrish capped off the scoring a 5 on 3 in the final minute of the third period.

The Terriers physicality and speed set the tempo and they fired 43 shots the way of the Express cage. Gordie Defiel was the biggest reason why the score wasn't more lopsided, despite being beat 4 times, he was spectacular all night long.

Coquitlam is now 2-1 at this event, but it could be fair to say that they haven't played up to their full potential for a full 60 minutes at the Western Canada Cup. They have just 6 goals so far with 3 of them coming in their first game vs. Spruce Grove.

Starting Thursday night with the Express final round robin game vs. Dauphin, they will need more offensive support throughout their line up. That is how they got to this Western Canada Cup based on their depth. Going forward in the remainder of the games at this event as the stakes get larger and larger this is the time for the Express to start to play their best hockey which hasn't quite been there so far.

The winner of Thursday's game vs. Dauphin will be a battle for first place and will finish with a 3-1 record and earn a berth in the championship game.

The early game will see Winnipeg play Spruce Grove which is a huge contest. The 1-2 clubs will battle for a playoff spot and the loser will be eliminated from the WCC.

Photo Courtesy of Todd Pederson:

Photo courtesy of Todd Pederson:

EXPRESS EARN GUTSY WIN VS. BLUES

Photo courtesy of Todd Pederson.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

EXPRESS OPEN WCC VICTORIOUS

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

EXPRESS ARRIVE IN DAUPHIN

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Click here for full Express WCC schedule

MORE EXPRESS TV COVERAGE

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

WESTERN CANADA CUP BY THE NUMBERS

COQUITLAM EXPRESS (BCHL) 2014 FRED PAGE CUP BCHL CHAMPIONS

2^nd BCHL championship 2006, 2014.

14-5 Playoff record

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

BCHL PLAYOFFS

Mainland division semi final – Defeated Prince George 4-2

Mainland division final – Defeated Langley 4-2

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

Fred Page Cup Final – Defeated Vernon Vipers 4-0

TOP SCORERS PLAYOFFS

Ryan Rosenthal – 14G, 7A, 21PTS

Adam Rockwood – 4G, 14A, 18PTS

Bo Pieper – 11G, 8A, 17PTS

Canon Pieper – 7G, 8A, 15PTS

Corey Mackin – 5G, 10A, 15PTS

Clickhere for full Express playoff statistics

GOALTENDING

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

PLAYOFFS SPECIAL TEAMS

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

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

Express 6 Shorthanded goals for

Express 1 Shorthanded goal allowed

TEAM STATS

Express goals for – 63, 3.31 GF Per game.

Express goals against – 55, 2.89 GA Per game.

REGULAR SEASON TOP SCORERS

Adam Rockwood - 13G, 61A, 74PTS

Canon Pieper – 33G, 33A, 66PTS

Ryan Rosenthal – 34G, 31A, 65PTS

Bo Pieper – 27G, 22A, 59PTS

Corey Mackin – 24G, 26A, 50PTS

Clickhere for full Express regular season statistics

GOALTENDING

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

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

REGULAR SEASON SPECIAL TEAMS

Express PP – 19.22% - 6^th in BCHL

Express PK – 83.63% - 5^th in BCHL

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

Express 9 shorthanded goals allowed.

TEAM STATS

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

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

MISCELLANEOUS NOTES

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

Ryan Rosenthal 34 goals 4^th in BCHL

Canon Pieper 33 goals 5^th in BCHL

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

Canon Pieper 6 Shorthanded goals 1^st in BCHL

Ryan Rosenthal 5 Shorthanded goals 2^nd in BCHL

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

3^rd AJHL championship, 2010, 2011

Playoff record 12-6 

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

AJHL PLAYOFFS

1^st round – Bye

North division semi final – Defeated Sherwood Park 4-3

North division final – Defeated Fort McMurray – 4-3

AJHL championship – Defeated Drumheller – 4-0

TOP SCORERS PLAYOFFS

Jarid Hauptman – 11G, 6A, 17PTS

Cameron Hughes – 1G, 16A, 17PTS

Dylan Hollman – 5G, 8A, 13PTS

Carson Samoridny – 8G, 3A, 11PTS

Parker Mackay – 7G, 4A, 11PTS

Clickhere for full Saints playoff statistics


GOALTENDING

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

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

SPECIAL TEAMS

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

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

Saints 3 Shorthanded goals for

Saints 1 Shorthanded goal allowed

PLAYOFF TEAM STATS

Saints goals for 63, 3.5 goals for per game

Saints goals allowed 44, 2.44 goals allowed per game

REGULAR SEASON TOP SCORERS

Peter Mackay - 21G, 37A, 58PTS

Cameron Hughes – 21G, 36A, 57PTS

Jarid Hauptman – 19G, 33A, 52PTS

Dylan Hollman – 27G, 15A, 42PTS

Nathan Smith – 16G, 24A, 40PTS

Clickhere for full Saints regular season statistics

GOALTENDING

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

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

REGULAR SEASON SPECIAL TEAMS

Saints PP – 23.64% - 1^st in AJHL

Saints PK – 87.30% - 1st in AJHL

Saints 7 shorthanded goals for

Saints 6 shorthanded goals allowed

REGULAR SEASON TEAM STATS

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

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

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

Playoff record – 12-2

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

SJHL PLAYOFFS

SJHL Quarter finals – Defeated Notre Dame Hounds 4-1

SJHL Semi finals – Defeated Humbolt Broncos 4-1

Canalta Cup final – Defeated Melville Millionaires 4-0

TOP SCORERS PLAYOFFS

Brett Boehm – 10G, 6A, 16PTS

Tyler Giebel – 5G, 11A, 16PTS

Chase Norrish 7G, 8A, 15PTS

Kailum Gervais – 5G, 6A, 11PTS

Taylor Thompson 2G, 8A, 10PTS

Clickhere for Terriers full playoff statistics


GOALTENDING

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

PLAYOFFS SPECIAL TEAMS

Terriers PP – 17.2% - 1^st in SJHL

Terriers PK – 93.6% - 3^rd in SJHL

Terriers 2 shorthanded goals for

Terriers 1 shorthanded goal allowed

PLAYOFFS TEAM STATS

Terriers goals for 52, 3.71 Goals for per game

Terriers goals allowed 28, 2.33 Goals allowed per game

REGULAR SEASON TOP SCORERS

Brett Boehm – 31G, 35A, 66PTS

Taylor Thompson – 23G, 38A, 61PTS

Chase Norrish – 9G, 36A, 45PTS

Kailum Gervais – 12G, 20A, 32PTS

Brady Norrish – 9G, 21A, 30PTS

Clickhere for Terriers full regular season statistics

TERRIERS GOALTENDING

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

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

REGLAR SEASON SPECIAL TEAMS

Terriers PP – 21.9% - 1^st in SJHL

Terriers PK – 84.2% - 4^th in SJHL

Terriers 8 Shorthanded goals for T-2nd

Terriers 1 Shorthanded goal allowed

REGULAR SEASON TEAM STATS

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

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

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

Playoff record 12-3

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

MJHL PLAYOFFS

Addison Division semi final – Winnipeg defeated Selkirk 4-1

Addision Division final – Winnipeg defeated Steinbach 4-1

Turnbull Cup final – Winnipeg defeated Dauphin 4-1

TOP SCORERS PLAYOFFS

Liam Bilton – 8G, 9A, 17PTS

Clay Tait – 5G, 9A, 14PTS

Brett Brooks – 3G, 10A, 13PTS

Channing Brescianni – 2G, 11A, 13PTS

Warren Callis – 7G, 5A, 12PTS

Clickhere for Blues full playoff statistics

GOALTENDING

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

PLAYOFFS SPECIAL TEAMS

Blues PP – 27.8% - 2nd in MJHL

Blues PK – 85.96% - 3^rd in MJHL

Blues 2 shorthanded goals for

Blues 1 shorthanded goal allowed

BLUES TEAM STATS

Blues goals for 63 – 3.70 Goals for per game

Blues goals allowed 29 – 1.70 goals allowed per game

REGULAR SEASON TOP SCORERS

Warren Callis – 22G, 37A, 59PTS

Jordan McCallum – 15G, 31A, 46PTS

Joel Schreyer – 20G, 21A, 41PTS

Kamerin Nault – 19G, 18A, 37PTS

Brett Brooks 17G, 20A, 37PTS

Clickhere for Blues regular season statistics

GOALTENDING

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

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

BLUES SPECIAL TEAMS

Blues PP – 17.83% - 6^th in MJHL

Blues PK – 82.16% - 5^th in MJHL

Blues 11 Shorthanded goals for *Led MJHL

Blues 3 Shorthanded goals allowed

REGULAR SEASON TEAM STATISTICS

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

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

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

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

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

2014 PLAYOFFS

Sherwood division semi final – Defeated OCN Blizzard 4-0

Sherwood division final – Defeated Virden Oil Capitals 4-0

Turnbull Cup final – Lost to Winnipeg Blues 4-1

TOP SCORERS PLAYOFFS

Dylan Butler – 7G, 7A, 14PTS

Brent Wold – 5G, 7A, 12PTS

Dillian McCombie – 4G, 6A, 10PTS

Jared Morris – 4G, 6A, 10PTS

Chandler Irvin – 2G, 8A, 10PTS

Clickhere for Kings full playoff statistics


GOALTENDING

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

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

PLAYOFFS SPECIAL TEAMS

Kings PP – 11.9% - 8^th in MJHL

Kings PK – 89.74% - 1^st in MJHL

Kings 1 shorthanded goal for

Kings 2 shorthanded goals against

KINGS TEAM STATISTICS

Kings goals for 44, 3.38 goals for per game

Kings goals againts 28, 2.15 goals allowed per game

REGULAR SEASON TOP SCORERS

Dylan Butler – 20G, 37A, 57PTS

Jesse Bernard – 18G, 35A, 53PTS

Justin Valentino – 9G, 40A, 49PTS

Brent Wold – 20G, 27A, 47PTS

Mitch Van Teeling – 23G, 23A, 46PTS

Clickhere for Kings full regular season statistics

GOALTENDING

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

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

KINGS SPECIAL TEAMS

Kings PP – 18.99% - 2^nd in MJHL

Kings PK - 86.16% - 3^rd in MJHL

Kings 3 shorthanded goals for

Kings 5 shorthanded goals against

REGULAR SEASON TEAM STATISTICS

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

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

EXPRESS WESTERN CANADA CUP SCHEDULE

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

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

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

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

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

MORE EXPRESS CHAMPIONSHIP COVERAGE

Gardner tackles Josh Smith as part of the championship celebration - Photo courtesy of Tri Cities Now.

Here's some additional Express championship coverage for you to enjoy. Some great photos courtesy of the Tri Cites Now.

Here's the link to gallery 1

Here's the link to gallery 2

Here's the link to gallery 3

Global BC interviewed Captain Ryan Rosenthal, defenceman Marc Biega and forward Adam Rockwood.

Click here for Global BC's story on the Express

EXPRESS CHAMPIONSHIP MULTIMEDIA

Here's some multimedia from last nights Fred Page Cup championship victory for the Coquitlam Express.

Here's the game highlights. 

During the second intermission I chatted with the Head Coach of the 2006 Express championship team Rick Lanz. 

Here's the celebration at the end of the game filmed by Jorge Parra. 

Here's some additional video including goals courtesy of the Tri City News. 

EXPRESS 2014 FRED PAGE CUP BCHL CHAMPIONS

The Express won their second Fred Page Cup championship in franchise history with a 4-3 win in game 4 of the Fred Page Cup final Tuesday night.

This is the first championship for the franchise based in Coquitlam. They were located in Burnaby when they won their first cup in 2006.

They completed a sweep of the Vernon Vipers thanks to a 4th straight come from behind victory.

Jace Hennig flipped the script for the Express in the first period scoring on a scramble when Austin Smith lost the puck between his pads and the puck found it's way in. Vernon had opened the scoring in each of the previous three games of the series. They opened up a 2-0 lead in each of the first three games of the series. Vernon had a 3-0 lead in game one.

Knowing the cup was in the house, Coquitlam showed no signs of nerves knowing what could be theirs if they came away victorious. They had a number of quality chances in the first period including a breakaway for Corey Mackin, Ryan Rosenthal with a chance off the wing, Cody Boyd from the slot and Canon Pieper in the final 20 seconds. There was no doubt the team was ready to play right from the get go.

Vernon matched the Express energy then started to have the momentum start to swing in their direction. Colton Sparrow 42 seconds into the second period evened the score at one finishing off a set up from Brett Mulcahy.

Canon Pieper restored the Express lead at 7:15 when his shot from the left circle beat Smith on the short side.

Vernon's top line of Mulcahy, Colton Sparrow and Brendan Persley put the team on their back and carried them as the Vipers fought hard to make sure the Express weren't celebrating at the end of the night. Brendan Persley pulled Vernon even again when he snapped a shot past the glove of Gordie Defiel just past the midway mark of the second period.

Persley struck again in the final minute of the second period to give Vernon their lone lead of the night when he scored on a feed from behind the net by Sparrow. The trio of Persley, Mulcahy and Sparrow combined for 7 points in the second period with 3 goals and 4 assists. Persley and Sparrow each registered 3 points in the frame.

The stage was set at the start of the third period for another Express comeback. Their final period has been the best in the 2014 playoffs. Things were no different Tuesday.

Bo Pieper pulled the Express even 1:43 with a quick shot beat Smith up high.

With 6:18 remaining Marc Biega was assessed a hooking penalty giving Vernon what appeared to be a key power play with their BCHL Championship hopes hanging in the balance.

But that penalty also gave the BCHL's most dangerous team shorthanded an opportunity as well.

On this night it was Adam Rockwood delivering the goods for the Express. He took advantage of a Vernon turnover and walked in on a breakaway and scored a goal he will remember for the rest of his life as his deke saw the puck eventually bounce past Smith for what would turn out to be the Fred Page Cup winning goal. Rockwood who is a pass first player which is reflected in his goals to assists ratio had just one goal in the playoffs entering the final. The Coquitlam native had three big ones in the series scoring the tying and overtime winning goal in game 2, and the Fred Page Cup winner.

It's fitting that the cup winner would come for this team while a man down. Combining the regular season (19) and playoffs (6) the Express scored 25 shorthanded goals.

The Express finished the series outscoring Vernon 10-1 in the third period and overtime. And all 10 goals came unanswered.

Captain Ryan Rosenthal had a chance to ice it with less three minutes left but was denied on a breakaway.

Then in the dying seconds Vernon had one last close call. Colton Sparrow found himself wide open alone in front of the net where he was robbed by Gordie Defiel, then in one last desperate attempt to tie the game the puck was gloved into the net. Credit to the referee who was in good position to see the play and wave the goal off immediately with 0.4 seconds left on the clock. That meant one final drop of the puck outside the Express zone and a drop of the puck to officially crown the Coquitlam Express 2013-14 Fred Page cup champions.

This team had the belief inside the room led by Head Coach Barry Wolff and his players that they had a good team that gelled into a unit that eliminated Prince George, Langley, Victoria in the semi final round robin and Vernon to earn the title of champions.

The Express now will move on to the Western Canada Cup where they will be joined by the AJHL Champion Spruce Grove Saints, the Winnipeg Blues MJHL champions, and Dauphin Kings WCC hosts to play for two spots in the RBC Cup in Vernon in May. The Yorkton Terriers will look to round out the field for the WCC tonight as they lead the Melville Millionaires 3-0 in the SJHL final.

Coquitlam will begin the WCC on Sunday April 27th when they will play Spruce Grove at 12pm Pacific time.

Click here for full WCC schedule