Express On A Roll

The Kings were riding a 10-game win streak heading into last weekend when Coquitlam came to town for a two games at Hap Parker Arena.

The Express won both games indicating they’re not going to settle for (current) fourth-place in the Coastal Conference.

The Express were the last team to defeat Powell River before their streak began and the two losses represent have of the Kings’ home-ice defeats this season.

What was impressive was Coquitlam (second highest-scoring team) in the BCHL, seemed to defeat the Kings with tight, low-scoring games with results which were 3-2 Saturday and 3-1 Sunday.

“We’ve had good success against them this year,” noted Express head coach Jon Calvano. ”

We wanted to keep playing the same way and we felt we could score on them.”They scored just enough. Coquitlam averages over four goals a game so to win while getting less than that is a good sign for a team trying to improve its playoff positioning.

They trail the first-place Eagles by seven points but feel they can still earn home-ice advantage in the playoffs.”I think we can get into the top two (spots) but our focus is just making sure we beat Nanaimo the next two times we play them,” said Calvano, alluding to the fifth-place Nanaimo who are nine points back.

The improvement Coquitlam has shown this year over last is crucial as they just snuck into the postseason last year as the seventh place team and were promptly swept by Surrey.

The team’s deadly power-play (second best in the league) is tough to defend because Calvano allows his players to be creative rather than having similar structure every game.

“We probably don’t have a real set up or no one set up we go to all the time,” said Calvano. “We have a lot of creative players so we have more than one option.”

Also helpful on the man advantage is Clinton Atkinson, the third highest-scoring Defenceman in the league.

The New West player lead the Express with 44 assists on the season and is the perfect PP.

Calvano says a number of player have emerged as key pieces this year as well.