Evan Brown scored with 17 seconds left in the third period to give the Coquitlam Express a 5-4 win over the Victoria Grizzlies Friday at the Poirier Sport and Leisure Complex.
The goal earned a bit of redemption for the home team, which had squandered a 4-1 advantage heading into the final frame. But after just eight minutes had been played, it was gone.
The Express built that lead with three unanswered goals in the second period after both teams had scored in the first.
Coquitlam’s second period included a bit of everything.
Coco Armstrong scored on the power play at 12:31, then, less than two minutes later, Mateo Dixon scored while the Express was shorthanded. Less than 20 seconds later the advantage was 3-1 as Colton Alexander scored with both teams at even strength.
Tyler Kopff scored in the first period for Coquitlam which resulted in a hundreds of soft teddy bears raining down on the ice to be donated to Kirmac Cares for Kids that supports the BC Childrens Hospital Foundation.
Victoria’s Owen Bohn opened the scoring 9:25 after the opening face-off.
Brown added two assists to his game-winning goal to lead the Express attack, while Kopff also contributed three points.
Adam Manji stopped 34 shots in Coquitlam’s net while Grizzlies’ goalkeepers Oliver Auyeung-Ashton and Ansel Holt faced 40 shots.
The win moves the Express three points ahead of Victoria in the battle for third place in the BC Hockey League’s Coastal conference. Both have played 24 games.
Coquitlam heads to Alberni Valley Saturday for a game against the Bulldogs then continues its mini-swing through central Vancouver Island with a game Sunday in Nanaimo against the Clippers.
The Bulldogs visit the Express on Wednesday, 7 p.m. at Poirier.
