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.

EXPRESS AT SPRUCE KINGS GAME 5 HIGHLIGHTS

Highlights of the Spruce Kings 4-2 win over the Express in game 5 of the Mainland division semi final to take the series.

Highlights produced by Eddie Gregory.

SPRUCE KINGS AT EXPRESS GAME 4 HIGHLIGHTS

Highlights of the Express 3-0 win over the Prince George Spruce Kings in game 4 of the Mainland division semi final Tuesday.

Highlights produced by Eddie Gregory.

STEVENSON SHUTS THE DOOR, DANOL POTS HAT-TRICK AS EXPRESS STAY ALIVE

The Coquitlam Express are going back to Prince George after keeping their season alive in game 4 with a 3-0 shutout win over the Prince George Spruce Kings. Clay Stevenson post his first career playoff shutout and Chase Danol scored a natural hat-trick in the winning cause. https://bchl.ca/stats/game-summary/9113

With the season hanging on the line, the Express were challenged to have their best game of the series and everyone dug in all night to earn the victory.

Coquitlam had a better start in game 4 pushing the pace early which led to their first powerplay less than two minutes into the game. On the advantage Ty Westgard had a good chance to open the scoring on a one timer that went just wide of the net.

Troy Robillard came close to opening the scoring taking a centering pass from Alex DiPaolo then swatted it at the net only to be denied by Logan Neaton.

The Express physicality and overall heaviness of their game played a role in game 4. Alex DiPaolo delivered a few crunching hit and along with a few others. That left a few Prince George defenders looking over their shoulder a little more frequently going back for pucks wondering who in an Express jersey was coming at them.

There weren't many shots on either side in the first period with the Express generating 7 and Clay Stevenson turning aside 5 Spruce Kings shots.

Prince George came out quick in the opening 90 seconds of the second period. Clay Stevenson made a key save on a Dustin Manz one timer during that flurry.
Then all of a sudden the Express ramped their game up with a number of dominant puck possession shifts in the Spruce Kings end of the ice. That sequence didn't lead to many top notch chances, but certainly had the Spruce Kings chasing the game for a while.

Chase Danol has seen his offensive production from off from the first half of the season. That is in part due to a change in role after the trade deadline. But his strength on his stick with the puck and good hands was always still apart of his game that was going to show itself again.

It did Tuesday night with the Express season on the line. Midway through the 2nd period he finally broke the ice of the scoreless game. He found himself on an odd man chance with Jared Power. Danol was very patient holding on to the puck then finally lifting a backhand over Neaton for a 1-0 Express lead.

The penalty killing had a strong night limiting the quality chances for the Spruce Kings through the night.

The Express had to shut down a pair in the second period. Then after the play returned to 5 on 5 following a Christian Sanda high-sticking call, Prince George picked up their pace, but each time they ran into a dialled in Clay Stevenson. He was making key stops with quick pads, his glove was picking off hot shots sent his way. But the best save of the night isn't credited to the goaltender.

With 15 seconds left in the 2nd period a shot by Liam Watson-Brawn found its way airborne in the crease behind Stevenson and the puck was batted away fantastically by Pito Walton to save a goal and preserve the 1-0 Express lead after 40 minutes.

The Express entered the third period with their biggest test of the season. They had games in the third period where leads slipped away in the regular season and in game 2 of this series. Tuesday night they couldn't afford another meltdown or their season was done.

This time the Express were ready. When opportunities presented themselves they took advantage. Chong Min Lee was called for high sticking three minutes into the third period for the second Express powerplay of the night.

Again it was Danol showing good patience to extend the Express lead. With a loose puck at the side of the net Danol was able to bank the puck in off a downed Logan Neaton for his second of the night and a 2-0 Express lead.

Now it was time for the Express to really lock this one down. Danol was one of many making his contributions on the in the defensive zone as well. He got himself in a shooting lane to block a shot.

Then the last line of defence in Clay Stevenson was there to support the team in front of him. He made a great reaching glove save off Ben Poisson. There was also a sequence of three quick saves in tight that Stevenson was able to hold firm.

His best save came off Ben Brar with about 6 minutes left in the third period where the Spruce Kings power forward found himself all alone in the slot with the puck on his stick and Stevenson rushed out to challenge to make a stick save.  That save helped cement the 31 save performance for Stevenso's first BCHL playoff shutout.

Then in the final moments the Express heavy game helped seal the victory. Danol and Regan Kimens helped team up to work the puck deep along the boards in the Spruce Kings zone to kill some time off the clock.

In the final minute Pito Walton cleared the puck down the ice into the Spruce Kings zone and Chase Danol bumped Nick Bochen off the puck and put it into the empty net for the hat-trick.

The victory planted a seed of hope for the Express that has now started to sprout. They hope that seed grows just a little more when the series shifts to Prince George for game 5 Thursday night.

SPRUCE KINGS AT EXPRESS GAME 3 HIGHLIGHTS

Highlights of the Spruce Kings 5-2 win over the Express in game 3 of the Mainland division semi final.

Highlights produced by Eddie Gregory. 

SPRUCE KINGS OPEN COMMANDING LEAD ON EXPRESS

Prince George put the Express on the brink of elimination with a 5-2 win in game 3 of the Mainland division semi final to open a 3-0 series lead. Click here for boxscore

The visitors looked early on put the Express away early peppering Kolby Matthews with plenty of shots. Their reward came just shy of the 8 minute mark when the puck bounced to Chong Min Lee who tapped it home for a 1-0 Prince George lead.

Alex DiPaolo had the reply for the Express 5 minutes later burying the rebound of a Jack Cameron shot after the blue liner jumped down deep then finding a way to get the puck to the net.

That goal sparked a turn in the play which saw the Express finish strong and coming out of the period with a 14-13 advantage in shots.

Nick Poisson rushed into the Express zone then dished to his brother Ben who snapped a wrist shot just inside the post for a 2-1 Spruce Kings lead.

It was a little harder for the Express to generate scoring chances in the second after the first. But they scrapped their way to find the equalizer late in the period. Dallas Farrell found himself tangled up behind the play with Layton Ahac. The officials allowed it to continue until the players separated. Farrell then went to the net and slid home his first of the series to tie the game at 2.

The tie only lasted just 1:21 before Chong Min Lee found Ben Poisson who scored his second of the net for a 3-2 Prince George lead after 40.

One of two things was going to happen in the third period. Either the Express were going to play with  a sense of desperation with the hopes of avoiding a 3-0 series hole. Or Prince George was going to lull the game down the way a proven playoff team can. It was the latter that ended up occurring.

Layton Ahac scored on one timer at 8:40 for a two goal Prince George lead that may have felt like the Express had to scale Mount Everest in order to overcome.

When the Express did get pucks to the net Logan Neaton was there to quash any hopes as he finished with 30 saves.

Liam Watson-Brawn sealed the game with an empty net goal while the Express were on a 6 on 4 powerplay in the final minute of the game.

Game 3 was a pretty cleanly played game with each team only being assessed one penalty each, both coming in the third period.

Game 4 goes Tuesday night in Coquitlam with the Express hoping to extend their season to a game 5. 

EXPRESS AT SPRUCE KINGS GAME 2 HIGHLIGHTS

Highlights of the Spruce Kings game 2 overtime victory over the Express Saturday night.

Highlights produced by Eddie Gregory.