The Alberni Valley Bulldogs scored four unanswered goals through the second and third periods to spoil the home opener of the Coquitlam Express, 5-1, Friday at the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex.
After Hayden Stavroff gave the Bulldogs a 1-0 lead in the first period when he somehow put the puck behind Express goalie Adam Manji as he crashed the net, Coquitlam tied the score 6:30 into the second period on a goal by Michael Rubin.
From there on, though, it was all Alberni Valley on the score board, as the Bulldogs scored twice more in the second period and added another pair in the third — both by Stavroff to complete the hat trick.
The Express fired 40 shots at Bulldogs goalie Adam Tung while Manji faced 32 shots — one of them a penalty shot by Alberni Valley forward Fischer O’Brien that he was able to smother with his right pad.
Coquitlam hosts the Surrey Eagles Saturday, 7 p.m., at Poirier.
