Three straight goals in the third period by the Chilliwack Chiefs erased a comeback by the visiting Coquitlam Express and vaulted the home team to a 6-3 win Friday (April 1) in the first game of their best-of-seven BC Hockey League playoff series.
Thomas Messineo, Connor Milburn and an empty-netter by Brett Rylance proved the difference for the Chiefs after Coquitlam had fought back from a 3-1 deficit with goals by Matthew Campbell late in the second period and Emmett McHardy 2:38 in the final frame.
The Express opened the scoring with the only goal in the first period, by Jayden Sison.
But Chilliwack scored three straight in the second to take control until Campbell ripped a shot over Chiefs’ goalie Grant Riley while on a power play.
He then added an assist on McHardy’s game-tying goal.
Carter Woodside faced 29 shots in Coquitlam’s net, while his teammates managed only 18 at Riley.
Game two of the series goes Saturday night (April 2) in Chilliwack before the series shifts to Coquitlam for games three and four, on Monday and Tuesday (April 4-5), 7 p.m., at the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex.
