Matthew Frost’s first goal as a member of the Coquitlam Express proved to be the game winner in the team’s 5-4 victory over the Nanaimo Clippers, Saturday in Nanaimo.
Frost, who joined the Express Thursday from the Waterloo Black Hawks in the US Hockey League, blasted home a rebound past Clippers goalie Tyler Hodges after Michael Rubin’s shot hit the post 4:45 into the third period to give Coquiltam a 5-3 lead.
And while Nanaimo’s Conner DeTurris was able to get the home team back to within a goal when he scored his ninth of the season with 1:51 remaining in regulation time and Hodges on the bench for an extra attacker, Express rookie netminder Ethan Simcoe was able to withstand a barrage of shots to record his fifth victory in six starts.
With the teams tied 2-2 midway through the game, Drew Garzone and Kasper Walther-Sneve scored 94 seconds apart to put Coquitlam in command with a 4-2 advantage.
Luke Buss got the Clippers back to within a goal less than a minute later but Nanaimo couldn’t get the equalizer despite outshooting the visitors 13-4 in the final frame.
Jackson Krill and Jake Manfre, with his 16th of the season, also scored for the Express, while Simcoe made 28 saves.
The win snapped a three-game losing skid for the Express, which rounds out a busy weekend with a game against the Surrey Eagles this afternoon at the South Surrey Arena.
A win would elevate Coquitlam to fifth place in the BC Hockey League’s Coastal divisions standings, ahead of the the Chilliwack Chiefs which have played one more game but is idle on Sunday.
