Thomas Molson scored on a breakaway 15 minutes into the first overtime to give the Victoria Grizzlies a 4-3 win over the Coquitlam Express in the first game of their BC Hockey League playoff series, Friday in Victoria.
Molson was in the right place at the right time when the puck bounced off an Express player in the neutral zone and he was able to outskate two pursuers to lift a backhand over Coquitlam goalie Andrew Ness.
It was Molson’s second goal of the night. He’d opened the scoring 3:46 into the second period. Less than four minutes later, Landon Mackie gave the home team a 2-0 advantage.
But the Express roared back in the third period with three straight goals, two of them by Nolan Flynn.
But Coquitlam’s advantage lasted just 15 seconds when Chase Pirtle tied it with 3:19 left in regulation time.
Ness stopped 53 of the 57 shots he faced in the Express net, while Grizzlies goalie Oliver Auyeung-Ashton made 46 saves.
The series second game will be played tonight (Saturday, April 5), 6 p.m., at the Q Centre in Victoria.
